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Women's Lifestyle Blog: Food, Fashion, Family

Plan A Picture Perfect Holiday Brunch + Home Essentials Giveaway!

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The holidays are all about spending quality time with those we love. This year, surprise family and friends by switching things up and hosting a fabulous holiday brunch instead of the traditional turkey dinner.  

For the perfect entertaining space that will leave guests in awe, follow my few simple tips below to elevate your brunch from the expected to the unexpected:

Establish a colour scheme

The secret to fabulous décor is to keep the colour palatte simple and focus on two complementary colours. On trend for this holiday season is pairing opposite colours together. Once the basic palette is set, add in a third accent colour, such as silver or gold. This will help complete the look and bring it to life. 

Try opting for slight variations on the uber traditional red and green. Some colour pairings that you can try this year include:

  • Mint and blush for a feminine and vintage look
  • Plum and teal for a sophisticated and elegant feel
  •  Navy (or turquoise) and red, which gives your typical nautical decor a festive holiday flair
  • Green and fuchsia to create something preppy and fun
  • Red and grey for a chalet-chic look

Keep these colour schemes in mind when purchasing accent pillow covers, table linens, napkins and runners.

PRO TIP: If you’re hosting multiple parties, you can keep the festive colours looking new and radiant throughout the holiday season by using OxiClean™ Colour Shield Laundry Stain Remover. It helps tofight tough stains (think red wine and gravy) while safeguarding colours. 

Set the mood… and table

The dinner table is the focal point of any holiday gathering! To make it more memorable, every tablescape needs the following:

  • Flow: Don’t overpack your table with too many decorations. Keep it simple so there’s plenty of elbow room between guests and enough space for dessert on the table!
  • Greenery and flowers: No décor is complete without succulents or fresh cut flowers, especially during the holidays. This year, try creating your own unique centrepieces by layering pine branches, Christmas ornaments and fresh flowers overtop a festive table runner.
  • Table linens: Take a more casual approach to your brunch table linens this year.  Mixing and matching colours and patterns keeps the meal light-hearted and bright. Notice a spill or stain once your guests have gone? Use OxiClean™ Max Force™ Foam Laundry Pre-Treater to help tackle even the greasiest spills and stains left behind.
  • Rethink your serving plates: For a casual and natural feeling buffet style brunch, set aside the traditional serving platters and opt for more rustic materials such as slate, wood or marble. You can also try mixing vintage dishes with new items for classic yet modern feel.
  • PRO TIP: To make cleaning up even easier, start with a clean dishwasher when your guests arrive and load it throughout the meal. Using OxiClean™ Extreme Power Crystals™ Dishwasher Detergent and Triple Action Dishwasher Booster is also a must during the holidays as it removes tough, stuck on stains and keeps your precious dishes looking sparkling. 
Think beyond the tree

During the holiday season, people often focus on the tree and forget about the rest of their house. Try placing small wreaths or pretty bowls filled with ornaments in different rooms. Using strings of lights indoors is also a fun way to decorate. You can also bundle up small white lights and place them in glass jars to add a little sparkle to any room.

To help you get ready for your holiday entertaining, I’ve teamed up with Church & Dwight to bring you a fun giveaway, including:

  1. OxiClean™ MaxForce™ Foam Laundry Pre-Treater – To help blast away even the greasiest of stains with its foaming action.
  2.  OxiClean™ Extreme Power Crystals 26 PAK (468 g) Pouch – To remove stuck on stains and help your dishes sparkle!
  3.  OxiClean™ Versitle Stain Remover – To to get rid of tough stains and ensure your home is ready for guests!
  4. Arm & Hammer™ Truly Radiant™ Clean & Fresh Toothpaste and Spinbrush Battery Toothbrush – To ensure your smile is bright and white for any holiday parties! (I always give these away as stocking stuffers, the kids absolutely love them! )

To enter our giveaway*, follow the steps in the widget below. Good luck friends and happy entertaining this holiday season! 

 oxi-clean-giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This giveaway is open to Canadian Residents who have reached the age of majority. Giveaway ends December 20th at midnight EST. Good luck! This giveaway is in no way sponsored by Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media. This piece is sponsored by Church & Dwight. Emily Smith is a 2016 Ambassador for Church & Dwight. 

Comments

  1. I find that It is easier if I do finger foods. This way you are in the kitchen for a short period of time then once it is all out you can sit back and enjoy.

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  2. I love the idea of serving food on unexpected platters. I have picked up a couple of cool tiles, that look like marble and just put felt on the bottom. I am waiting for my husband to drill some holes in it, so I can add handles too. (although I guess I should learn to use a drill. lol)

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  3. I like the idea of a turquoise and red decor. I love both colours, and have the same combo in scarves and tins, so why not at the dinner table?!

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  6. No, these days I’m a guest at one of my children’s homes for any celebration. This year I’ll be in Calgary with my daughter and family.

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  7. I did however forget to mention that I completely forgot to say that I loved all your tips. I love the idea of a colour scheme, I’ve never taken notice of colours before 🙂

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  9. To be honest, I try not to entertain. I only like to be in big crowds for so long. 🙂 I like your tip on watching what plates, etc you are using for the occasion.

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  10. We do entertain during the holidays and I find that if I prep what I can ahead of time, it’s a lot less stressful.

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  11. I find it hard to host in such a tiny spot (I live in a bachelor apartment), but when I do, I try to make it as open as possible for people. When we get to entertain, we try to make sure large amounts of food is available!

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  12. sometimes but often go out of town for the holidays. I find getting your prep work done ahead of time very helpful.

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  13. We entertain a bit during the holidays, my tip is to do as much prep as you can in advance and not leave everything to the last minute to do. That way you can enjoy it too!

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  14. We occasionally entertain for the holidays. My best tip is to prepare as much in advance so you can enjoy spending time with your guests when they arrive.

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  16. I host Christmas dinner for my family and it’s very simple. I bake a delicious turkey, great food but don’t spend time on linen, serving plates…ect.. It’s very casual.

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  21. I don’t entertain for the holidays.The tip I liked was Flow: Don’t overpack your table with too many decorations.

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  27. We are away most of the holidays but we do have the whole family in on Christmas Eve. I find my best advise is to prepare and do as much as I can in advance.

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  28. I do entertain and I like to serve dishes that can be prepared ahead and if someone wants to bring something, I gladly accept

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  32. we entertain once in awhile during holidays, ususally lots ofkids here soI like to have kid friendly drinks and snacks plus thing to keep them entertained!

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  34. I do not tend to entertain over the holidays since our family live far away. changing up the serving plates is an interesting tip

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  41. I’m hosting Christmas dinner, and boxing day game day/night as well as having my parents over to stay over the holidays.

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  42. I do entertain for the holidays. My tip is to prepare as much prior to the day before you are entertaining. And on the day of your event, don’t panic if a guest arrives early…ask for their help finish up the preparations.

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  43. we do entertain and have friends over, I keep a selection of cheese, crackers and we always have fresh fruit.

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  46. We do entertain … I try to prep beforehand as much as I can, chop ingredients and put them in the fridge so there are no cutting boards and dishes to watch aside from the pans and bakeware.

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  47. We entertain for Christmas dinner. I love the tip think beyond the tree. I always forget to decorate more then just the tree.

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  48. We try to entertain when we can, our tip would be to always prep ahead of time and to make sure guests always have a drink.

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  49. We entertain during the Christmas holidays and I definitely think the tip of starting with a clean dishwasher is a huge plus. Who wants to stand there and unload it while your guests are trying to help clean up.

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  51. I usually go to other peoples houses for Christmas but we all bring dishes. I try to make mind ahead of time and freeze them.

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  52. No I don’t entertain during the holidays (or ever actually). I have 5 kids, so my house is full enough as it is 🙂 I do prep ahead for big meals like Christmas to make my job easier!

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  53. Yes, we do entertain for the holidays. My favourite tip is to use fresh cut flowers as possible. That really makes a big difference in our home, especially if they are placed on the dining room table.

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  54. I like the idea of Navy (or turquoise) and red. Its different from what you typically see but still Christmas like.

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  62. Yes! We entertain every year! We start decorating early December so that it sets a festive mood and we start cleaning up slowly so that it isn’t so stressful closer to Christmas.

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  67. I used to but not in the past few years. My tip is to just enjoy yourself and not worry too much about everything.

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  68. I usually host one of the family dinners. The tip I found most useful was:
    Flow: Don’t overpack your table with too many decorations. Keep it simple so there’s plenty of elbow room between guests and enough space for dessert on the table!

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  69. I always try to do as much prep work in advance so things go easier and quicker so that I can join the rest of the family and not have to spend all my time in the kitchen.

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  71. I usually entertain only once during the holidays because I don’t have much time off from work.
    Really like your tip: Don’t overpack your table with too many decorations.

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  72. I entertain during the holidays and I find it helpful to start prepping and planning as early as possible so I don’t get stressed. Having a cleaner come in beforehand is a big help too!

    Jenny
    Stuff I Love

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  73. I will be doing a little bit of entertaining, mainly family. I love your idea about greenery, I have so many options just out my back door!

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  74. Yes we do entertain for the season. My tip would be to prepare everything you can beforehand so you can enjoy your company.

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  78. I don’t really entertain for the holidays, holidays aren’t my thing, too much family drama, so we just stay home an have dinner here, tips are to plan ahead and have things set out

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  80. We are having Christmas Eve Brunch with the family this year instead of Christmas Day because we don’t wanna hurry thru the festivities to get to church. I’m changing up the color scheme by using a variety of greens with bright white and a touch of silver. We love all the Oxi-Clean products, and never forget to add a scoop of powder in each load of laundry. Such great products!! Merry Christmas to everyone!!

    Reply

  81. We tend to go to other people’s houses right now – kids are pretty chaotic to have people over. When we do, though, we make sure to have snacks out so that no one is starving if dinner gets delayed!

    Reply

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