Happy Holidays, friends!
Who loves to entertain over the holidays? If so, this post is for you! If you’re NOT the host with the most, we hope you at least get invited! Or, use these tips below.
We’re sharing how you can throw an easy and fun Holiday Happy Hour, outdoors.
We live for a campfire. If you haven't noticed, we take any chance we can to get outside and have one! Host a back yard fire and set up a grand display of desserts and beverages that will have your guests mouths’ watering. Find an old table and set it up in an area that is flat and off to the side. Set out plates, decorative bowls and cake stands and fill them with your favourite holiday treats. These are some of our faves; Nanaimo bars, pizzelli and nuts n' bolts, all home-made, of course! Decorate with lights, pine boughs, candles, and bows. Whatever you have on hand to make it feel festive.
A campfire isn’t complete without s’mores. Did we have you at s’mores? We thought so! A S’more bar is super easy to assemble and the kids will love it! Adults too, who are we kidding! Bowls of chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows is all you need; the roasting is up to you.
Good food is all the sweeter when shared with good friends.
Another delicious item to cook on the fire is chestnuts. Our Italian family tradition is roasting chestnuts over an open fire on Christmas Eve. All you need is a grate to go over your pit, an aluminum plate and chestnuts. Place the chestnuts in the aluminum plate and cook them until the shells start to split, stirring them every few minutes or so. The chestnuts should taste like a slightly under cooked potato. Get ready to indulge!
Drinks! Dedicate one side of the table or a separate table as the drinks station. Set out mugs and spoons and when guests are ready, bring out a kettle or a thermos of hot water. A hot chocolate station is a hit with kids and allows adults to drink it either booze-free or with some added spirits. Another great non-alcoholic drink to serve is William Tell’s Apple Cider. For the adults, serve anything you fancy. Here are our recommended local go-to’s:
Bohemin Spirits: Eclipse Coffee liqueur (for spiked hot chocolate, coffee or on the rocks)
Justine Celina’s Sparkling Pomegranate Cranberry Sangria
Have blankets on hand and music playing in the background. Make your guests feel cozy (and warm!) If you have friends that sing or play the guitar, live music always makes it extra special. We hosted a fun campfire get-together in November that will be tough for us to beat considering we had the super talented Tanya Ryan playing and singing for us!
What are your holiday traditions when it comes to food and entertaining? If you host a holiday party or get-together outside this holiday season we’d love for you to share it with us.
Cheers!