We are now less than a week away from Christmas!  Most of us are in the midst of holiday parties for work and friends and will play with our families over the coming weekend.  

 We are expecting our first baby in a month, so we aren't hosting anything ourselves this year but I wanted to give you a few ideas for unique holiday events:

• Tea Time - ladies and little ladies love a girly get-together.  Schedule for a Sunday afternoon, make hot tea, cocoa, coffee and spread out all those sweet goodies.  The key to making this special: real teacups, napkins and all your favorite serving dishes!
• Breakfast/Brunch - you all know I adore breakfast!  So make it easy and festive with cinnamon rolls, an egg dish, mimosas, coffee, and a citrus fruit salad.  Set a bright and fun table, feed your guests then send them on their way to do more shopping (or partying).  I used to host a brunch with girlfriends on Christmas Eve morning....that was the only time we had after work parties and before family events....it was a great start to the festivities!
• Open House -  We went to an open house last weekend and it was great, the hosts knew everyone had multiple parties to attend so they had a tasty light spread, open door policy and simple drinks.  Keep this simple, an email invite works and encourage guests to bring their kids!
• Dessert & Drinks - a fun party to schedule after a Christmas Eve service.  Everyone has had their dinner but are energized after the carols and togetherness of a candlelit service.  Invite them back for champagne and dessert....a cake and some cookies are perfect.  Make it casual so guests with kids can leave to put them to bed before Santa makes his deliveries!