COOKIES AND COCKTAILS

The holidays can be crazy busy, and weekends book up fast with parties hosted by family and friends. I love hosting themed dessert parties where guests can drop by before or after other events.

For New Year’s I hosted an early-evening “Cookies and Cocktails” hour, complete with confetti-filled balloons and glitter-covered champagne bottles. I made the party kid friendly so no babysitters were required and the entire family could join in.

Forget staying up until midnight. I popped the bubbly early to pour into a champagne tower, and everyone joined in to toast the new year.

GET THE LOOK

When deciding on decorations for this event, I was totally inspired by the amazing navy walls at the party’s venue, City Farmhouse. I like combining weathered and worn pieces with modern clean lines, thus the sawhorse table juxtaposed with the modern glass serving pieces worked perfectly. I filled long rectangular glass floral containers with ice to display beautiful bottles of champagne. Cookies were showcased in glass jars filled with granulated sugar. Gold, white, and clear balloons filled with gold confetti were tied with navy satin ribbon.

A giant calligraphed banner with the party theme “Cheers, Y’all” was made to hang behind the main table, and temporary tattoos made for unexpected and amusing party favors.

THE MENU

Guests noshed on caviar served on French blini topped with crème fraîche and chives. Even the kids joined in the fun, gobbling up adorable penguin cookies with milk served in glass bottles with gold metal straws.

MAKE IT AHEAD

Bake or pick up sugar cookies the day before the party, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.

ENJOY THE PARTY!

When hosting a party that includes children, always have something for them to do. I love having a prepared craft that corresponds with the theme of the party for kids to work on while the adults socialize. Set up a play area away from the main food table that is totally kid-friendly so no one worries about them breaking anything.

At this party, kids made penguins out of black party cups and craft paper and used chalk to draw on black and navy paper. Fur throw pillows and penguin stuffed animals tucked in a teepee made for a soft and fun place to play.