Author name: Karla Nathan

Every year, I look forward to hosting the book club party.  It's a good reason to make some goodies and do a little extra decorating.  And while there is book talk, too, there is less emphasis on the books and more on the people, so we all get to get caught up on what is going on with each other.

If there was any way possible that I could make this work on a regular basis, I would keep lights under the table.

But with a houseful of doggies, kiddos, and well, a husband who probably wouldn't find it easy to pull up his chair to the table and enjoy his morning paper and coffee… well, I just don't see how it could happen.

But gosh, isn't it fun for a party?

 All twinkly and sparkly?

For real life, our over sized, hairy, puppy would be chasing dorkies under the table, getting caught on the table cloth, and pulling it off as little dogs run across the room tangled in lights. And grand fairies would trip on extension cords.  

Around here, I get away with a LOT of over the top decor at Christmas, so I guess I'll not complain about not having a glow under my dining room table full time.

Plus, to get the full effect, I need to move all the chairs away from the table, like I did for book club seating.

And on a normal basis, it is kind of nice to have chairs around the table.

I'm going to miss them when I take them down tho! Here, let's look just one more time…. ahh!

If you'd like to try it for a party, it is pretty simple. I hooked two sets of lights (one warm white, one cool, for a nice blend) to a power strip, and laid them about 10" back from the legs, all around the front and sides of the table. Closer and they look too obvious, further back and they don't show enough.

I used a sheer curtain across the front of the table, and a lace curtain on each end, anchored them in place with a small bit of duck tape, then threw another, heavier table cloth (actually a painter's canvas drop cloth) over the top of the table.  My dining table is 110" long with all of the leaves in it, so I had to use a combo.  If your table is smaller, it can be less complicated to do. But I do think something sheer works much better than a heavy cloth, but yet I like a more opaque cloth over the top.

 I felt like the canvas calmed it down and was more cottagey than if I'd gone with something frilly. There was already a lot going on. Also, when I do a buffet spread, I like to have a care free table cover, because things do spill.

Run the power cord from the back, and make sure it isn't somewhere that it will be tripped over. I set an extra chair over mine. If that isn't an option, use duck tape or a rug to cover it.  Of course, if possible, you can just push the table against the wall and not worry about that. That might be pretty for a side table in the living room, huh?

We had some tasty, but simple food.  A small veggie tray (lined with kale I had growing outdoors)

Chocolate chip cookies baked in a silicone pan with square shapes, then sprinkled with powdered sugar.  I though that dressed them up a bit.  The hardest part was picking all those Crunch Berries out of the Captain Crunch to decorate the plate.

Ha!

My friend, Connie kept teasing me about the Crunch Berries. They are actually peppermint pretzel balls.  A couple handfuls of those made chocolate chip cookies look a lot more special.

At Thanksgiving, I made up extra pumpkin cheesecake batter and froze it.  Then, I put puff pastry in those same  shaped silicone baking pans and made mini cheesecakes.  I added an ornament to the tiered cake stand.

All of the dishes were glass, white, or cream.  Adding a mirror, and compotes for texture and height make a pretty display for the fruit and cheese.

For more height, I sat a mini white tree on the table (its cord plugs into the power strip for the lights on the floor)  I like to have a layering of heights for visual interest, so there is a green and white flower arrangement (mostly inexpensive mums and carnations with branches from outside) in front of the tree. The height from the tree, to the flowers, to the two compotes, stair steps down.

Around the back of the table are two white garlands with some battery powered lights over them.  Setting that little tree and the two garlands across the back of the table took a matter of minutes, but it looks like I went to a lot of effort.

The serving pieces are gathered onto a metal tray at the other end of the table.  I like to use this metal basket for ([plastic) silverware and napkins.  But a vase, basket, flower pot, many other things could make an interesting way to set out the silverware.   

The rest of the food that we had was easy, a dip, some crackers and pita chips, cupcakes and a baked brie.  The brie is a family fave, I use a premade pie crust, lay the cheese on it, sprinkle with fresh rosemary, wrap the crust up over the cheese and bake. 

None of the food that I served was particularly hard to do, or expensive.  It looked fancy because I took some time to set it out in a creative way.  Most of the dishes and serving pieces are from garage sales, and I buy flowers from the mark down buckets at the local grocery store.

Having all the overheads off and just a glow from the Christmas lights makes everything look special too. Ambient lighting makes a huge difference for any party.

But the very best, most important tip I can give you for a party? Remember that the party is about having a good time.  Enjoy yourself, don't over do it. If something is too stressful, skip it, and do something else.  Maybe make as many of the goodies ahead of time and freeze them til needed, or buy pre-made trays? The gathering should be as much fun for you as it is for your guests.