25 Beautiful Ways to Decorate & Dine for Christmas + An Insanely Awesome Christmas Punch

Welcome to the 618th Metamorphosis Monday, a blog party sharing fabulous Before and Afters!

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was awesome! My son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons were here so that made it extra special. I need to do a post sharing some of the things I did differently this year, especially regarding the turkey. Both my son and dil commented that this year the food was the best ever and I felt the same way! I’ll share more about that in another post very soon in case you find it helpful.

It’s been a few years since I made this Cranberry Trifle below and I had forgotten how truly delicious it is! It was definitely a hit this year! I very much recommend it for your Christmas feast!

In today’s post, I’ve gathered together all my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays from decorating to crafting to feasting to sharing. Feel free to bookmark any of the linked posts below or pin them if you find that helpful for future reference. I hope you find this post helpful as you celebrate the holidays this year! ♥♥♥

NOTE: Click any title below to access that recipe or post for more details.

Cranberry Trifle for Christmas Dessert

This trifle is really good and so easy to make. Your guests will never guess how easy this impressive-looking dessert was to make!

Cranberry Trifle, Great for a Christmas Dessert_wm

 

How to Repair Those Dead Christmas Tree Lights

Sometimes the fix is an easy one, but you just have to know where to look! 🙂

Easy Repair for Dead Christmas Tree Lights

 

Pottery Barn Inspired Garland Tutorial

I was obsessed with this picture when I first saw it in a Pottery Barn catalog. Since the cost of the garland was outside my holiday decorating budget, I found an easy, inexpensive way to make it for my own front porch.

Make-This-Pottery-Barn-Inspired-Garland

 

Here’s how the garland looked on my front porch.

Christmas Porch with Snowflake Wreath and Lit Garland

 

NOTE: Click any title below to access that recipe or post for more details.

Make a Beautiful Colonial Williamsburg Centerpiece for Christmas

These elaborate apple or lemon tree centerpieces are not near as difficult to make as they appear. They are actually quite easy and make such a beautiful eye-catching centerpiece for a table or buffet.

Make a Colonial Williamsburg Apple Tree Centerpiece for Christmas

 

Hang Wreaths on Your Exterior Windows

Ever thought of hanging wreaths on your windows at Christmastime? It’s really quite easy and makes a big impact on your outdoor holiday decor.

How to Hang Wreaths on Exterior Windows

 

The wreaths look especially magical if you live someplace where it snows during the holiday season.

Christmas House in Snow

 

Colonial Williamsburg Fruit Fan

Make a Colonial Williamsburg inspired Fruit Fan to go above your front door.

Decorate Front Porch in Colonial Williamsburg Style

 

Easy Holiday Centerpiece that takes 15-Minutes to Make (if that long)

Such a fast and easy way to dress an entry table. Works great as a table centerpiece, too!

Easy Christmas Centerpiece You Can Make in 15 Minutes Using Greenery from Your Yard 2a

 

NOTE: Click any title below to access that recipe or post for more details.

An Insanely Awesome Champagne Punch: Great for Parties or a Christmas or New Years Brunch

Makes several batches because this punch is a big hit and always goes really fast!

Insanely Awesome Champagne Punch 2

 

Set Up A Hot Cocoa Bar To Enjoy All Winter Long

I had so much fun putting his Hot Cocoa Bar together! It would be great to create for your holiday guests or a holiday party!

You’ll find a tutorial for making the sign below.

Hot Cocoa Bar for the Porch

 

Make This DIY Sign for Your Hot Cocoa Bar

This is a detailed tutorial sharing exactly how I made the sign to go above my Hot Cocoa Bar.

diy-this-hot-cocoa-bar-sign

 

Christmas Tree Napkin Fold

This is such a fun napkin fold to make and your guests will find it delightful!

Christmas Tree Napkin Fold

 

10 Beautiful Mantels All Decorated for Christmas

If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration as you decorate your mantel this year, you’ll find it in this post!

Emergency Substitutions for Common Ingredients

Ever find you’re missing an ingredient you need when preparing your Christmas dinner? Here’s a list of common substitutions you can make if you’re out of an important ingredient.

Emergency Substitutions for Common Ingredients

 

Decorate Your Door With Triple Wreaths: Grandinroad Knockoff

It took me a while to figure how to make this “triple wreath” thing work for my front door. It’s an over-the-top look that’s a lot of fun to create!

Front Porch Decorated for Christmas with Triple Wreaths on Door and Pottery Barn Knock-off Garland

 

NOTE: Click any title below to access that recipe or post for more details.

Make a Winter Snow Globe, Easy DIY Project

This would be a great project to do with the kiddos. Also, I think these would be wonderful to make as place cards for a Christmas dinner party, writing each guest’s name with a sharpie on the little ornament inside. Then the guests could take them home to enjoy after the dinner.

Make a Wintry Snow Globe

 

Create a Little Snack Center as a Thank-you for Our Delivery Men and Women

 

21 Drinks Great for Holiday Parties

I would love to make every one of these recipes! So many good ones in this post!

21 Holiday Party Drinks

 

Decorate a Lantern, Mailbox or Pergola for Christmas

This is seriously the easiest arrangement you could ever make for a gate, post, lantern, pergola or mailbox. If you don’t have a magnolia tree in your yard, use holly or another long-lasting evergreen. There’s a lot of faux greenery available out there that would work well for this, too.

Lantern Decorated for Christmas

 

Create a Table Centerpiece With Dept. 56 Lit Houses

If you collect Dept. 56 houses, consider using them down the center of your Christmas dinner table this year. This works great on most tables. My table is a bit more narrow than I would like and I was still able to do this. If you table is a bit wider, it will work even better!

Christmas Table Setting with Dept. 56 Lit Houses

 

Christmas Vacation Movie-themed Table Setting

Are you a Christmas Vacation movie fan? Check out this fun table for a bit of inspiration if you collect the Dept. 56 Christmas Vacation lit houses.

Christmas Vacation Table Setting

 

Here’s the previous version of the table above before I added two more houses to this setting.

Christmas Vacation Movie-Themed Table Setting–the 1st year I set this table

Christmas Vacation Moose Mugs in Christmas Vacation Tablescape

 

Christmas Vacation Movie Themed Gift Wrapping Idea

If you’re looking for a unique way to wrap your gifts this year, check out this post where I share a DIY idea inspired by Clark’s Christmas tree escapades in the movie, Christmas Vacation.

Christmas Vacation Gift Wrapping

 

Decorate a Porch for Christmas

Decorate your porch and enjoy it all through the holiday season! Even if it’s too cold to be outside, you’ll enjoy seeing it from inside throughout the holiday season.

Between Naps on the Porch Christmas Porch

 

Snowman Spice Cake Dessert and Centerpiece

Bake this adorable Snowman Spice Cake for a festive holiday dessert! He’ll make a great centerpiece for your holiday table, as well!

Snowman Spice Cake Image

 

12 Beautiful Christmas Banisters

Looking for a bit of inspiration for decorating your staircase banister? Check out all these gorgeous banisters ranging from simple but beautiful to over-the-top gorgeous!

 

23 Themed Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

So much inspiration in this post if you’re looking for some new ways to decorate your Christmas tree this year.

23 Themed Christmas Tree Ideas

 

These make the cutest Christmas present topper or use them as ornaments on your Christmas tree.

Dress Up Your Presents With This Easy DIY Christmas Mouse Or Hang It On Your Christmas Tree

Christmas Mice Ornament or Present Topper

 

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Metamorphosis Monday

Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects even recipes. Any Before and After is great! Please do not link up Table Settings, save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday.

If you are participating in Met Monday, please link up using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz when prompted.

In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Update: Please do not link up table settings/tablescapes for Metamorphosis Monday. Please save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursdays. Recipes are fine because that’s definitely a “Before and After” but please save your beautiful table settings for Tablescape Thursday. Pretty vignettes (transformations) you’ve created on atop a chest or somewhere in your home are great for our Before and After party, but let’s save the actual table settings for Tablescape Thursday.

 

This party has ended, click button below for the links to all who participated.

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Comments

  1. here’s a tip that you might already know about ….if you want your green fake garland to look really full just take two of them ( I buy them either when HL has a 50% off or wait until after Christmas ) and tie them together. I just use the garland branches and twist them together every six or ten inches apart and then you have a really full garland. I use to work part-time at a decorating place and when you put them on your mantel it looks really good after you glue on pinecones and Christmas bulbs. Just an idea. rls

    • I’ve done that with real garland too…when I’ve purchased pine garland. It’s always way too thin to suit me. Great tip, Robin! Thanks for sharing that!

  2. This is the best collection of holiday tips, techniques, and ideas–all in one place! My goal is to decorate less, plus use more naturals so that I have less to store. Over the last couple of years, I’ve downsized from 3 large plastic bins and one medium one to just 2 large bins.

    • I love using naturals, they are the prettiest to me, by far! The only downside that I’ve come across is you can’t decorate quite as early, at least with greenery, because it tends to try out before Christmas. Greenery on the outside works pretty well, though. I normally buy a natural door wreath and it normally does very well since it’s outside. I’ve been trying to downsize a little each year. It’s so much easier each year when you don’t have a gazillion bins to go through.

  3. So many great ideas Susan! I can’t wait to go through them all! Thanks again for all the wonderful inspiration!

  4. Bonnie Altman says

    Beautiful

  5. Wow, Susan, you have so many awesome ideas for Christmas today! I am really enjoying your party, your features and your own Christmas posts. Thank you for hosting too! Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!

    Hugs,

    Tee

  6. Uber wonderful post Susan. It’s always fun to see what you’ve go going on at your home.

  7. Franki Parde says

    WOW…this one was a BIGGIE!! Luv’d & now we ALWAYS have Christmas Tree napkins with our holidays dinner!! This year I’m putting little “spinners” (they’re on toothpicks) as the “topper.” Carry on!! franki

    • That is such a fun, fun napkin fold! I LOVE the spinner idea! Franki, I would love to see a picture of one when you create it…sounds sooo cute!

  8. Bobbi Duncan says

    Best collection EVER!!!! I enjoyed remembering again all your inspiring ideas. I can not believe just how many fabulous posts you have put together over the years…you are remarkable, woman! Hugs!

  9. Sarah Smith says

    Thanks so much for the snack center post. Immediately set up since I’m having deliveries almost daily (pandemic & holiday shopping).

    • Sarah, I uploaded the sign to my Pinterest account since the link had stopped working for where it was loaded before. Hopefully you were able to print the sign out okay.

  10. This is a lovely post. Thanks for all the inspiration and thanks for hosting these great parties.

  11. I swear everything about your home and decor style is positively magical. Thanks so much for hosting. I can’t wait to dive into all this holiday inspiration. Hugs, CoCo

  12. Your home and decor is always gorgeous Susan ! Everything looks out of a magazine and so much inspiration for us.
    Thank you for hosting. I’m sharing my dining room Christmas decor.
    Sorry I’m so late. Computer issues.
    Have a nice week.
    Fabby

  13. WOW…so many great ideas and tips ! Love the Hot Chocolate Bar…and the punch. Thanks for always having great ideas to share 🙂

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