Holiday Entertaining

I have been watching HGTV non-stop this past week. Well, when I have time to be in front of the tv, that is. I love HGTV during the holiday season and I get so excited to see all the fun decorating tips they have for the holidays, especially when it comes to holiday parties. This Thursday evening I'm hosting a small Christmas recipe swap dinner party with about 10-12 girlfriends of mine at our home. A recipe swap party consists of each guest bringing a dish (appetizer, side, entree, or dessert) along with copies of the recipe to share with each guest in attendance. It is so much fun because you end up with a wonderful spread of food and lots of new recipes that you've already had the chance to taste.

Since I'm hosting a party, I decided I needed to spruce up my home a little for our guests. Just a few small touches to make it look "Christmas-ey". I have two tables (one square one that seats 4 and one long banquet table for 8) for guests to sit at while they eat and one long banquet table for all the food. For the dining tables I purchased some beautiful glass tabletop pieces from Hobby Lobby at 50% off and filled them with red and gold ornaments and red ribbon, also 50% off at Hobby Lobby. For the food table, because I know it will be full, I chose two smaller tabletop glass pieces and filled them with candy canes. Candy canes are such an inexpensive way to add some color to your decor. Here are the pieces all in one photo. I'm pretty happy with them!

Forgive the crooked photo

Next, I decided I wanted to treat my guests with some home made favors at their place settings when they arrive. I found this idea on Lauren Conrad's website. Love her. They were so simple and made 18 adorable favors for less than $20. Here's what you need:
One box 18 of metal Christmas shaped cookie cutters (Wal-Mart $9)
Two blocks of white chocolate bakers bark or white chocolate morsels ($6 Wal-Mart)
One box of candy canes ($1 Wal-Mart)
One small spool of red shiny ribbon ($1 Wal-Mart)
One package of 20 cellophane bags of your choice ($2 Hobby Lobby)

Place cookie cutters on parchment paper or wax paper (I used saran wrap on top of wax paper to prevent leaks)
Melt down the bakers bark on the stovetop on low heat, stirring constantly
Crush about 7 candy canes into fine pieces and stir into chocolate
Spoon melted mixture into each cookie cutter, filling almost to the top
Let candy set until completely hardened
Place cookie cutters inside cellophane bags and tie off with red ribbon
Viola!

I'm so excited for the party and can't wait to share photos from it with you!