Easy Family-Friendly Holiday Table

Welcome to Day 10 of our 12 Days of Christmas blog hop. Today we are sharing our holiday tables. A gorgeous holiday table is something more moms only dream about. Let’s face it, those intricately designed and decorated holiday tables just aren’t conducive to busy moms with tiny munchkins. Although you can’t have those fancy place settings at this stage in life, you can still have a beautiful table for Christmas. A friend of mine recommended that I check out an extending glass dining table for this years festivities, but this is how I created my easy family-friendly holiday table along with tips to create your own this season.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.


Welcome to the third annual 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

Stop by every day from December first through the twelfth for new ideas you can use to make your season brighter!

Meet Your Hosts

They have all been busy as Elves creating, decorating, cooking and crafting tons of new ideas for you to try this holiday season!

Shirley~Intelligent Domestications I Alli~An Alli Event I Michelle~Our Crafty Mom I Marie~DIY Adulation 

Erlene~My Pinterventures I Beverly~Across The Blvd. I Debra~Shoppe No. 5 I Victoria~Dazzle While Frazzled

Megan~C’mon Get Crafty I Michelle~Michelle James Designs I Amanda~Domestically Creative

Deborah~Salvage Sister & Mister I Jeanie~Create & Babble I Sherry~Olives & Okra

Jenny~Cookies Coffee & Crafts I Emily~Domestic Deadline I Bonbon~Farmhouse 40

Leanna~Of Faeries & Fauna I Pam Larmore~P.S. I Love You Crafts I Kelly~North Country Nest I

Marie~The Inspiration Vault I Gail~Purple Hues and Me I Lynne~My Family Thyme I

Karen~Dragonfly and Lily Pads I Trisha~Blowing Away Out West Lorrin~Embrace The Perfect Mess I

Terri~Christmas Tree Lane I Sam~Raggedy Bits I Cyn~Creative Cynchronicity  Valeria~Val Event Gal 

Yami~The Latina Next Door I Tania~Little Vintage Cottage I Lauren~Wonderfully Made

 Vanessa~DIY 180 I Kimberly~A Wonderful ThoughtKim~Everyday Parties  I Dru~Polka Dot Poplars


Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

[bctt tweet=”Find out how to created an easy family-friendly #holidaytable this season with these tips!” username=”diyadulation”]

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Start with a Tablecloth

The absolute easiest way to create a family-friendly holiday table is a festive tablecloth. If you’re worried about spills you can go with a felt lined plastic one. Personally, I’m a fan of cloth ones at Christmas. They might get a few spills but stain-fighters are fantastic in this day and age. They can handle it.

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Simple Centerpiece

To create a family-friendly holiday table, keep it simple. A small centerpiece is perfect to add some holiday décor without overwhelming little ones. You also don’t want to use your expensive décor because accidents happen. I used this DIY Gold Foiled Luminary and some glass elements I picked up at the Dollar Tree.

Bonus Tips:

  • My kids tend to pull on table runners so I used a fake snow wrap that I found at Hollar for a dollar! It doesn’t hang off of the edges of our table but still created that runner effect.
  • You can also add fresh fruit for an extra burst of color on your table. Make them a part of your centerpiece!

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Use Faux Flowers

Busy moms don’t have time to keep changing out fresh floral arrangements all month long. The petals can also cause additional mess for you to clean off of the table each day. Faux flowers make your life easier.

Bonus Tip:

  • Hide those faux stems in the vase by filling it with additional leaves around the stem.

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Skip the Place Settings

Instead of using fancy place settings, opt for extra festive placemats. They add the festive touch to your table without fear of tiny hands breaking them. Your kids will also love them a lot more than fine china and place cards.

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

Now you can still enjoy a festive dining table for Christmas even with little ones in the house. These tips for an easy family-friendly holiday table allow you to create a gorgeous table without worry. If you have a formal dining room that still needs decorating you are in luck. Check out the holiday tables from my friends for amazing ideas and beautiful décor. Then come back tomorrow for ideas to get your porch ready for Christmas.

See where I’m linking up!


Be sure to visit our fellow 12 Days of Christmas Bloggers below for even more creative ideas this holiday season!

12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop 2018. Intelligentdomestications.com


Don’t Forget to Pin It!

Those intricately decorated holiday tables aren’t conducive to moms with tiny munchkins. Find out how to created an easy family-friendly holiday table!

How to Set Up a Hot Cocoa Bar : Easy Holiday Entertaining

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. It is a staple for many of our family outings during the holidays. You can read more about those on DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar. If you are hosting any type of gathering this season, a hot cocoa bar is an easy way to keep guests’ thirst quenched. It doesn’t hurt that the kids will love it, too. To help newbies, like me, here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.


Welcome to the third annual 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

Stop by every day from December first through the twelfth for new ideas you can use to make your season brighter!

Meet Your Hosts

They have all been busy as Elves creating, decorating, cooking and crafting tons of new ideas for you to try this holiday season!

Shirley~Intelligent Domestications I Alli~An Alli Event I Michelle~Our Crafty Mom I Marie~DIY Adulation 

Erlene~My Pinterventures I Beverly~Across The Blvd. I Debra~Shoppe No. 5 I Victoria~Dazzle While Frazzled

Megan~C’mon Get Crafty I Michelle~Michelle James Designs I Amanda~Domestically Creative

Deborah~Salvage Sister & Mister I Jeanie~Create & Babble I Sherry~Olives & Okra

Jenny~Cookies Coffee & Crafts I Emily~Domestic Deadline I Bonbon~Farmhouse 40

Leanna~Of Faeries & Fauna I Pam Larmore~P.S. I Love You Crafts I Kelly~North Country Nest I

Marie~The Inspiration Vault I Gail~Purple Hues and Me I Lynne~My Family Thyme I

Karen~Dragonfly and Lily Pads I Trisha~Blowing Away Out West Lorrin~Embrace The Perfect Mess I

Terri~Christmas Tree Lane I Sam~Raggedy Bits I Cyn~Creative Cynchronicity  Valeria~Val Event Gal 

Yami~The Latina Next Door I Tania~Little Vintage Cottage I Lauren~Wonderfully Made

 Vanessa~DIY 180 I Kimberly~A Wonderful ThoughtKim~Everyday Parties  I Dru~Polka Dot Poplars


Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

 

[bctt tweet=”Don’t miss these easy tips for how to set up a #hotcocoabar for your next party.” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Have Mugs Accessible

Make your mugs easily accessible to guests. We have this awesome DIY coffee mug organizing rack. You could also use mug trees to display mugs. These may need to be filled up throughout the night.

 

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Utilize Your Coffee Maker

Run water through your coffee maker without grounds for hot water. The warming feature will help keep it that way and re-fills are a breeze. If you prefer milk to water, use a Crock-Pot to warm the milk and keep it that way.

 

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Offer Options

There are so many great flavor options when it comes to hot cocoa. Make your life easier by offering one hot cocoa mix but plenty of flavorful extras for guests to customize their drinks. Some flavor ideas to help you:

  • Candy Canes
  • Cinnamon/Cinnamon Sticks
  • Mini Marshmallows
  • Caramels
  • Mint Chocolate
  • Whipped Cream

 

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Stirrers

When you add mix-ins to your hot cocoa don’t forget something to stir it with. Use plastic spoons, wooden stirrers, or even paper straws for a festive touch. Make sure that you have plenty of extras. Remember that each guest will likely need multiples.

 

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Keep Décor Simple

Don’t feel the need for elaborate décor on your hot cocoa bar. Use festive wrapping paper as a tablecloth, add a wreath to your organizer (or wall) as I did, and let your cocoa bar do the rest. It doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles to be beautiful.

 

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

Now that you know how to set up a hot cocoa bar easily, you can pull it out for every holiday function effortlessly. We even made a family night out of it as part of our Advent this year. That’s how easy it is. You can get more ideas for hot cocoa bars that fit your style from my friends below. They are full of delicious and beautiful ideas that you’ll love. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

See where I’m linking up!

 


Be sure to visit our fellow 12 Days of Christmas Bloggers below for even more creative ideas this holiday season!

12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop 2018. Intelligentdomestications.com

 


Don’t Forget to Pin It!

Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. Here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar for your next party.

High Style Holiday Entertaining on a Budget (+ Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer)

The holidays are a prime entertaining time. You love getting together with friends and family to celebrate this magical season. Unfortunately television advertisements, the magazines you read, and store displays convince you that throwing the ultimate soiree means spending a fortune on fresh décor, fine china, and table linens. All of this is before you even get to the food. Stop chasing an idea of perfection that will land you broke long before Christmas arrives. Here are tips for high style holiday entertaining on a budget including an easy and budget-friendly Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer!

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Décor

Instead of rushing out to buy new swags and lights, use the décor you already own to decorate. If you don’t have much décor, concentrate the pieces you do have in one area (like the dining room). This will give the appearance of a full and festive party.

Another easy and inexpensive way to beef up your décor is to use Christmas wrapping paper. Wrap the pictures on your walls to look like presents. You can also wrap your food tables and even your doors to easily coordinate all of you entertaining décor elements.

Choose a Neutral Tablecloth

Create an upscale dining table with a gorgeous fabric tablecloth. The trick is to choose one that is a solid color such as green or white that can be used for multiple holidays throughout the year. Personalize the theme of your table with place settings and centerpieces. By choosing a tablecloth that can be used year-round it makes this a splurge worth investing in.

[bctt tweet=”This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923″ username=”StellaCheese”]

Buy Disposable

When hosting a large holiday gathering the cleanup us a nightmare. Make it easier this year by purchasing disposable serving ware and utensils. These no longer have to mean a cheap-looking gathering with paper plates and napkins. You can buy plastic utensils and serving trays that look like silver as well as gorgeous plates in every color and style you can imagine. Take it a step further by getting plastic wine and champagne glasses that only look like crystal. Finally, no more worrying about kids breaking glasses or being forced to compromise your style.

Rock Your Food

The most memorable part of holiday entertaining is the food. If your guests don’t like it, or worse, have not gotten enough to eat they won’t be focused on the awesome memories being made. Don’t let your high style décor go to waste by underwhelming guests with food. Make sure that you have more than enough to eat and drink to keep guests happy all night.

[bctt tweet=”Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923″ username=”StellaCheese”]

Appetizers are a must whether you’re serving a full meal or not. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be hard. Before you reach for that bag of chips to unceremoniously dump in a bowl, make this decadent Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini appetizer. With the help of Stella Cheeses creating a high style appetizer is easy and budget-friendly.

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Ingredients

 

Step 1

Cut 28 small circles out of your French loaf using a metal cookie or fondant cutter.

Tip:

If you don’t have one of these cutters, a regular medicine cup will work also. This is what I used and they turned out fantastic!

Step 2

Place 1/3 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute or until melted.

Step 3

Pre-heat your oven to 350º.

Step 4

Brush melted butter on butter on both sides of your bread circles and place on a non-stick baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake bread at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Thinly slice 28 squares of Stella Asiago cheese roughly the size of your circles.

Step 7

Place toasted bread circles on spoon rests and stack a square of cheese on each circle.

Step 8

Place a dried fig on top of each stack and drizzle with honey.

Step 9

Grate a small amount of Stella Parmesan over each honey-drizzled fig.

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

These delicious Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect marriage of savory and sweet. The presentation is effortless and instantly bumps up the style of your appetizer table. This year you can wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! What are your favorite budget-friendly entertaining tips? Let me know in the comments! Next, check out the amazing contest Stella is having for your chance to win a $5000 trip to Napa Valley, CA wine country!

Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer

Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Sliced French Loaf
  • Stella Aged Asiago and Parmesan Cheeses
  • 1/3 Cup of Butter or Margarine
  • Dried Whole Figs
  • 1 tbs. Honey

Instructions

  1. Cut 28 small circles out of your French loaf using a metal cookie or fondant cutter.
  2. Place 1/3 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute or until melted.
  3. Pre-heat your oven to 350º.
  4. Brush melted butter on butter on both sides of your bread circles and place on a non-stick baking sheet.
  5. Bake bread at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
  6. Thinly slice 28 squares of Stella Asiago cheese roughly the size of your circles.
  7. Place toasted bread circles on spoon rests and stack a square of cheese on each circle.
  8. Place a dried fig on top of each stack and drizzle with honey.
  9. Grate a small amount of Stella Parmesan over each honey-drizzled fig.

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

See where I’m linking up!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!