Tips For Making Holiday Celebrations Sparkle

Holidays are a time for personal celebrations and traditions shared with family and friends. Flowers have long played a special role in holiday festivities and are as personal and individual as the people doing the celebrating! Most people cannot imagine Easter or Passover without cheerful spring blossoms, Thanksgiving without the warmth of a harvest centerpiece, Christmas without poinsettias, evergreen garlands and vivid holiday blooms, or a New Year’s party without an explosion of flowers to ring in the new year! Click on one of the listings below for more flower decorating ideas for the holidays:

• Spring Holidays (Easter/Passover)
• Thanksgiving
• Winter Holidays (Chanukah/Christmas)
• New Year’s Eve

Spring Holidays (Easter/Passover)   (back)

Flower Suggestions
Spring flowers such as: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, iris, daisies, lily of the valley, violets, pansies, lilies, mini carnations, gerbera daisies, pussywillow, and flowering branches such as forsythia and cherry blossoms. Potted plants in season such as: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, azaleas, Easter lilies, daisies, violets, and kalanchoe.

Floral Decorating Ideas

• For a breakfast brunch, use pink, yellow, purple or white flowers with candles. One idea might be to place votive candles along the length of the table with several vases of blooms showcasing a mixture of spring varieties interspersed in between. Guests can each take home a small vase after as a party favor.
  
  
• Don't forget corsages and boutonnieres for the guests attending religious services.
  
  
• Line the entryway up to your door with beautiful blooming spring plants. A wreath of spring flowers might be placed on the door as a welcome for guests.
  
  
• Make a napkin decoration for each guest with a different flower type and use a centerpiece with all of the flowers mixed in.
  
  
• Garnish hors d’oeuvre trays with flowers and place a small bloom on each saucer. Ask your florist to make a design in a teapot or a cluster of teacups!
  
  
• Fill a traditional wicker basket with mixed spring flowers to use as a centerpiece or place eggs in an Easter basket with blooms in between. Place smaller baskets with candles next to the flowers for a charming effect. Or try the same using clay pots.
  
  
  
  

Thanksgiving   (back)

Flower Suggestions
Chrysanthemums, bittersweet, gerbera daisies, roses, carnations, alstroemeria, lilies, wheat, solidago, monte casino, marigolds. Potted plants in season such as: chrysanthemums, daisies, and cyclamen.

Floral Decorating Ideas

• For large tables try a long, narrow centerpiece in the center of the table and a few smaller accent pieces or candles on each side.
  
  
• Ask your florist to create a centerpiece in a treasured family vase or bowl, or in seasonal pieces such as a cornucopia or a utility vase surrounded by dry corn cobs.
  
  
• To create a lot of drama and variety, place a topiary at one end of the table leading to a cluster of small potted plants, then two smaller topiaries with candles…to a tray of votives and flower petals and so on…
  
  
• Ask your florist to use vegetables or fruits as accents and to create votive or taper holders for you. Make the most of disposable trays by hiding noticeable exposed parts with flowers and greens. Garnish food or pies with individual blooms.
  
  
• Scatter colorful fall leaves, flowers and votive candles along the center of the table or at each place setting.
  
  
• Float flowers in crystal wine glasses, decorate serving trays or platters with flowers or flower petals as a beautiful welcome to the table, or place a single long-stem rose on each plate. Decorate small desserts with flowers or make an ice ring with flowers to chill champagne or wine.
  
  
• To entertain a "multitude" at a buffet, welcome them with pumpkins that have been carved out as a container for potted chrysanthemums. Ask your florist to design the buffet arrangements on several different levels to keep the eye flowing all along the table. Consider a garland of fruit, flowers and fall foliage over the entry door.
  
  
• Place flowers in the guest powder room as an added touch.
  
  
  
  
  

Winter Holidays (Christmas/Chanukah)   (back)

Flower Suggestions
Carnations, roses, tulips, chrysanthemums, lilies, iris, delphinium, alstroemeria, hydrangea, viburnum, gerbera daisies, evergreens. Potted plants in season such as: amaryllis, poinsettias, cyclamen, narcissus, azaleas, kalanchoe.

Floral Decorating Ideas

• Greet guests at the door with a wreath holding a personal tree ornament for each of them to take home.
  
  
• Use fresh flowers on the tree in water vials. Florists can recommend long-lasting varieties and tell you about how to add water to vials. Dried or treated flowers are also a beautiful choice.
  
  
• Use fresh evergreens to decorate around the menorah. Place colorful dradles and chocolate coins around the table for kids to enjoy.
  
  
• Use wrapped boxes, festive bows and flowers as table decorations. Give wrapped "packages" to your florist in advance and they can create floral designs in them. Place your "packages" with flowers under the tree or on the mantle. Wrap the pots of poinsettias or other holiday plants in festive paper and ribbons.
  
  
• For an elegant celebration take advantage of all places where candles could be displayed:
  
  
• Line a walkway with votive candles in luminaries leading up to a door.
  
  
• Place garland on the mantle with fresh flowers and candles placed among the greenery to beautifully grace your room and make the most of light by enhancing the fire.
  
  
• Float candles and flowers in treasured crystal or silver bowls to create a fabulous effect.
  
  
• Place scented candles with fresh blossoms in each powder room.
  
  
• If an open house is on the agenda and many persons will be in a room, it is important to give special attention to the larger display areas such as the front door, foyer, mantle, buffet or serving areas, powder rooms, windows, and staircase. This will help you get maximum impact because with many people in a room smaller arrangements placed around will not be seen at all times . Additionally, by focusing on a few focal areas in each room, more space is made for glasses, cups and food plates…and there is less chance of an accident.
  
  
• As guests leave, have a vase of loose flowers by the door and invite them to take one home as a gift.
  
  
  
  

New Year's Eve   (back)

Flower suggestions:
Lilies, roses, snapdragons, gladiolas, curly willow or other flowering branches, delphinium, carnations, ginger, anthuriums, heliconia, protea, or callas

Floral Decorating Ideas

• Decorate trays and platters with blooms and votive candles.
  
  
• Place flowers into the ends of horn blowers or hats and place around the table or on trays.
  
  
• At midnight, pass out a flower to each guest as part of the customary celebratory toast, or just place flowers in a group next to the glasses on the serving tray and allow guests to pick up a flower for themselves or their special someone!
  
  
• Serve champagne on trays decorated with blossoms. Ice rings can be pre-made for each bottle of champagne ahead of time (see Details That Make a Difference section under "Party Panache").
  
  
• For simple decorations where friends will be serving themselves, ask your florist to create small medleys of flowers to be placed in empty champagne bottles as a centerpiece with the glasses around them.
  
  
• Place flowers on the fireplace mantle where they will be seen, at the entry way as a warm welcome, and even unexpected places like powder rooms. Flowers are always a welcome surprise placed in unusual places waiting to be discovered!

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