Stepping Up Your Game: Holiday Help

Beautiful holiday arrangement by Teleflora

Holiday entertaining when I was young always involved home cooked food, but little to no attention was given to setting a nice table. We had lovely china and sterling silver flatware, but my mother rarely took the trouble to use them. Unless I polished the silver, it sat, tarnished and unused in the drawer.

My sister-in-law is basically the opposite. She outsources much of the food, concentrating on flower arranging, exquisite linens and elegant serving pieces. 

The elegantly set table at the Momtrends Holiday Soiree

I strive for a mix of the two, and was encouraged to see how I could become the boss of my table at the Momtrends Holiday Soiree.

An elegantly set table featured bouquets from Teleflora, and there were examples of other holiday Teleflora bouquets throughout the room. I did a little research at home and discovered that the holiday arrangements are quite reasonably priced, and would be wonderful to send if you don't have time to make a hostess gift.

Avery labels add a professional touch to homemade gifts

The table also had serving pieces for Nambé. I have several bowls and platters from my wedding, but what is new this year is a jewelry collection, sold at Macy's. There were lovely bracelets and earrings, all in sterling silver.

Organic Smashmallow marshmallows

At the event, I also learned how I could up my game with homemade gifts. For the last few years, I've given hostess gifts like homemade bitters or infused liquor, putting them in mason jars and attaching a card with ingredients. But Avery has a whole line of labels and tags that elevate these gifts to near professional status. Maybe that is what Momtrends is up to, encouraging entrepreneurship in all of us. Could I have a business making bitters?

If you are giving gifts to teens or adults who don't drink, you could also make a custom blend hot chocolate mix. Those Avery labels could be on a mason jar filled with great cocoa and spices and you could include a bag of Smashmallow organic, gluten-free marshmallows.

The swag bag we got from Momtrends at the end of the evening included a bag of mint chocolate chip marshmallows, which would add a nice touch to a cup of hot chocolate; there is also an espresso bean flavor, for mocha lovers.

Note: I was a guest of Momtrends at the Holiday Soiree and was not compensated for this post.