MAKE IT CUTE

7 songs to sing

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – She & Him

“Santa Baby” – Taylor Swift

“Christmas Wrappin’” – The Waitresses

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” – From Glee

“Santa Clause Is Coming to Town” – Bruce Springsteen an the E Street Band

“Drummer Boy” – Justin Bieber featuring Busta Rhymes

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” – From Love Actually

6 treats to try

Homemade red and green striped popsicles. Standing before a roaring fire, of course!

Toasted cinnamon-raisin bread and Nutella sandwiches. Cut them down into bite-sized tea sammies with cookie cutters and serve warm.

Chocolate truffles rolled in colored sugar

Gourmet chocolate chip cookies. Try adding toffee bits, dark chocolate chunks or miniature peanut butter cups.

Donut holes. Inexpensive and easy to pick up right before a party, these babies will be quick to disappear when served as a late-night (or early morning) munchie.

Fruit fondue. Melt chocolate in a double-boiler, season with a pinch of cinnamon, spear fruit with toothpicks and dip away.

5 DIY decorations

Dress up old-school paper snowflakes with some grown-up paper. Head to the scrapbook aisle of any craft store and grab a paper-packed book of seasonal prints, metallics or ice-cold periwinkles. Dress them up with glitter and suspend from the ceiling using fishing line.

Revamp the tired balloon arch by suspending silver-and-gold balloons from ribbon. Tape securely to a doorway and let guests walk through them, or graduate the ribbon length to form a way-classy arch.

While you’re at the craft store, pick up a roll of white craft paper to create a graffiti wall. Tape it to a wall, fill a bucket or basket with metallic Sharpies, markers and glittery crayons, and let your guests get creative. You can turn it into an autograph wall, play an epic game of dots or hangman, start the party’s longest crossword puzzle or see who can out-doodle whom.

Spend an afternoon before your party jazzing up inexpensive tiaras and cone-shaped toppers to create sensational party hats that double as souvenirs. Roll them in glitter, and use hot glue to attach rhinestones, marabou and other fun novelties. Hand them out at the door as guests arrive.

by Brittany Taylor | 2/1/2016