Office Holiday Party Decorations on a Budget

It is a little more than a month until Christmas, and you have just been informed that you were picked to be on the office holiday party decoration committee. A committee of one. YOU! It was also made clear that funds for decorations are limited. Great. Never fear, the good news is that it will be held at the office, not a rented banquet room. Yikes! Don’t lose hope. Now that you have an idea as to your location, you now have a blank canvas to put your artistic abilities to work. Here are some inspiring ideas to make your office party into a winter wonderland!

Start with your table decorations. If your budget is too low to add accents to the room, your table(s) will be your focal point. Anything after that is superfluous. If your tables are small, rearrange them into longer tables. This will cut costs, as you will not have to decorate as many tables. Try using white plastic tablecloths, instead of the red or green. The white background will give a snowy touch and make your table decorations stand out more. For a winter wonderland effect, choose blue, white, and silver for your color scheme.

The center pieces do not have to be so large that conversation is thwarted, but balanced to the size of your table. Several small decorations grouped together can be eye catching as long as you keep your groupings to a minimum. Make an arrangement of 3 tapered Christmas trees made from Styrofoam cones. Spray paint the large and small cones silver, then glue blue and silver beads and ribbon for a festive look. Your medium sized cone can be left white with colored decorations on it. Taper them in a tripod shape, then add tea lights on either side. In order to balance this group, add garland into the mix. Take your garland and ripple it down the length of the table, but leave enough space for a place setting at each ends. Within each ripple of the garland, sprinkle potpourri. You can add small pine cones, decorative confetti and more tea lights to the array as well. For an additional sparkle, spray paint the potpourri on one side with silver glitter. For fun, cut about 12” of wired star garland and wrap around your table garland in sections, with the ends pointed up and out. Bingo! A simple design that is festive, and easy on the pocket.

If there are funds left over and a wall to decorate, draped garland and wreath are always an additional benefit. Another crafty decoration would be to ask your fellow employees for a picture of them and their family. Frame them in Christmas wrap, and scrap book them on a poster board. This will bring up entertainment and conversation during the party.

Usually, your company will have a Christmas tree with decorations from previous years. If not, having one is not necessary. However, if you have the funds, you may want to invest in an artificial tree. Add wide, wired blue ribbon with blue and silver glass ball ornaments to carry on with your winter wonderland theme.

With these quick and easy ideas for your office party decorations, you’ll soon be singing “To face unafraid, the plans that you’ve made, for walking in a winter wonderland”. Happy Holidays!

Candy - The Edible Decoration

Remembering my holidays of, well …okay, a long time ago, I eagerly looked forward to receiving candy! In my stocking at Christmas, a basket for Easter, a box for Valentines, or a trick-or-treat bag for Halloween. It was never really displayed around the house, or if it was, I can’t recall seeing it. My Grandmother did have a covered brass candy dish on top of her television, usually filled with nuts, chocolate covered raisins and candy corn. However, being in a brass dish, the treats were concealed.

Nowadays, candy makers have successfully promoted their products to boost sales during the holidays by changing the colors of their goods to correspond with the holiday seasons. Why not incorporate these marketing strategies into your decorating plans by adding candy to the décor? How tempting it would be, especially for those with a sweet tooth, to see a bright display of edible decorations.

Imagine a shelf with three or four clear glass containers placed in tiers and filled with holiday colored candies. Foiled wrapped candy sparkles from the glass, candy coated chocolates add a confetti impression, or sugar coated gum drops give a frosted look that is not only inviting, but enjoyable as well. Add ribbon around the jars for a festive impression. Votive candles can also be placed around the jars to add a magical touch with the glow of the flame reflecting on the glass.

You can mix and match apothecary, decorative and even mason jars, or use them separately. Your home will be reminiscent of the old country store, where the candy display was always tempting. Colored, miniature popcorn balls and peanut brittle are appealing in large jars. The greatest thing about the apothecary jars is that you don’t even have to pack them away! Just keep filling them with candy all year around for each of the coming holidays.

Try fun art with your homemade candy. You can form a bouquet using candy dipped marshmallows, swirl pops, candy dipped pretzels sticks, and rice krispy treats. Any candy that can be colored or formed on wooden skewers can be used to accent your bouquet. It will add a sweet concoction to your holiday!

With these ideas and a small amount of your time you can create unique, original and charming decorations for your holiday, and share the delectable benefits from your efforts! Bon appétit!

Decorating With Candles

We decorate our homes with candles all year round. After all, they add warmth when illuminated, color for ambiance, or scent for aroma therapy. There is something calming and magical about the warm glow of the flame.

Candles have been used in celebrations for centuries. They are an inexpensive addition to your holiday party decorating. Candles are one of the most basic items of your décor, which never seem to go out of style.

Adding candles to your decorations during any holiday adds elegance to your design in any room of the house. There are many types, colors, shapes and sizes of candles that can bring just the right touch to your arrangements of decorations. For instance, a bouquet of flowers with either a taper or pillar candle added is always a nice touch. Tapering different sizes in a group on a mantle is enchanting. Candles are brilliant as centerpieces for your dining table. A jar scented candle in the bathroom always gives warmth to a small space.

You can easily decorate candles with a holiday theme in mind. Bark wrapped candles are stylish and natural looking for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It brings a bit of the outdoor atmosphere into your home. Most florists have bark that can be cut to the height and circumference of your candle. You then carefully hot-glue the strip to your candle. Wrapping them with colored ribbon and setting them around holiday foliage adds drama.

Votive candles or tea lights adds luster to your figurine decorations. Placing candles in clear glass votives among your decorations brings awareness to your theme. There are inexpensive holiday themed votives for added attention to a small space.

Whatever choice is made with your design, please keep in mind safety when your candles are lit. Some good tips on safety and the burning of your candles can be found at the National Candle Association’s website. You will find plenty of interesting facts and ideas on this site to help make your candles more enjoyable. Some other tips on candles to remember are: 1) use candle snuffers to avoid wax splash, and 2) avoid scented candles in the dining area, where the aroma of food is the enticement.

Bringing in the joy of candlelight for your holiday is a welcoming addition to your home. Enjoy them as they glow, let them surround you with their warmth, and help keep the magic of your holiday bright!