Planning the perfect Christmas party

CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) - Planning a Christmas party should be easy and fun -- with party planning tips, holiday entertaining ideas and yummy Christmas recipes. Tanya Costigan, the Owner of Bowties and Butterflies Event Planning joined us to share more. 

1. Pine cone centerpiece: Find pine cones outdoors, or you can buy them in craft stores. Buy any color glitter from the craft store - I chose an iridescent white and gold. Dump the glitter into a plastic bag. Spray the pine cones with spray glue (wear rubber gloves to avoid getting hard to remove glue from your hands). Immediately after spraying, put in the bag of glitter and shake around to cover the entire pine cone. Showcase them in a basket like I did on the show, or you can even turn them into ornaments or place card holders.

2. Pin the Nose on Rudolph: I ordered an 11x16 size poster of the game online, although, you could make/draw one of your own. This game runs the same way a pin the tail on the donkey. Blindfold or use a Santa's hat and pull it down over eyes, spin and pin! Whoever gets their nose closest to where it's supposed to be wins!

3. Gift search: To change up the way of exchanging gifts, rather than just simply writing a name on a gift tag, create an ornament on the tree that has the guest's name and put a numbered tag on the ornament. I used an ornament I could fill with candy to add a bonus treat. Once that guest finds their ornament, they look for the gift under the tree that corresponds to the number on their ornament.

4. Candles: I showed a couple of examples of how to get creative with candles in your party decor. The first example was taking a glass holder large enough to accommodate a floating candle. Fill with water, put some fresh cranberries in the water, and put the floating candle in. Light and voila! The second one was using a mason jar with some epsom salts in the bottom to appear as snow. Put a tealight or votive on top of the epsom salts inside the jar. I embellished the jar with a decorative wreath decoration to make it extra festive.

5. Bailey's cocoa favors: Using mason jars (any size you'd like), fill with powdered hot chocolate 3/4 of the way. Fill the rest of the jar with mini marshmallows. Put the cover on, and attach the Bailey's Irish Cream nip with twine or ribbon. Sure to be a guest pleaser.

6. Festive drink stirrers: Using wooden sticks (I chose the variety most commonly used for rock candy pops), glue a decoration to the top, leaving the rounded end to be the end you mix the drink with. I used a wreath decoration as an example, but you could use snowflakes, or those cute sugar decorations often placed on cakes and are shaped like characters. I saw some shaped like gingerbread men and candy canes when I was at the craft store.

7. Candy buffet/Stocking Stuffing buffet: I went to the thrift store to pick up white dishes to hold the candy. You can also order inexpensive disposable containers online. I tied a ribbon around the dishes for an extra merry effect. Using small plastic tongs or scoops, your guests can fill mini stockings up with treats! Pops Biscotti provided chocolates, thank you!

8. Rudolph cake pops: The latest trend is cake pops. I ordered cake pops shaped like Rudolph from Sweet Indulgence in Rhode Island. They'll ship to you, and do amazing, amazing work. Thank you Sweet Indulgence for providing these! Visit their site www.mysweetindulgence.com

9. Macaroon Christmas Trees: Pasture Patty's in Hadley provided some unique treats. These trees are edible! Made out of coconut macaroons frosted onto a Christmas tree form, these are sure to be a hit. Thank you Pasture Patty's for providing these! Visit their store in Hadley, or their site www.pasturepattys.com