Quick And Easy Ways To Decorate For Christmas or New Year's

Looking for some quick and easy ways to decorate for Christmas and New Year’s Eve events without breaking the bank? Check out these ideas provided by Robin of RobinsFlight on Etsy, to add a festive look to your table with what you may already have around the house!

Make a bold, bright centerpiece by placing round Christmas tree ornaments in a large glass bowl or vase. Or place smaller gold and silver balls in champagne flutes and small bowls. Don’t have enough ornaments to fill the bowls? Add some tinsel to the bottom to fill it up. If all your ornaments are on the tree, try pine cones instead for a homey look.

Wrap ribbon in a spiral around wide mouthed glasses, secure with double sided tape and trim even at the top and bottom to use as votive candle holders. Use the same ribbon tied in a bow as a simple napkin ring for your place settings. Add a pine cone or Christmas ball ornament to finish off the look. Or cinch the ribbon a bit tighter and tie at the back of matching napkins, placing the napkin sideways on the plate to look like a bow tie.

Use those Christmas lights that didn’t make it onto the tree to add a festive atmosphere to your room. Run along a mantle or drape along the serving table, even string around an existing chandelier or light fixture. Or use bead garlands instead!

If you’re feeling crafty, cut small paper snowflakes from tissue paper and hang with thread or fishing line from the ceiling or light fixtures for a wintery feel. Drape tables in thin white tablecloths or white bedsheets with white Christmas lights underneath to shine through and scatter some tissue snowflakes on the tables too.

Spruce up that table using festive wrapping paper as a table runner. Choose a plain metallic or a fun print, depending on your style.

Go simple and edible, and decorate with fruit! Place beautiful picks of apples, oranges and pears in large bowls, or piled on platters for a pretty, inviting table.

No one will miss the stroke of midnight when you group clocks at the center of attention. Arrange analog alarm clocks, mantle clocks, whatever clocks you can find, on a side table. Make sure they’re all set to the same time- or to different hours, if you want to count down the new year in different locations. ------------

Quick and Easy Entertaining Ideas

Are you having guests over for the Holidays and need some ideas for appetizers or hors d'oeuvres? We have several suggestions here; recipes used by Alyce of FabricGreetings on Etsy. Thank you, Alyce!

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SAUSAGE STARS

1 lb cooked & crumbled sausage
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
1 cup ranch salad dressing
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (sweet or hot to your taste)
1 pkg wonton wrappers
veg. oil
Preheat oven to 350* 4-5 dozen
Combine sausage and other ingredients -except wonton and oil
Grease muffin tins and press 1 wonton wrapper in each tin. Brush with oil. Bake 5 min.
Remove from tins and place on cookie sheet. Fill with sausage mixture. Bake 5 min.
Can be served hot, warm or room temp.
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MINI CREAM CHEESE AND PEPPER JELLY PHYLLO CUPS

3 dozen mini phyllo cups thawed
1 8oz pkg cream cheese - cut into 36 cubes
jar of hot pepper jelly
Preheat oven to 350*
Place phyllo cups on cookie sheet. Place one cheese cube in each cup. Bake 20 min or until cheese has melted and pastry is golden brown.
Top each with 1/2 tsp of pepper jelly. Serve warm or room temp.
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CHEDDAR PEPPER STRAWS

2 oz. finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbs. butter - melted
1 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
3/4 tsp celery salt
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry - thawed following directions
1 egg
1 Tbs water
Pre heat oven to 400*
Stir together cheese, butter, pepper and celery salt.
Roll pastry to 14 x 10" rectangle. Cut in half so you have 2 - 14 x 5" pieces.
Cover one rectangle with cheese mixture. Top with other rectangle. Roll to seal edges and flatten.
Cut pastry crosswise into twenty eight 1/2: wide strips. Twist each strip. Put i inch apart on sheet. Press ends to seal.
Beat egg and water and brush twists.
Bake 400* - 10 minutes. Lower to 300* and bake 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp.
Store airtight for 2 weeks. Serve cold.
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