Holiday Party Planning and Decor Tips

Holiday party planning and decor tips to get you from the Holidays through New Years! I visited Fox News to share some tips on how you can host memorable dinners or parties this month. Special thanks to Exquisite Designs Chicago, Erickson Design, Elysia Root Cakes, Northwest Meat Company, Robyn Tornabeni Productions, Rosie Scianna and Molise PR for contributing to such a great segment!

1. Use colors and patterns that work for any holiday occasion throughout December, and certainly from Christmas to New Year’s while planning your holiday parties – this allows you to get more than one use out of everything!

• -Instead of using holiday specific imagery and patterns that require you to swap out décor throughout your home, use metallics and add in accents of your favorite holiday colors with linens and centerpieces.

2. Go shopping in your own home!

• – There are easy ways to get festive with items you may already have around the house.
• -Incorporate fond family memories, or honor loved ones, in your annual tradition. Bring family heirlooms out of storage and add them into your display all season long.

3. Fare from family recipes is perfect for holiday dinner and New Year’s Eve parties!

• -If you know your guests are attending a lot of holiday dinners this season, ditch the cumbersome turkey and ham in favor of recipes that come from your family heritage. Your guests will be delighted to taste something so meaningful to you, and it makes for great conversation. Plus, planning these menus is extra special because everything means something!

4. FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITIONS can be incorporated well beyond Christmas! Those traditions and recipes add a delightful layer of authenticity and fun to any dinner party and certainly serve as a fabulous ice breaker!

• Roasted chestnuts are a favorite Italian traditions! In Lucca, Italy, where my grandfather Gene Michelotti is from, you see vendors selling roasted chestnuts on every corner. Start by soaking them in salt water for about an hour (this makes them a little more tender). Then, make an “x” shaped incision on the flat side and placing in a pot on a stove for about 30 minutes, you can have them at home! TIP: while you have to let them cool a little bit, don’t let them cool all the way before you peel because it is easier with a little warmth!