Holiday Hosting: Decor and Recipes

With just 4 weeks until Thanksgiving we are feeling fully immersed in holiday hosting. I’ve gathered affordable decor pieces, serveware worthy of year round use & recipes sure to please a crowd.

Thanksgiving & Christmas Decor

Sharing holiday looks… I love to take a walk down memory lane to get an idea of what worked well so I can incorporate those ideas in current ways. I am also sharing where I find the best seasonal pieces

2021 Indoor

We pulled together this spread & invited neighbors over to watch a Thursday night game… Jeff wanted to try out a few new appetizer recipes and I had so much fun plating (recipes linked below). The serveware I used is from Martha Stewart’s Harvest Collection at Macy’s. You may have recognized the boroque plates from years past, that’s the best part of this style it’s classic so you can use it year-round.

2021 Outdoor

My first fall decor of the season – our new she shed! Everything here is from TJ Maxx– They have a rotating stock of high quality decor at really great prices. I love adding texture with throws and baskets.

2020 Indoor

Another way to save on seasonal decor is to use gold tones for both fall and Christmas. Linking versatile decor below.

2020 Outdoor

Last year’s front porch was so fun! These pumpkins are the inexpensive pie pumpkins they sell everywhere and they made such a big impact on the stairs and above the door. I swapped out the summer flowers (they weren’t going to make it through the cool season anyway) for these cabbages. This look is cost efficient and made a huge impact.

2020 Indoor

Sometimes less is more. Our last dining room was part of a very open floor plan, so simplicity really helped create a calm cozy space. All I needed is a big bouquet of flowers, this arrangement is completely faux and I still have all the stems a year later. I’ll reuse them for years..

Looking for more decor?

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Click here to check out my LTK page. It is updated daily with holiday decor and collages like the ones above.

Tried & True Recipes

Everyone loves fall flavors… From orchard apples, to savory squash recipes, to pumpkin pie spice – Fall is full of comfort food favorites. Now is the time to perfect those recipes you plan to bring to Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, football and Christmas parties this year! These are a few ideas to help get you started.

12 Fall Drinks that I’m Loving

Can I start you off with something to drink? These cocktails are fun & festive. Pictured below: Carmel Apple Moscow Mules…

Our Family’s Favorite Apple Crisp

Jeff outdid himself with this crip. So much so that even I have made this recipe… That’s right I baked. ;) This crisp will make you do crazy things.

Here’s a round up of recipes from some of our favorite content creators that are bringing the fall flavor:

Creamy Butternut Squash Alfredo from Karlene Karst. The fact that this alfredo is dairy free had us intrigued but butternut squash and sage sealed the deal.

Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Half Baked Harvest. All the fall flavors wrapped baked and iced – We are here for it!

Slow Cooker Turkey, Sweet Potato & Kale Soup from the Wyse Guide. If you don’t follow Kaleb on instagram (@wyseguide), you need to! He’s an incredible gardener and cook and he shares generations of expertise passed down from his family farm. This looks healthy and decadent all at once *swoon*

Caramelized Mustard Marmalade Wings from Martha Stewart. We all know Martha is the Queen (not just anyone can hang with Snoop.) Jeff tried this wing recipe for game day and we loved them! We also made her Pear and Walnut Crostini & Jalapeno Popper Dip all three were a hit!

I hope you found something fun and inspiring here to get you ready for the holidays! As always, if you’d like to share please leave a comment below.

xoxo,

Kristy