Holidays Do's & Don'ts

It's that time of the year already ... festive music, sparkly lights, shopping rush and lots of family dinners and parties with friends. While having fun, don't forget some basic holiday etiquette!

Gift Giving:
- Regifting is okay only when you won't offend the person who gave you the gift. When in doubt, don't do it. The best way to deal with unwanted gifts is to donate them to charities. Just remember, maybe you absolutely hate that sweater that Auntie Sally got you, but there is someone out there who will really need that sweater. The same goes for books, toys, decorative goods ... etc.

- In tough economic times, spending less on your close friends & families is understandable. After all, it's the thought that counts. Also, you can always offer services such as pet or baby sitting.

- Another great present to give someone, especially those that have everything is donating to charity of choice in their name. A lot of charities will in return, give you a card to give to the person whose name you donated money in to notify them of your gesture. But please know that donating to charities is not an outlet to skim. If you had planned on giving a $50, donate the entire $50.

Hosting Parties & Companies:
- Be a gracious host. If you are expecting guests to stay over in your home, be sure to have extra blankets and pillows. Try to give your guests what you'd expect at a hotel. Put together an amenity basket of small goodies. Make your guests feel welcomed.

- As a guest, always bring the hostess a holiday gift. Chances are, they've gone out of their way to do some extra cleaning and organizing in anticipation of your stay. Show that you appreciate them doing all that and opening their home to you. If you don't have time for gifts, taking the hostess out for a nice post holiday meal is a good gesture as well.

- Don't be high maintenance. If you have special food needs, eat before you attend a party or give the hostess notice well in advance.

- Mingle at parties. Don't make the hostess feel bad that she's left you alone to sit when she's busy manning the party and greeting her other guests at the same time. Plus you never know who you'll meet.

- Drink a full glass of water before heading to a party so that will keep you full in case of any food delays. That will also keep you from binging.

- Don't restrain yourself from eating certain items. It's the holidays after all. Indulge in a bit of cake, pastries and those delicious sweet potato fries ... just remember portion control is key.

Holiday Party

I threw an early Holiday Party for a handful of my friends at Strip House, a sexy steakhouse on East 12th Street in NYC. Here are some helpful tips from decorations to being the guests that are invited:

- Serve a signature cocktail. This way the investment in alcohol is not a lot and if you make it in a color that matches the theme of the party, they will look pretty in pictures with everyone holding the same thing. In my case, the bartender at Strip House created "The Hottie" in a provocative red to suit my holiday theme.

- Always have on hand a presentation of non-alcoholic drinks such as sparkling water, juices and soda. You'll always have guests that won't drink or can't because they have to drive.

- To create an abundant center piece, purchase mini vases from your local home shop such as, Ikea or Target. Place single flowers in them. Hydrangeas are my flowers of choice, they are colorful (choose colors according to your theme), usually big and fluffy and cost effective. Then scatter rose petals around your mini vases.

- If using flowers aren't your first choice, purchase candles that are in unique tumblers. In my case, I bought these candles by Altru in copper tumblers. The tumblers can be given to your guests or reused as a vase after the candle has finished its burn.

- Another option is to fill small vases with berries. To go with my red holiday theme party, I filled my glass vases with little strawberries and tied each vase with a pink ribbon. The ribbon adds a nice finished touch.

- When using candles as centerpieces or decorations on the table, do not light the candles as the scents will compete with the aroma of the food. Leave them unlit unless they are unscented.

- A great investment for parties and dinners is a coffee machine that makes single pods of different flavor and style coffees. Dulce Gusto sells for $169 and will make anything from regular coffee to cappuccinos and lattes. Guests always love coffee at the end of the night, especially if you create a coffee bar for them to play around with.

- Always send guests home with a piece of something from your party. You don't have to spend a lot of money on party favors as it will be the thought and memories that the guests will remember most. For my party, pastry chef Cecile from Macaron Cafe made chocolate macarons painted in edible 24k gold for my guests. She placed each delicate macaron in cellophane bags and tied them with a ribbon. For you at home, you can purchase Oreos covered in holiday colors icing or bake cookies with holiday images on them. Individually wrap them and finish it off with a ribbon and a little card of thank you. Your guests will sure to leave smiling.

- As a guest, attending a party at a restaurant or at someone's home - it is always nice and appreciated to bring the host a holiday gift. Put some thought into the gift, match personalities to what you are buying. That's the least you can do for someone who's graciously opening their home to you or had spent the money throwing a fantastic party.

Tea Party

I attended a tea party thrown by my friend, Tracy Stern. She's a tea guru and has her own line of teas and lifestyle products such as trays, lip balms, hand-painted China and a book titled "Tea Party". While I had so much fun having tea at her beautiful Upper East Side apartment, here are some tea party tips:

- Begin with a motif for the tea party. Make it fun and use your imagination so it won't be your grandma's tea party. Tracy's was creating an indoor garden.

- Adhere to your motif from color to decoration to your plates and utensils.

- Pick up interesting objects at sales, flea markets, estate sales, craft stores and everywhere else, year round. Be a collector of things that can be placed on your table and then file the items you bought in boxes labeled "Christmas" or "Halloween". You'll be surprised at what you can create with the things you've collected through out the year.

- Always have what Tracy calls a Runway which serves as your centerpiece. Your Runway should set the mood of the party.

- Tea etiquette dictates that when serving tea, always pour for your guest of honor first and yourself last.