Easy Christmas Entertaining Ideas

#ad I have received products from Matthews 1812 House in return for a review, but all recipes and opinions are my own.

The season of sharing…

I love to entertain and have friends over.

But I will admit, we don’t do it often enough.

We always seem to have a reason why not.

Not enough time.

The house isn’t clean.

Too tired to cook.

This year, we made the effort to have more friends

and family over for smaller occasions.

I call it “Entertaining with Ease.”

I am sharing one of my

Easy Christmas Entertaining Ideas…

a 10-Minute Mini Buffet. 

I am participating in the

Celebrations of Home Monthly Blog Hop.

This month, naturally, is all about Christmas.

Please make sure you follow to the end as I will

be sharing links to all of the blogs participating this month.

Our walls are decked and our stockings are hung…

so now we can relax and have friends and family over

to enjoy the season with.

We used to have one large Christmas party each year.

I would cook and prepare for days and days, stressing

myself out to no end.

Finally after a few years, we decided it was too much and to

be honest – it just wasn’t that fun.

So we divided the guest list, lightened the menu…and

made our parties smaller and more intimate.

Also, I am not ashamed to say – I prepare only a

few of the items on the menu myself.

Even the ones I do prepare are simple and easy.

Like Pancetta-Wrapped Mozzarella.

I always try to have at least two savory and two sweet dishes.

I will share my recipe for my Tapenade Olive Cheese Ball

later this week.  I am serving it with these fabulous

Rosemary-Olive Oil Savories from Matthews 1812 House.

As with most things, display can make a dish.

These Marinated Mozzarella Balls I picked up at the deli

look more festive laying on a bed of fresh rosemary. 

I know “fruitcake” isn’t a favorite with everyone, but I just

need to tell you that these mini Fruitcake Bites from

Matthews 1812 House will totally change your mind.

They are filled with lovely dried fruits which have been

marinated in brandy.  I love that they are bite-sized

and best of all, not messy.

Finally – the piece de resistance ….

This sumptuous and mouth-watering

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Tart from Matthews 1812 House.

Yes.  It is as yummy as it looks. 

“..laced with Kentucky bourbon, topped with a layer

of pecans and finished with caramel bourbon sauce.”

It was all we could do to wait for the party and not cut into

it as soon as it arrived at our door.

😀

I always offer an assortment of red and white wines…

– as well as, some non-alcoholic beverages, too.

I used one of the centerpieces that sits on

our kitchen island for Christmas… 

a rosemary topiary planted in a white, ironstone tureen.

The base is surrounded by festive balls

and bells and lots of snow. 

To keep things easy, I pulled out some of my vintage

pink and white salad plates.  These can be easily washed

and placed back in the hutch.  They go beautifully

with the traditional plaid napkins.

And that’s it.  

Nothing extremely fancy.

Light the candles, turn on the music, open the wine to breath.

Our friends were happy to see us and we them. 

It didn’t matter that I had not worked in the kitchen

preparing homemade dishes all day.  All that mattered was

we were able to spend time together – enjoying the Christmas

season, and remembering what the important things in life are.

It’s Christmas.

Take time to enjoy the season a little more.

Thank you for letting me share some of my

Easy Christmas Entertaining Ideas with you.

Perfect for “Busy Girls” like you!

xxoo, Barb

Did you happen to catch these other easy other “Busy Girls”

Christmas ideas from The Everyday Home last week?

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Oreos |  Easy DIY 3-Step Wreath

 DIY {Be Merry} Plate 

Thank you to Matthews 1812 House for sharing some

of  their fabulous gourmet items with me.

Please make sure you pay a visit to

“We offer handmade specialty treats made in small batches with high quality

ingredients. We are proud to be family owned and operated since 1979.

You’ll taste the quality in every bite.”

Lemon Rum Sunshine Cake

I love that this is a small, family run and owned business

for 35 years, started in the kitchen of an 1812 Farmhouse in

Cornwall, Connecticut.   You will love their selection of

 gourmet foods – both sweet and savory – for any

holiday or occasion. 

They make “Busy Girls Entertaining” even easier. 

Find them on:

Facebook | Pinterest

Matthews 1812 House is offering The Everyday Home

fans a $50 Gift Certificate to help you with your

Christmas Entertaining needs.

Simply enter to win in the Rafflecopter below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Do you follow me on Pinterest?

I would love it if you would share these images on your

on your Social Media sites…

{simply scroll over the top left corner and click on the social media icon of your choosing}

Now, please make sure you visit all of these ladies

and see what they are sharing for the

Celebrations of Home: Christmas Blog Hop

 

 

Thank you for spending a few

minutes of your day here with me. 

 

You can follow along with

The Everyday Home here….

PINTEREST      FACEBOOK

TWITTER      INSTAGRAM

GOOGLE +     HOMETALK

BLOGLOVIN‘

 

xxoo, Barb

Here are some of the Link Parties I may be sharing this post with.  

You can find more parties on my Linky Party Page.