Holiday entertaining doesn’t have to begin and end with Christmas. Between the Thanksgiving table and the midnight countdown, there’s a gathering for nearly every week of the season: a café morning, a Hanukkah table, an ornament-making afternoon, a New Year’s Eve with a dance floor. The season is filled with reasons to gather.
That’s what makes the holidays such an exciting time for hosting. There’s a tradition to reinvent, a table to set, or a gathering that deserves a little more imagination than the usual seasonal celebration.
Here are seven ideas to borrow from. Each starts with one point of view, then carries it through the menu, the table, and the small details, so you can host it as written or take the pieces you love.
Autumn Afterglow: A Thanksgiving Table That Glows
Thanksgiving classics, set in rich autumn tones with a modern point of view.
Keep the things you love about Thanksgiving: the flavors you look forward to all year and your favorite people gathered around the table. Then give the classics an elevated twist, with citrus and thyme on the turkey, brown butter in the mash, and salted caramel on the galette.
For the table, try a modern palette of cognac, espresso, plum, persimmon, and burnished brass. Swap faux pumpkins for autumnal branches, a few heirloom pumpkins, and pears, then let candlelight do the rest.
Suggested Menu:
- Cranberry Sage Spritz
- Seasonal Cheese & Charcuterie Board
- Citrus & Thyme Roasted Turkey with Classic Pan Gravy
- Roasted Garlic & Brown Butter Mash
- Harvest Vegetables & Seasonal Sides
- Brown-Butter Apple Galette with Salted Caramel
All that’s left is gathering the people you’re thankful for.
Ideal for: Thanksgiving dinner, Friendsgiving, intimate family celebrations, and elegant autumn entertaining.
Merry & Main: A Cozy Café Morning
A neighborhood coffeehouse, open for one morning only.
For a holiday gathering that happens before noon, turn your kitchen island into the café. Hang a striped awning over it for the storefront feeling (customizable ones are easy to find on Etsy), then give the café a name: Merry & Main, Café Noël, Café [Your Last Name]. Design a simple logo and carry it onto coffee cups, pastry bags, and menus with printed stickers. A handwritten invitation on kraft paper, with the opening hours and the promise of “Coffee, Pastries & Good Company,” sets the story before anyone arrives.
Keep the coffee menu short and let guests build their own: flavored syrups, chocolate shavings, cinnamon, and whipped cream at the bar. Small order cards with each guest’s name add the familiar coffeehouse ritual.
Around the room, a few small tables, bud vases, and candlelight make good seating areas, with mellow instrumental holiday jazz in the background.
On the Menu:
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Lattes
- Peppermint Mochas
- Vanilla Cardamom Cappuccinos
- Croissants & Pain au Chocolat on cake stands and parchment-lined trays
- A few savory pastries, with handwritten bakery labels
When the café closes, each guest goes home with a pastry in a kraft bag, sealed with your sticker.
Ideal for: holiday brunches, neighborhood gatherings, friends-and-family mornings, and cozy December weekends.
The Hanukkah Table: A Modern Celebration of Tradition
Where modern design meets Mediterranean influences and meaningful traditions.
Keep Hanukkah rooted in tradition, then give the menu a modern twist: latkes on a board with caviar, smoked salmon, applesauce, and all the fixings; matzah ball soup on mini spoons; a brisket with elevated flavors; and a cake shaped like a Star of David.
Olive branches, candlelight, and at every place setting a small bottle of olive oil, the miracle of Hanukkah to take home, on a table that feels like something out of Vogue Living.
Suggested menu:
- Spiced Apple Gin Fizz
- Matzah Ball Soup Spoons
- Caviar & Smoked Salmon Latke Board
- Slow-Braised Brisket with Caramelized Onions & Herbs
- Honey-Roasted Carrots with Tahini & Pistachio Dukkah
- Winter Greens with Apple, Toasted Almonds & Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette
- Almond Olive Oil Cake
All that’s left is to light the candles and bring everyone to the table.
Ideal for: Hanukkah dinners, Festival of Lights celebrations, family gatherings, and modern holiday entertaining.
The December House: Christmas with a Little Laurel Canyon Glamour
A Christmas dinner with the warmth and glamour of 1970s California.
Set the mood of a Laurel Canyon dinner party circa 1972: glamorous without feeling themed. Try olive and burgundy with warm ivory, brass candlesticks, pears and pomegranates, loose evergreen branches, and softly glowing tapers.
Tuck a card at each place asking guests to share a favorite Christmas memory, then let the stories carry the evening.
Suggested menu:
- Clementine–Rosemary Spritz
- Baked Camembert with Fig, Walnut & Thyme
- Roasted Chestnut Soup with Brown Butter & Thyme
- Rosemary-Garlic Crown Roast of Lamb with Roasted Pears & Pomegranate
- Golden Potato & Gruyère Gratin
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan, Pomegranate & Toasted Hazelnuts
- Chocolate Mascarpone Bûche de Noël
All that’s left is to put on a favorite record and welcome everyone in.
Ideal for: Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day, December dinner parties, and festive evenings with friends.
The Ornament Atelier: A Holiday Cocktail Party with a Creative Twist
An ornament-making gathering that turns a favorite holiday tradition into the main event.
The Ornament Atelier brings together festive cocktails, creative details, and a little hands-on holiday magic. Set a dedicated ornament station with glass baubles, velvet ribbons, metallic finishes, and delicate embellishments, allowing guests to create something personal to take home.
Keep the setting sophisticated with candlelight, elegant glassware, and a palette of champagne, ivory, and antique gold. A selection of small bites and sparkling cocktails keeps the afternoon social while guests create their own keepsakes.
For the Gathering:
- Champagne & Cranberry Cocktails
- A Seasonal Cheese Board
- Savory Holiday Tartlets
- Marinated Olives & Spiced Nuts
- Miniature Festive Desserts
- A Curated Ornament-Making Station
The activity becomes part of the atmosphere, giving guests something to make, share, and remember.
Ideal for: holiday cocktail parties, girls’ nights, creative Christmas gatherings, ornament exchanges, and festive afternoons with friends.
Midnight Disco: A New Year’s Eve Dinner with Studio 54 Glamour
Your home, a Studio 54-inspired supper club, and one unforgettable New Year’s Eve.
Turn the living room into a swanky cocktail lounge, with a rolling martini cart and tiered stands of caviar potato chips and shrimp cocktail shooters, then move to the dining room for a late supper around nine.
Set the table in espresso, amber, plum, and burnished gold, with mirrored details, sculptural calla lilies, and warm candlelight. Let the playlist build from cocktail-hour grooves to disco.
Suggested menu:
- A Martini Cart with Several Options
- Cocktail Bites: Bacon-Wrapped Dates & Shrimp Cocktail Shooters
- Caviar Two Ways with Potato Chips
- Beef Tenderloin with Truffle Butter, Truffle Potato Stacks & Roasted Asparagus
- Chocolate Espresso Cake Coupes with Espresso Mascarpone Cream
- Champagne Toast at Midnight
Dinner at nine, a toast at midnight, and a dance floor in between.
Ideal for: New Year’s Eve dinner parties, milestone celebrations, glamorous cocktail gatherings, and countdown parties with friends.
Noon Year’s Eve: A Countdown Made for the Little Guests
All the excitement of New Year’s Eve, with a countdown everyone can stay awake for.
Give the little guests a New Year’s Eve of their own: sparkling mocktails, a countdown to twelve o’clock, and a balloon drop when the clock strikes noon. Try black, ivory, champagne, and silver for a playful take on New Year’s glamour.
Set up a bracelet-making station and a photo booth with oversized balloons and party hats, and encourage sequins and bow ties. Stock the mocktail cart with fruit and syrups so kids can mix their own, then let the confetti fly at noon.
For the Party:
- Sparkling Pear Mocktail Welcome Drinks
- A Roving Mocktail Cart
- Pancake Confetti Stacks
- A Make-Your-Own Bagel Board
- Fruit Fireworks
- Assorted Quiches
- 12 O’Clock Cupcakes
- Champagne Available for Grown-Ups
It’s all the magic of New Year’s Eve, perfectly timed for the youngest guests.
Ideal for: family New Year’s celebrations, kids’ holiday parties, neighborhood gatherings, playdates, and festive daytime celebrations.
Looking for More Holiday Hosting Ideas?
The holiday season gives us countless reasons to gather.
From Christmas dinners and Hanukkah celebrations to creative cocktail parties, interactive holiday stations, and New Year’s festivities, our Holiday Magazine is filled with fresh ideas for making the season memorable.
Consider it your invitation to celebrate a little more often.
