Boxwood Quarterly | Holiday 2022
Holidays and Hospitality go hand-in-hand and this Holiday Season we are sharing some tips from the experts!
We’ve included the top 5 hosting tips from our team, some unique local hostess gifts for you to take to your next soirée and as always, a holiday cocktail and playlist to set the mood.
Above all else, we wish you all the happiest of holidays! Cheers, y’all!
Holiday parties can feel overwhelming -
to ease that stress we’ve compiled our top 5 tips for a memorable event in your home, from our very own team:
1.) Have an interactive element to your party to keep things fun! White Elephant, Dirty Santa, Theme of dress, anything to get your guests in the holiday spirit and set a playful mood!
- Haley (Sales Associate)
2.) Choose a menu that allows you to do most, if not all of the meal prep in advance! This frees you up to enjoy the company of your guests and spend minimal time in the kitchen. If you are in the kitchen a majority of the time, chopping and stirring, it can make your guests ill at ease. They will wonder if they should be helping you. You want your guests to feel relaxed and yourself as well!
- Sandy (Director of Sales & Marketing)
3.) Make sure the flow of your space is open and welcoming. If there is a piece of furniture that typically blocks a walkway, move it for the evening so that everyone feels welcomed and invited into the space. Bonus - simmer some orange slices, cranberries, cinnamon sticks & rosemary on the stove to make your house smell festive and welcoming!
- Madison (Event Coordinator)
4.) Keep some cookie dough in your fridge for a quick and easy treat! Nothing is better than a warm cookie for any quests who may stay late and need a little something sweet to end the evening.
- London (Event Coordinator)
5.) Relax! When you start feeling yourself getting twisted around the axle and planning is more stressful than joyful, pull back and think about what’s important. Dinner parties are about being together and enjoying each other’s company! Do not sweat the small stuff! No one is going to remember if your tablecloth is wrinkled, but everyone will remember how they felt while at your home.
- Lynn (Co-Founder)
Holiday PLAYLIST 2022
Bonus tip - have your music planned and playing before your guests arrive. Nothing can set the mood better than an impeccable playlist and lucky for you, we’ve curated the perfect one! Enjoy!
GIFTS FOR THE HOST
Perhaps you get the be the guest this year, but what to bring?
We’ve rounded up our favorite gifts, and as an added bonus, they are from some of our favorite small businesses in Dallas!
Click through the gallery below for more details on how to spoil your host!
BOXWOOD GRAPEFRUIT OLD FASHIONED
Many people love bourbon. Many more don’t think they do, but perhaps they just haven’t been introduced to the correct cocktail!
The recipe below works outstanding for small groups, batched for larger groups, or perhaps just as a single drink in a stolen holiday moment away from the noise.
Be careful, it’s but a short journey from this to drinking Eagle Rare on the rocks . . .
BOXWOOD GRAPEFRUIT OLD FASHIONED
Ingredients:
Simple Syrup
Bourbon
Fresh-squeezed Grapefruit
Ice (preferably a block, but we don’t judge)
Bitters
Instructions:
Buy simple syrup. Or be adventurous and make your own! Place a saucepan over medium heat, add equal parts water and sugar depending on how many cocktails you are planning. (At least ½ cup of water and ½ cup of sugar.) Bring to a boil and then quickly lower the heat. Continue to stir until all the sugar disappears, and let cool.
Before juicing grapefruits, slice several thin pieces of the grapefruit skin to use as a garnish. Juice the grapefruits and strain into a measuring cup.
For the cocktail, use a ratio of approximately:
4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
2 oz Bourbon (your choice, but we prefer Buffalo Trace, or Eagle Rare if trying to impress the party)
2-3 dashes of your favorite bitters.
Stir to combine and garnish with grapefruit peel.
Repeat until all guests are in the Christmas spirit!
