Holiday Entertaining with Sarah Richardson

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Designer tips for getting your home ready for the holidays

By Sarah Richardson

Kick off the holiday season with Sarah's Holiday Party, a new special from designer Sarah Richardson.

Tips from Sarah's Party

1. Focus on finding the joy (instead of the chaos) in the holidays. When it comes to decorating the house, do only what you enjoy and concentrate on a few select areas as opposed to trying to spread Christmas everywhere.
2. Make the decorating process a family affair and get everyone involved. Block off a weekend afternoon to get your house into the festive spirit, and plan ahead for an easy, light dinner that can be heated in the oven while you and the elves work your magic.
3. Try and incorporate fresh greenery and flowers wherever possible. Heading out to buy a fragrant, fresh-cut tree from the Boy Scouts is far more inspiring than hauling a box of plastic branches out of the basement. It's important to celebrate the simple rituals of the holidays instead of feeling burdened by your "to do" list. After all, these experiences only happen once a year and should be cherished for the special significance they hold.
4. Get your kids involved in the gift giving aspects of the season and add a handmade touch to the holidays.

• Buy a giant roll of drawing paper and create stamps for your kids using potatoes and holiday themed cookie cutters (no two gifts will look the same and the kids can be proud of their contribution).

• Spend an afternoon baking cookies with the kids. Shortbreads are simple to make, and fun for the kids to decorate. Purchase inexpensive reusable glass containers at Ikea, add a piece of pretty ribbon and a gift tag, and you instantly have a tasty gift that's sure to wow.

• Turn your kids into mini gardeners and plant Paper White (or Narcissus) bulbs in vintage pots from garage sales, Wrap them in cellophane (like the professional florists do), and tie them with a small piece of ribbon. It's an easy hostess or teachers gift that will cost under $5 and will bloom for weeks (and add a fresh touch to the house when there's snow on the ground).

Holiday Projects 

Dipped Pine Cones

• Collection of pine cones in various sizes
• Latex paint
• Plastic containers or other containers appropriate for mixing paint. Make sure the container has a lid with a good seal on it. Use a separate container for each colour.
• Water
• Pair of tongs
• Waxed paper

1. Find your collection of pinecones in a park or purchase some at a craft store.
2. Gather left over paint from past projects or purchase a small amount in a variety of colours to suit your holiday scheme.
3. Pour one colour of paint into a container, adding a splash of water to slightly dilute. Approximately two parts paint to one part water. 
4. Put the lid on the container and shake the paint and water until they combine. Mixture shouldn’t be too “gloppy”.  
5. Drop a pinecone into the paint mixture, replace the lid and shake until cone is completely coated.  
6. Remove pinecone using tongs and place onto waxed paper to dry. 
7. Repeat process for each pinecone, until you have as many as you need.

Gift Tags

• Unbleached canvas, or any solid coloured fabric
• Stamp pads with several colours of ink
• Decorative stamps
• Thin tipped marker
• Ribbon
• Single-holed punch
• Pinking sheers

1. Use pinking sheers to cut out gift tags from the fabric. Pinking sheers add a decorative touch, and stop the edges of fabric from fraying.
2. Punch a hole in one of the corners of fabric with the single-holed punch.
3. Use the stamps to put your own personal touch and design to the fabric.
4. Write your personalized message in the tag.
5. Tie and knot a piece of ribbon through the hole in the corner of fabric.

*These gift tags also work as hanging tree decorations.  

Sarah’s Holiday Party spans from on-air to online as hgtv.ca/holiday will be streaming the special along with an exclusive webisode and step-by-step holiday project plans from Sarah Richardson.