I can’t believe we are almost 1 week away from Christmas weekend. Since December 1st, it has been a whirlwind and over these last couple of months in general. Wedding planning has been going incredibly well with all of our vendors booked, and now it’s all of the little fun things to plan. James and I both have had a lot going on with work and especially during the holidays. This time of year is always more busy with get togethers, family events, and trying to make this time special for the reason for the season. I tried to stay organized as much as I could this season with prep work so that I could have time to host this little Christmas Cocktail and Dessert Party with my friends a couple of weeks ago. It is a fun way to enjoy your friends before everyone leaves town and celebrates with others the week of Christmas. You can also host an event like this during Christmas Eve, Christmas Day evening, or even the week after Christmas.

Decor

I decided to go with decor that was simple and classic for this get together. I ordered some Christmas plaid tablecloths that would go on the tables outside as well as indoors too. The food and drinks were set up inside using my normal white platters and bringing out some of my silver. I merged 2 tables outside under the covered patio and added a mix of fabric and leather folding chairs for an easy arrangement. The centerpiece used was a garland with lights and had candles scattered around. I used our regular Christmas decorations including our tree, our outdoor inflatable ornaments, the nutcrackers and wreaths on the windows. It is the first year for me in a house instead of my apartment, so I had fun decorating. Also FYI these flameless candle sticks that stick onto the windows are my favorite little decor item. They look so classic in between Christmas wreaths on the door, and you set the flicker on/off by a remote.

Food

This party was one where I wanted to be Ms. Betty Crocker in true Southern fashion. I made all the food entirely from scratch from the help of my new favorite cookbook I got when I was in Round Top which is called The Southern Entertainer’s Cookbook. This is such a lovely book filled with stories and great pictures, but even better tasting food items. All of my recipes I made came from this cookbook. I made spicy cheddar sausage balls, cheese wafers, pimiento cheese cups, spicy seasoned pecans, Kentucky bourbon balls, snowball pecan cookies, red velvet cupcakes, and mini pecan pies. It was for sure a true Southern spread filled with lots of pecans and cheese. Everyone loved all of the food items and especially the pimiento cheese cups which flew by super quick. I had 9 guests attend and had the party start at 8 pm which was great for just having desserts and then a couple of snacks. A piece of advice is to start preparing some of the food items the night before like the dough for the pecan pies and the pimiento cheese. Several of the items need to be refrigerated overnight, and it makes the day of that much more stress free.

Drinks

In keeping with the theme of a Southern Christmas, I also ended up making a holiday spiced punch that was also part of the cookbook. This consisted of apple cider, lemon juice, dark rum, cinnamon Schnapps, cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg. You just simmer all of the ingredients together on the stove and it makes your home smell amazing too. This was the main drink for the party, and I put it in some vintage glasses that I got at an antique store. We also had the usual wine and festive beer and coffee with some of the festive coffee mugs if anyone preferred that. Sticking to one main beverage for the cocktails instead of making different ones made it easy and an easy choice for the guests as well. It was not too cold when we hosted the party either, so a warm drink was nice to drink.

This was an intimate party, and I am glad I was able to host it before all of the craziness of Christmas week started. Being outdoors with the outdoor lights under candlelight and having Christmas music playing on the outdoor speakers added to the festive feel. You can re-create a similar party of your own with this in mind. A final piece that gets people talking is going around the table and asking “what is your favorite Christmas movie or song?” was so much fun. I hope you all have a great and happy Christmas!