Toast to the Host: How to Plan Stress-Free Holiday Celebrations

Planning the ultimate holiday get together? There’s no better way to celebrate the season than gathering with loved ones, but, when you’re the host, poor planning can turn a happy shindig into a stressful mess. Make sure your festivities go off without a hitch with these stress free holiday celebration tips.

Make a List, Check it Twice

Elegant soiree or casual buffet? Before making lists, decide what type of holiday party you’ll be hosting. Then get organized with checklists, like this list from Real Simple, to keep tabs on the following items:

• Guest List: Will this be an intimate couples dinner or an open house for all your friends and family? Create your list and send invitations 4-6 weeks in advance to collect RSVPs in a timely manner.
• Menu: Once you know who’s coming, create a delectable menu that appeases your guests’ palates (and dietary needs). Jot down appropriate menu items and serving portions.
• Timeline: Make a separate list including tasks that can be done in advance. For example, quiches and tarts are excellent finger foods that can be pre-made and frozen a day or two before the party.

Party-Foul Proof: Delegating is always encouraged but, if you’re recruiting your significant other or even the kiddos to help with the details, make a list for them as well to ensure no details fall by the wayside.

Ready-Made Masterpiece

Creatively embellished dishes and crafty cocktails make Instagram-worthy displays but trying to re-create gourmet recipes can add unnecessary stress. If you’re DIYing the menu, stick to seasonal soups or casseroles that are both filling and tasty. Fill the table with finger foods like crudités, as well as festive sweets like our chocolate-covered strawberries that add a gourmet touch to any party. Go through this FTD coupon code and save up to 50% OFF gifts baskets - fruit, wine, sweets, spa and more!

Party-Foul Proof: ‘Tis the season for welcoming guests, whether for an impromptu gathering or a planned celebration. Always be prepared by stocking the pantry with bulk cookies, crackers and mixed nuts, in case your party guests show up with big appetites.

Deck the Halls

Skip the Griswold light presentation and keep it simple, elegant and, best of all, stress-free. Fresh floral arrangements make classy centerpieces. Subtle hints of greenery add a classy yet festive touch to otherwise empty nooks. For exterior decor, potted evergreens at your front porch create a welcoming entryway. For indoors and outdoors, classic poinsettias are great for adding a splash of holiday cheer.

Party-Foul Proof: To complete your home with utmost holiday elegance, our bright green magnolia wreath creates a modern feel for your holiday mantle.

Jingle & Mingle

Even if you plan on hosting an intimate feast, don’t force a sit-down atmosphere. Create a space that encourages guests to mingle. Avoid clusters of hungry party go-er’s hovering the meat and cheese tray by spreading out finger foods and appetizers throughout your home.

Party-Foul Proof: Set up a separate bar and beverage area away from the main food display to encourage a flow between serving stations.

Even professional party-planners run into a hitch or two along the way. Once the guests arrive and the party begins, set your worries aside. As long as you’re carefree and enjoying the evening, your guests will enjoy themselves too.

Fool Proof Holiday Dessert – Make Your Own Peppermint Bark

Every year you hear that the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year.  However, most people fail to mention that they are also the busiest time of the year.  Between holiday parties, buying your gifts, wrapping your gifts, and everything else during the holiday season, extra time to cook and bake is hard to come by.  Here is a quick and easy recipe to make your own peppermint bark.  This treat will last you for a long time during the holiday season and can be a quick go-to gift when you are way past last minute.

Ingredients for Your Peppermint Bark

The measurements on this one are really up to you.  You can make as much or as little as you want but keep it spread thin so it break easily.  Here’s what I used:

• 1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 1/2 bag white chocolate morsels or 1/2 lb almond bark
• 3 large Peppermint Candy Canes or Peppermint Sticks (add more if you use the tiny ones)
• Wax paper
• Cookie Sheet

Steps for Making Your Peppermint Bark

1. Prepare cookie sheet with wax paper.
2. Crush peppermint candy canes in blender or with a hammer until fine
3. Melt your favorite dark chocolate and spread on wax paper (I prefer the microwave to a double boiler but always melt chocolate at 50% power so it doesn’t burn.  30 seconds at a time and stir
4. Allow to set for about 20 minutes or speedup the process with a few minutes in the fridge
5. Melt white chocolate (Don’t forget to melt at 50%!  – white chocolate is even more temperamental)
6. Add ½ of crushed peppermint and spread evenly on top of dark chocolate
7. Quickly sprinkle the rest of the peppermint before white chocolate hardens.  If you’re too slow you can always put the whole cookie sheet in the oven for 30 seconds to 1 minute to warm so it all sticks together again!

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Sugar Cookie Artistry – 8 Rules for Perfect Holiday Baking

Who doesn’t like cutout cookies at Christmas in all of their favorite shapes and sizes – vanilla, almond, lemon, gingerbread, anise – whatever your dough flavor of choice, cutouts add the beauty to your holiday sugar cookie plates.  Here are a few simple tips to make your cookie baking and decorating easy and fun…

Rule #1 – Don’t forget the flour – but not too much!

Some prefer baking clothes, some silicone mats, but wherever you roll the dough, make sure you flour the surface, your rolling pin and the cookie cutters so they don’t stick.  Just be sure you only use enough to prevent sticking or your cookies will taste like flour instead of your flavor of choice

Rule #2 – Work quickly with chilled dough

Warm dough is not your friend.  Keeping the dough nice and cool makes it easier to roll and the cookies keep their shape.  So don’t try to roll out the whole batch at once.  In fact, I actually divide the dough right when I mix it and it’s still soft and wrap individually in plastic wrap.  Pat flat so you don’t have to roll from ball shape and take one package out of the fridge at a time.

Rule #3 – Even Baking

Keep the same shape or similar size cookies together so they bake evenly.  There are so many shapes and sizes at Christmas you don’t want those little stars to burn if you have to allow more time for those chubby snowmen.

Rule #4 – Frosting consistency

My favorite recipe is quite simple – milk, powdered sugar, about a tsp of melted butter, a dash of salt and the flavoring of my choice.  Too runny – add more sugar, too thick – add more milk.  If it’s too thick it won’t lay smooth and the sprinkles won’t stick. If it’s too runny it will drip off the cookies

Rule #5 – Tight on time – Keep it simple but elegant

I make a couple different kinds of cutouts and 3 days of baking is about as much as my schedule will allow, so I can’t make them all look flawless.  So for the anise cookies, we just sprinkle immediately after frosting, for the almond – we get fancier.

Rule #6 – Explore your inner artist

If you do have more time to decorate, explore that inner artist.  Invest in a coupe piping bags and decorating tips and a few touches can make frosted sugar cookies works of art.

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Rule #7 – Have fun

Sometimes a batch gets burnt or you add too much flour too fast into the mixer and your kitchen ends up looking like a snowstorm, but that’s what makes it fun.  Don’t fret – enjoy it.  Make it a family tradition and involve the kids and grandma.  Cookies don’t all need to look perfect.  Enjoy the time with friends and family and make something yummy while you’re at it.  You won’t remember the burnt batch – you’ll remember the fun!

Rule #8 – Eat!

You’re making cookies – eat them!

7 Holiday Hosting Hacks & Last Minute Tips & Tricks

This year the holiday season has surely been memorable—memorably hectic and stressful with hardly any time to prepare for Christmas Day. If you’re on the verge of crisis mode, it’s not a red alert just yet. Take a deep breath. Fortunately, there’s still time before emergency protocols kick in and you have to cancel Christmas like a Grinch. Don’t give up on Christmas Day just yet with these holiday hosting hacks to help with last-minute preparation.

Lower Expectations

First and foremost, drop your high expectations. You’re not Martha Stewart and your guests don’t expect you to be. Like Jordan Reid, author of Ramshackle Glam and mom to two little ones, says, “Take it down a notch or 20. Maintain those traditions that really matter, and then let the rest of it go.” If you didn’t bake the pomegranate mousse cake or red velvet cake with peppermint whipped cream posted on your Pinterest Christmas dessert board, it’s OK. Christmas Day can still be happy and magical, even with hosting shortcuts.

Serve Appetite Buffers

If you predict a delayed Christmas dinner, make sure to provide appetizers that ravenous guests can nibble on. Disguise frozen bites as homemade hors d’oeuvres by dressing up the food on decorative plates. Boneless buffalo wings and pizza rolls can seem like tacky edibles for Christmas, which is why FTD offers a deliciousHickory Farms Here’s to the Holidays sausage and cheese platter or Gourmet Fruit & Cheese Gift Box to curb that holiday hunger.

Create a Crafting Corner

Describing the kids as energetic and excited on Christmas Day is an understatement. And, any parent knows that excitement can quickly turn into a meltdown of crankiness and tears. Help settle kids with a crafting corner where they can create decorative name cards for the table setting. Provide materials including old Christmas cards, markers, glue and scissors. As the kids craft Christmas Day decor, you can focus on cooking and entertaining without extra hassles.

Serve a Non-Fancy Menu

Prevent kitchen disasters by simplifying your holiday cooking with tried-and-true dishes. You’ll appear confident in your own kitchen and minimize unwelcome surprises. Michael Symon, the world-class chef at Lola Bistro, recommends roasting an entire prime rib or braising a veal shank. Slow-cooking meat enables you to work on the side dishes and tend to guests as the kitchen fills with rich and comforting aromas.

Designate a Socializer

As you get wrapped up with cooking the green bean casserole or washing pans, you could commit the ultimate party hosting crime—neglecting your guests. If multitasking isn’t your specialty, volunteer your husband or a family member to be the social butterfly. The greeter plays an important role in keeping the room alive. Give the socializer the task of serving specialty holiday cocktails or signature red wine, entertaining guests and working the room.

Keep Emergency Backup Gifts

Include small backup gifts as part of your holiday hosting survival kit in case unexpected guests arrive or you’re invited to a party last minute. Shop FTD.com for a collection of holiday gifts that you can keep on hand for when family wants to stop by on Christmas evening or if a co-worker invites you to a post-holiday get-together.Chocolate Dip Delights Christmas Cake Pops, Festively Frosted Snowman Chocolate Dipped Double Stuff Oreo Pops and Holiday Parade Hand-Dipped Pretzels make sweet holiday hostess gifts. Get FREE Chocolate with purchase of Select Bouquets with Ftd coupon. Buy Now!

Simplify Your Wrapping

The theme of this year’s Christmas seems to be “last minute.” And unwrapped Christmas presents just means that you’re truly in the spirit of the season. Follow Reid’s advice and forgo elaborate gift-wrapping. Go for “minimalist chic,” and wrap gifts with brown paper and twine. Use a black sharpie marker to write the recipient’s name and a holiday love note. Not only is this a time-saver, but you’ll save money too.

Tis the Season: New Holiday Traditions to Start This Year

Piles of presents and gingerbread cookies may make your family smile during the holidays, but it’s actually treasured traditions that warm the heart year after year. It’s never a season too late to start brand new holiday traditions and create memories your family can fondly look back on for years.

Childhood Traditions

The most special holiday seasons are the ones during childhood when you believed in Santa and Christmas magic was real. Part of the Christmas spirit as parents is to reflect on your Christmas traditions when you were children and re-create the same magic for your own kids. It’s truly the little moments that matter most during the this special time of year. Warm your home with these Christmas traditions that your little ones will remember forever.

• Christmas Lights Tour: Pick a night to bundle up and discover the beautiful Christmas lights of nearby neighborhoods and parks. Play favorite Christmas tunes in the car as your family tours streets lit-up with glowing homes, trees and outdoor decorations. Pack marshmallow-topped hot cocoas to-go and other sweet treats like Frosted Snowman Chocolate Dipped Double Stuff Oreo Pops or Christmas Cake Pops to enjoy as you drive past one enchanting display after another.
• DIY Decorating: No Christmas decoration or tree ornament is as meaningful and original as the ones handcrafted together as a family. Make a homemade garland out of strung popcorn or snowflakes crafted out of felt. HGTV.com offers 20 homemade holiday ornaments and decorations ideas made out of things like oranges or cookie cutters.
• Caroling at Grandma’s: Kids can’t help but sing along to jolly Christmas carols. Warm Grandma’s heart and take the kids caroling at her house — “Over The River and Through the Woods” is a great tune to lead the way. And you can really make Grandma smile. Bring over homemade cookies.
• Table Setting: If you’re hosting Christmas dinner this year, involve the kids with decorating the table setting. Ask them to choose their favorite holiday centerpiece and what accents they’d like to include, such as acorns, holly or ornament favors. The kids will love to be part of the decorating process and feel valued by sharing their input.
• Sending Holiday Spirit: Share the virtue of thoughtful giving and send a beautiful holiday bouquet to a long-distance loved one who may be alone at Christmas. Your kids can also choose a new toy or book to donate to a charity like Toys for Tots.
• Snowman: Be ready for the first big snowfall with snow clothes and a snowman decorating kit. Building a snowman creates cherished memories, especially on a white Christmas. After the snow day, warm up with cups of hot cocoa and flannel PJs.

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New Traditions

Throughout the years, Christmases can inevitably change. The kids go off to college, move away from home and everyone’s living in different cities. Make Christmas the one time of year the whole family is together. Rather than invite everyone to fly home, make the week of Christmas the time of year for an annual family vacation. Plan a trip for the family to cozy up in a cabin at a lodge in snowy Lake Tahoe or escape the cold weather at a beach in the Caribbean.

If a vacation away from home feels too unconventional, host a family reunion weekend or holiday bash to reunite all of the extended family members. Of course, traveling can be expensive, but faraway loved ones can still spend time together on Christmas Eve or Day through virtual platforms like Google Hangouts or Skype Group Video Chat.

Neighborly Traditions

Get into the spirit of the season with a friendly neighborhood Christmas lights display contest. (A contest is also fun motivation to finally string those lights and hang up the wreaths outside before December 25th.) Invite neighbors to participate, provide prizes and designate three judges to determine first-, second- and third-place winners. Then, end the Christmas competition with a neighborhood potluck where everyone can indulge on sweet treats like Jolly Holiday Chocolate Covered Strawberries and cheers with gourmet wine.

Express Gratitude as a Family This Holiday Season

Grateful people aren’t just happier people; they’re the ones who make the world a better place.

Have you ever thought that maybe what makes the holiday season so special is that families and friends and neighbors and strangers all come together and act on those feelings of gratitude?

If you have a desire to serve or simply want to teach your children the significance and purpose of the season, here are a few ways to go a bit further this year:

Count Your Blessings

Set a goal. Do you think you can reach 25? 50? 100? Make it a game by setting guidelines for the lists. For example, limit answers to only five a day and make a rule that they can’t duplicate anything their siblings have already written. Make sure to post each grateful list on the refrigerator door or bathroom mirror. Watch as the creative ideas filter in!

For younger kids, write the alphabet on a worksheet and, next to each letter, have them list or draw one thing they are thankful for. For example, your daughter is grateful for angels and your son for apples; or your son is grateful for Baxter (the family dog) and your daughter’s favorite color is blue—talk about their lists and have them tell you why they are grateful.

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Put Them on Display

Choose items from your lists and put each on a shape cut out of colored paper. Design a wreath made out of multi-colored paper leaves or make shapes of ornaments to tape on a “Thankful Tree.”

Write Thank You Notes Together

Handwritten thank you notes will never go out of style. Teach your child the importance of writing out their appreciation. Each week before the new year, help your kids write a thank you note to someone they love. Once they tackle that list, encourage them to think on a bigger scale and write notes to the mailman, a soldier, their teacher or local firefighters.

Especially if your kids are young, you may need to help them get started with an outline to follow like this:

Dear ___,

Thank you for ___

I think you are ___ because ___

I hope you know ___

Have a ____ day!

Love, ____

Perform Random Acts of Kindness

A great way to show you’re grateful is to share what you have to give! Plan a night to brainstorm ideas for random acts of kindness as a family. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• On a Saturday, spend the morning packing five to 10 brown bag lunches. Walk or drive around town until you give them all away.
• Withdraw $100 in one to five dollar bills and help your children hand them out to strangers or leave them under the windshield wipers of parked cars.
• Make treats and doorbell ditch them at a neighbor’s house. Bonus if you can all hide and watch from the bushes!
• Go out to eat as a family and explain what it means to tip a waitress. When paying the bill, include your children in deciding how much to tip.

Live It All Year Long

The best way to teach your children about gratitude is to live it like a lifestyle instead of as a tradition you celebrate once a year. Make a habit of expressing thanks on a daily basis, especially to them. Leave reminders around the house if you need to! When they return the gesture, acknowledge their effort. After a little bit of time (and practice!), expect the level of appreciation for health and good fortune to grow like you never thought possible.

Celebrating NYE with FTD at the Rose Bowl – Bows & Sequins

Hi there. My name is Jessica, nice to “meet” you! I write the fashion-focused lifestyle blog, Bows & Sequins. Before moving to New York City a few years ago, I spent twenty-something years in the Midwest. Illinois, to be exact. I grew up right outside of Springfield, attended the University of Illinois in Champaign, and spent a little over a year in Chicago after graduation. But with a career in the business-side of fashion, it was only a matter of time until I made the move to New York. While I absolutely love living life in NYC, there are quite a few things from the Midwest that I haven’t let go of.

I guess you could say that I grew up bleeding orange and blue. In fact, I didn’t even apply to another school for college. My dad went to both undergrad and vet school at the University of Illinois. My parents have had season tickets to basketball and football games well before I was even born. At home, our TV and game rooms are decorated solely with Illini memorabilia. I grew up visiting Champaign almost weekly during the football and basketball seasons. So when it came time for college applications, it was Illinois or bust! Honestly, I didn’t apply anywhere else. I actually remember visiting Purdue’s campus in 6th grade and coming home and telling my mom that I thought it seemed like a cool campus. Her response was something along the lines of, “You want to be a Boilermaker?! Good luck getting your father to pay for that!”

Growing up in a family full of sports fanatics, being a football fan only came naturally. If my dad and two brothers wouldn’t have been enough to make me a fan, I was a cheerleader in Jr. High and High School. Therefore, I spent every Friday night in the fall on the sidelines cheering on our hometown team. In college, I came to love the whole lifestyle around football… tailgating, rivalries, friends and families coming together, etc. I absolutely love the fall and football plays a huge part of that!

In the 2007-2008 season, Illinois actually made it to the Rose Bowl! While my parents made the trip out to Pasadena, I stayed behind in Illinois. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but at the time I didn’t realize that my team wouldn’t be going back for a long, long time.

My parents raved about the Rose Parade, the intricacy of the floats, and overall how wonderful of an experience it was to attend such a historical event.

With all of that being said, working with FTD to attend the Rose Bowl festivities in Pasadena this week is a bit of a “pinch-me moment.” I am so excited to go to behind the scenes with FTD and experience the Rose Bowl from the inside out. Join FTD mailing list and get 10% OFF Next Purchase at Coupon4share.com! Visit here and Subscribe now! 

 From the float viewing reception, to getting an insider look into the VIP vehicle decorating (can’t wait to see all of the beautiful blooms up close!), to the pep rallies, to the Parade, to tailgating, to the game… it’s going to be a fun-filled week! Plus, escaping the Northeast weather for the week and spending New Years in sunny Pasadena, California sounds pretty fabulous. And I get to do it all with my best friend, Hallie!

We’re flying out today and will be in California through the end of the week. We’ll be instagraming and tweeting up a storm so be sure to follow along! J #NYEwithFTD

Celebrating NYE with FTD at the Rose Bowl – Corals + Cognacs

Admittedly, I never was the biggest fan of New Year’s Eve.

Despite the hype, it tends to be one of those over-hyped weekends in which most of your time is spent waiting in line — be it for the bar, bathroom or coat check. (And in reality, New Year’s Eve is pretty much like every experience I’ve ever had at a nail salon, which you can read about here.)

This year, however, is different – and a major departure from my tired New Year’s traditions.

I should start from the beginning, though.

Hello! I’m Hallie, a Midwest native, New York City transplant and the creator of corals + cognacs. My blog is an online destination for stylish inspiration, lifestyle musings and so much more.

Today, I’m bound for the Golden State with my best friend (and fellow blogger) Jessica – where we’re spending a celebratory weekend at the Rose Bowl with FTD, the official floral sponsor and an affiliate of the Tournament of Roses for more than 60 years. Find discount Anniversary Flowers at FTD! Go through this Ftd coupon code and save up to 50% OFF at Coupon4share.com

In my suitcase is an array of chambray shirts, comfortable denim, lots of layers and my favorite pair of white Nike’s. Think cute game-day gear that says “I’m a fashion-conscious fan.”

My style is attainable, trendy and fun – and game-day or not, it’s usually infused with a healthy dose of athletic aesthetic.

Growing up as an athlete (and in Cleveland, Ohio), I’m a football fan by default. In addition to that, I should also mention that I’m a near-professional tailgater. What’s not to love about daytime parking lot parties?

I’m very excited to spend the week in Pasadena – and I can’t think of a more festive way to ring in the New Year amid a sea of flower-covered floats, football, parades, tailgates — and most importantly, men in uniform(s).

I’ll be live blogging (here on the FTD blog as well as my own), as well as sharing updates and photos onTwitter and Instagram, so I hope you’ll follow along on our adventures!

This past year is proof that life moves quickly, and all-too-often our happiest occasions seem to get lost in the shuffle of stress and self-concern. I’m looking forward to reinstating New Year’s as a momentous annual milestone.