Every year during the holidays we get together with the whole extended family, hang out, play games, talk, and snack on holiday treats.
This year I thought it would be fun to set up a festive dessert bar, with take home bags for the kids.
Here is how I did that, maybe you can create one with a few of these ideas?
START WITH A THEME
Our get together was at night after dinner, so dessert seemed like an obvious choice.
I like to also plan a color scheme, as it makes picking out the decorations and food a bit easier and fun. My color scheme: red, white, & green.
PLAN THE MENU
I wanted something extra special for my family, something that said more than "I just ran down to the grocery store in town and bought it all"
I saw Hickory Farms had an amazing selection of holiday desserts, not only tasty looking, but very beautiful as well.
I decided on one main red velvet cake, chocolate covered strawberries, and the rest being chocolates and candies that could be snacked on at the party, or taken home in little bags.
It was so nice not even having to leave my house to order everything.
This is such a crazy time of year, so to be able to quickly get online and order it all, was such a life saver.
The only thing I added to the menu was warm eggnog & coffee.
SET UP/DECORATE
I chose the sideboard in our dining room because it is a central spot in our home and seemed like the obvious choice.
I like to start with a clean blank slate, so clean off the area you will be decorating, wipe it down, and start from scratch.
ADD VARYING HEIGHTS
Use pedestals and cake plates to elevate items for added interest.
Make sure you have dessert plates and napkins set out as well as silverware.
I started with the beautiful red velvet cake as a the showstopper, a marble and wood cake stand and added this beautiful cloche.
MAKE IT KID FRIENDLY
I filled inexpensive glass jars with delicious peppermint bark, dark chocolate sea salt caramels, dark chocolate peppermint melt aways, chocolate covered snowflake pretzels, and peppermint snow mints. Set out little bags for the kids to fill with their treats of choice. They love creating something even this simple. I made a few grab and go bags as examples and set them next to the canisters.
ADD TEXTURE
This was super simple for me because all these goodies are already full of texture. From the different beautifully decorated chocolate covered strawberries, to the white chocolate pretzels with red sprinkles, adding texture just adds another layer to a beautiful setting.
ADD IN SOME WHIMSY
I always like to throw in a bit of whimsy to keep things from being too serious.
I had this fun ribbon that I got years ago that say's "yummy" on it.
It makes tying the treat bags up easy, but it is also fun just thrown on the table.
Another piece of whimsy is these vintage Santa mugs.
Adults and kids love drinking out of these, they are just plain cute.
DECORATE THE SURROUNDING SPACE TO TIE IN
You don't have to go over the top, but tie the surrounding space in somehow. I simply added this sign to the wall opposite the dessert bar.
{linked to all their fabulous holiday signs. Message them and they can make you this exact sign!}
ADD GREENERY
Whether it's faux or real, it adds contrast and texture.
I used a little faux tree and then added a sprig of real cedar on the cake plate.
And thank you to Hickory Farms for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own.
Happy holidays!
xoxo
from
http://www.mysweetsavannahblog.com/2017/12/how-to-create-holiday-dessert-bar.html
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