Merry Christmas from the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado! This is Kari - a mother of two amazing children, married to my best friend for over 12 years and mom to a 20 year old pot-bellied pig and an 8 year old box turtle! I am a Certified Health and Nutrition Consultant as well as a Certified Personal Fitness Chef - with my next goal of becoming a Certified Labor Doula. I love life - all the big and exciting things and all the small and simple things. I have my own personal Martha Stewart living inside me that enjoys trying new crafts, projects and anything that requires time that I don’t actually have to be crafting! I am a ‘foodie’, so I spend much time in the kitchen experimenting and crafting new, tasty and satisfying foods that keep you healthy! I have two school aged children, so that means I wear about 37 hats on any given day: chauffeur (or more like taxi driver without the pay), maid, personal assistant, classroom parent, nurse, financial advisor and treasurer, chef - and the list goes on and on! I teach health classes and my husband and I are leaders in our church’s youth department (Jr and Sr High), so I am forced to remain young, vibrant and full of zeal on a daily basis and I love that! I don’t like being cold, but I live in a state where we can have snowfall during 8 months out of the year - but it’s the most beautiful place a person can live year round - so I endure the cold, dream of oceans and palm trees and make it a point to ensure that I make each day count! I love Jesus and living out His purpose in my life. I’m slightly addicted to Pinterest, chocolate, baking, time spent with my family and teaching people about health! I make everything from scratch - literally! Toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, mayonnaise, barbeque sauce, ranch dressing, cereal, ice cream - like I said, everything. It’s a job hazard that I find slightly exhilarating!
{make your own tiered serving platter}This truly is my most favorite celebratory season of the year. There’s just something about Christmastime that brings everything to life. The music, the decorations, the parties, the food - we all come alive and stop to take time to be nice to each other, spend time with one another and extend our hands to those in need. Even though many people have given way too the American way of celebrating holidays a.k.a non-productive busyness, purchasing carloads of junk and giving up Thanksgiving to stand in line to go shopping - at my house we do things differently! You will hardly ever find toys under our tree (the kids get plenty from other people), we buy or make personal and meaningful gifts instead and I can tell you the kids have never been disappointed. We decorate cookies together and watch Christmas movies as a family huddled together on the couch. Sledding and playing in the snow is popular with the kids and Daddy (while I stay in the warm house and make from scratch hot cocoa!) We also like to take time to spend time with the people we love and cherish! Nobody can deny that a huge part of this time of year is celebrations, parties and family get togethers!
Gathering with family and friends is a big thing during November and December and I’m all about celebrating. I enjoy going to them, but I absolutely enjoy hosting them. I probably got the entertaining bug from my mom who knows how to throw a good celebration. Never did a detail slip by her: the décor, ambiance, music, lighting, food…everything that can be recognized by the five physical senses were always taken care of. Those are the kind of gatherings I long for. Going to someone’s home (or wherever they have the event) and feeling like you walked into the first class dining room on the Titanic!
Have you ever been to an evening get-together where there’s only a bowl of chips thrown on the table, there’s a loud television in the background and all the overhead lights on in the house? Maybe you have, but you’ve never really noticed? These are the things that I stand out to me when I go somewhere for a party, because I truly believe there is an art to entertaining. I also believe that God has instilled the spirit of hospitality in people - if we would only tap into that part of us and do everything in the same manner Jesus would - the absolute best possible way!
I wanted to share some pointers on hosting a party at your home to make it a memorable one and an event that people keep talking about even long after it’s over! A few years ago my mother and I rented a room at the Hyatt and had a free afternoon for ladies and we taught on The Art of Entertaining. We went over everything from invitations, place settings, food displays and more. The women loved it and had a great time learning things they had never thought of before. Having people over to their home became fun and enjoyable! I’ll share a few of those things with you today.
THE WELCOME! When hosting a party of your own, remember that having people in your home is an honor and you should treat them like royalty! The invite will be the first impression of your celebration, so put some thought into this. Even if you go the Evite way - you can still make it personal and inviting. Make their first impression of your home {walking up to your door} a good one that can set the stage for the rest of the night. If your guests are tripping over a bunch of stuff thrown all over the porch or they’re wading through dead leaves on a dark porch - it’s not the best way to greet your company. Make sure the parking areas, driveways and walkways are all clear and well lit! Glass jar luminaries or solar lights are a great way to light a walking path. Once that front door opens they will be hit with one of three things: an inviting atmosphere, a sterile atmosphere or a chaotic atmosphere. Let’s shoot for the first: an inviting atmosphere.
THE LIGHTING! Don’t turn on all your overhead lights and make your home feel like a hospital - fluorescent lights and fan lights will probably be too bright unless they are on a dimmer and are dimmed a bit. It’s not an office party - it’s a party in your home! Instead, turn on lamps, torchieres and dimmed recessed or track lighting. This will give it a warm, cozy and inviting feeling or mood - hence the term “mood lighting.” It definitely is more relaxing and can keep people from feeling anxious.
THE SOUNDS! Turn the TV off (unless of course they are there for a football game) - and keep it off for the night! This will ‘force’ people to interact - which is not a bad thing. In fact, we don’t do enough of it these days. Have music playing loud enough to hear it, but not so loud that you can’t hold a conversation without yelling or straining to hear. Make it background music - not front row concert seats. If it’s a Christmas party, put on a mix of Christmas music from Perry Como to Michael Buble to Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Your guests will enjoy it!
THE SCENTS! If you are not cooking or baking food - then you should have an oil diffuser or simmer pot going to have a pleasant scent throughout your house. When you get a house full of people - you never know what your house will end up smelling like - so take charge and create a pleasing scent for everyone there. Make it coincide with the time of year. This time of year {Christmas} people enjoy the scents of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, ginger, pumpkin, pine, rosemary, etc. Our senses play a huge part in how we interpret a situation. Do all you can to make it pleasant for people. If you are baking or cooking - sometimes these will fill the house with a wonderful aroma and you won’t need extra scents.
THE DÉCOR! Now this doesn’t have to be extensive, but if it’s a celebration of a holiday or special occasion, try to have something up to represent that. Even if it’s topiaries on the food table or candles lit around the rooms you’ll be hanging out in. Christmas time can be easy since most have a tree and stockings - which provides great décor. Coupled with the dim lights and music - the décor will surely stand out! Photos albums are always popular - so setting a couple out for people to flip through is something you could do that serves as décor/accessories yet gives your guests something to do and talk about.
THE FOOD! Last, but not least, if you have invited people over for an evening or any time of day that will have them at your home for a few hours - have foods and drinks available! I have to say that it is a pet peeve of mine when you go to a party and there is nothing to drink and everyone has to grab chips out of one small bowl. I might be considered a party snob - but I guess I think we should all put more thought into how we treat everyone who walks through our door. I must be old fashioned like my grandparents. If you drop in, they’ll feed you even if you tell them you’re not hungry. Grandma will whip up something on the stove for you within five minutes. Nobody comes to their house and leaves with an empty stomach. In the same manner, we should have several options for our guests in case they do get a little hungry or they need something to drink. Let’s face it - entertaining usually centers around food, so keep that tradition alive. If it’s a cold night, along with appetizers, you can have a slow cooker with chili or chicken noodle soup on hand to warm your guests up! Those are both simple and easy. If you know of anyone with food allergies or intolerances, it is such a wonderful gesture to have something that they’ll be able to eat (nut-free desserts, grain-free dishes, gluten-free bread, etc.) Your guests will truly appreciate this gesture - and what better way to get conversations going - around the food table!
Want a quick peek at what I usually have out for snacks when people come over? Most people say I go overboard, but I’d rather have so much I can send everyone home with food, then to run out leaving people hungry. With that being said, buy some take home containers (you can even buy those cool Chinese take out boxes and send food home in style) so you aren’t sending home dishes with people that you may never get back.
I like to make sure I’m feeding my guests healthy foods, but they have to taste good too! I have learned to recreate traditional recipes for food and desserts with healthier options (organic, non-GMO, natural sweeteners, herbs and spices, from scratch ingredients and nixing any prepackaged or processed foods) and they always get rave reviews. It’s amazing how much people enjoy ‘real’ food! Instead of buying ranch dip and dressing and putting out bright orange colored chips, I’ll serve Tortilla Chips {non-GMO and organic) with homemade salsa and hummus or even whip up some herbed yogurt dip which tastes just like ranch dip. People always go wild over these. I also pop some organic white popcorn on the stove in some coconut oil and sea salt, then drizzle with some melted ‘real’ butter over the top - another snack that goes quickly. To take care of the ‘sweet’ tooth in some I’ll have several different indulgent desserts that are made with healthier ingredients that are still sure to please. I like to substitute toxic and harmful ingredients with healthy and nutritional ingredients. Now, I realize people wouldn’t look at any dessert as nutritional, but when using ‘real food’ ingredients, you’d be surprised at the benefits provided by them. A favorite I like to make is organic cookie bites dipped in dark chocolate, some infamous New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies {tweaked by me} and something that doesn’t contain chocolate, like blondies. I will always have some bowls of seasoned mixed nuts as well (raw, soaked, dehydrated and seasoned by me}. For drinks I make slow cooker cinnamon lattes (uh-mazing taste and smell), bottled spring water and sometimes a homemade punch that includes no juice concentrate, soda or sherbet! My buffet table is usually the highlight of the night and it’s where everyone gathers around and visits! I bring out my china (what better time to use it) and crystal glasses and everyone feels so pampered! That’s a wonderful feeling! If it’s a special, special occasion, I will have something small for everyone to take home. Sometimes I’ve given out loose leaf herbal tea mixes that I make, sugar body scrubs or little packages of the treats I served that night.
I promise you - entertaining can be fun and it can be a wonderful ministry to family and friends. It’s wonderful to be a blessing to those you love by treating them with worth during the Christmas and holiday season! Incorporating a welcoming home, healthy food and a joyous and contagious personality - people will love coming to your home! We are blessed to be a blessing and I intend to make my home a place of ministry.
In my opinion, this is the most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas from me to you! Take time to tap into your creativity and you can operate in the art of entertaining as well. The most important thing you should do everyday is make each day count! That’s one decision you will never regret!
In Joy,
xo Kari
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