Merry Ways to Make Your Table Festive when You Entertain

If you are throwing a holiday party this year, there are little things you can do to really jazz up your serving or buffet table. Look for interesting ways to make the ordinary, extraordinary.

Cocktails and Drinks:
Make an ice ring for your punch bowl, but to add a twist, use fruit juice instead of water. When you pour the juice into the ring, add a few slices of fresh fruit, such as strawberries for an added touch. You can even make an ice ring using sherbet. When you use juice or sherbet, you can bet that your juice will not become watered down. It will keep your guests coming back for more.

Another great idea for the punch bowl is to toss in a few small oranges and lemons with cloves. Simply wash the fruit and stick whole cloves directly into the peel. When you are ready to serve your punch, add the clove-studded fruit along with the punch. Not only will it look festive, but it will also give an extra "punch" to your punch.

When you serve hot beverages, such as cider, wassail or hot chocolate, give your guest something special to stir the drinks with. Forget about the plain spoons. Try a chocolate dipped disposable spoon or a whole cinnamon stick. This makes the drinks extra yummy.

Serving breakfast or brunch? Pick up some grenadine syrup where you purchase drink mixes. Add a tablespoon or two at the bottom of a wine goblet, then add fruit juice such as orange juice. When you add the two together, it will create a pretty swirled look in the glass.

Dress up wine glasses by added a slice of thin fruit to the rim of the glass. Try pretty fruits like kiwi or star fruit. You can also get a peeler and peel off very thin layers of fruit peel to perch on the edge of the glass or serving pitcher.

Appetizers:
Cheese is a very popular dish to serve as an appetizer or as a part of a buffet. Not only is cheese versatile, but it is delicious when paired with fruits, wines and crackers. Here are some tips to dress up your cheese platters. Instead of serving your cheese in little cubes, serve it in wedges, bricks or rounds. Cheese looks spectacular served this way and your guests can get as much or as little as they want. Put them all on a large platter and provide small knives and cheese planes. When you arrange your cheese, add some festive greens around the wedges. Try paper grape leaves, small bunches of grapes in all colors or fresh sprigs of herbs.

The Meal:
When it comes time to get your guests to sit down for a meal, entice them to the table by following some of these tips.

Serving soup? Bowls are boring! How about a hollowed out bread or a small hollowed pumpkin? These types of bowl-alternatives are perfect for thick soups or chili.

Make place settings: Use bunches of fresh herbs to tie to your napkins, along with some pretty red holiday berries for a touch of color at the table. If you prefer not to tie them to your napkins, just make a small bouquet for each guest by tying the bunches together with raffia.

Add herbs: Herbs give a fresh look to any dish. It can bring the most boring main course to life. Sage is a perfect herb for holiday entertaining. The color is nice, so right before you serve your main course, add a few sprigs to your dish.

Find the right serving platters: When you are serving a large bird or ham, find a proportionate platter. This not only makes your dish look more appetizing, but it give you more room for carving at the table. You can also add life to your platter or serving dish by decorating it with some scattered fresh cranberries or sprinkling a little paprika on the rim of the dish.

Desserts:
Who doesn't love a decadent dessert? The holidays are when many of us eat one too many desserts. You can be sure that your guests will love your desserts when you present them in one of the following ways:

Small portions: Instead of giving everyone a large piece of cake or pie, consider making a dessert plate with several types of desserts cut into bite sized pieces. This gives everyone a chance to sample each kind without the guilt trip.

Pretty Desserts: If you are serving brownies or gingerbread, use a store bought paper doily to dress it up. Place it on the top of the dessert and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Carefully pick up the doily and it leaves a nice pattern on the top of your dessert.

Sugar is Best: When you serve desserts, sprinkle the plate and the rim of the serving plate with confectioner's sugar. It looks pretty!