Simple Holiday Soiree — Go French Yourself

Can you feel it in the air? The Holidays are right around the corner and I could not be more excited! Tis the season for She and Him's holiday album, glittery holiday decorations, sweet treats, and gatherings with your nearest and dearest. I love love love making the house so festive. We always do a Frenchie theme...big surprise, I know! (wink) But since I cannot be in Paris for Christmas which is one of my dreams, I have to get creative and bring Paris to me.

Trowing a holiday soiree can be easy if you keep it simple yet stylish. I love hosting intimate gatherings at my home, especially my annual lades brunch event the second Sunday of every December. It's personal, memorable, and lets me show my best girls how much they mean to me. It's a time for them to unwind and escape the hustle and bustle that can come with the holiday season. It is however no small feat and definitely requires some planning. I am no Elsie and Emma from A Beautiful Mess but I would like to consider myself a seasoned host. And it really doesn't have to be as stressful as it can sometimes sound. I love a buffet style brunch because I can get dishes out quickly and keep everything warm while my guests help themselves.

So I am here to assist you with a few tips to plan your own little holiday soiree including an easy recipe for some fruit pizzas made with a Betty Crocker Cookie Pouch. They are so simple and incredibly delicious and festive! Baking is fun, but not everyone has time during the holiday season, especially when you are hosting such a fabulous brunch party.

HERE ARE MY TIPS:

Create your invitation and dress code: Once you decide on a date and who you are inviting, decide how you are going to get the word out. I recommend getting your invite out three to four weeks before the event as holiday calendars get booked quickly during the holidays. I keep things simple and just create a face-book event as my invitation. It keeps things simple and organized for me. (especially last year as I switched things up and instead of doing all the cooking myself and had everyone bring a dish so fb made it easy for everyone invited to communicate with each other) Dress code is optional all though I just really love adding that element. (My favorites so far have been sequins and then last year everyone had to channel Rachel Zoe) Here is my invite from last year's brunch party.

Plan your menu: I love brunch casseroles because I can prepare most of those the day and night before. I always have a fabulous cheese tray and of course there are plenty of things to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth. Recipes that you can make in advance are going to be your best friend!

Set up a self serve cocktail bar: The last thing you want to do is spend time making drinks at your own party. Since I always do a brunch themed party, mimosas just make sense. Plus I have everyone bring a bottle of champagne to share. I always set up a beautiful bar with some orange juice, cranberry juice, and some grapefruit juice for some variety. It works so great and everyone really enjoys this part. Pop, fizz, clink..you know? Tis the season.

Make your space festive: I have a small condo so I have to use small accents throughout as I need every inch of counter space for food and booze. But I do of course have my Christmas tree up and love adding fresh greenery throughout the house and all of my Frenchie decorations. A good playlist is critical too and I will be sharing that in a future post so keep following along!

And last but not least enjoy loves!

P.S. I am not a baker but do enjoy having gorgeous baked goods at my parties so Betty Crocker cookie packages really save my life literally. There are so many variety's to chose from with my personal faves being the sugar cookie and the oatmeal. You can easily find them on line or in your nearest Wal-Mart baking aisle.