Holiday Spirits

Here’s the perfect gift for everyone on your Christmas list - a yuletide party they’ll look forward to for weeks and savor long afterward. To capture the magic of the season, start with a toyland tablescape featuring a parade of nutcrackers, backlit by a twinkling tree. A jaunty plaid tablecloth comes alive with Christmas colors, repeated in the reds and greens of the dinnerware and festive food centerpieces.

Little touches make a big impact. Stack glass cake pedestals into a “treat yourself” buffet, piled high with glistening grapes, cheese balls, crackers and cookies, decorated with peppermints and swirls of red satin ribbon. Let candy canes double as drink stirrers for minty Candy Cane Cocktails. Mix up a tray of Frosty Cocktails or Gingerbread Martinis and you’ve got the recipe for ringing it in right.

Making Merry
Here comes Santa Claus… on a colorful cookie sleigh that's a fun favor and place card in one. It's easy to make, using the directions below.

How to Make the Santa Sleigh Party Favors
You’ll need:

• 1 box graham crackers
• 1 can vanilla icing
• 2 candy canes per guest
• 1 package of mini square-shaped cookies
• 1 package of coconut
• 6 sheets of green construction paper
• 1 red pen
• An assortment of food colors (including red)

1. Separate icing equally into two bowls. Tint one bowl of icing red.
2. Coat a graham cracker with vanilla icing and sprinkle it with coconut to look like snow.
3. Position two candy canes in the icing, with the curved front part facing up. (These are the sleigh runners.)
4. Take a second graham cracker and break off one section to make it shorter than the first.
5. Frost the second graham cracker with red icing and place it in the curved part of the candy canes. Make sure the rest of the second graham cracker rests on top of the white icing underneath.
6. Anchor the Santa cookie to tshape cookies with different colors of icing and arrange them around the Santa cookie to makehe top of the sled with vanilla icing.
7. Decorate the mini square- packages.
8. Cut stockings out of green construction paper. Write each guest’s name on a stocking with a red pen. Tuck a stocking under each sleigh, making sure the name is visible, to complete the place card.
   
   

Terrific Tip: Make the tree twinkle with glasses hung like bells. They don’t need to match – wire a variety of cocktail glasses, wine goblets and champagne flutes to the branches, plug in the lights and see it glisten.