This time of year we take the time to make beautiful things and serve our favorite foods, so why not serve them in a pretty way? The best thing is, it doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Here are some really pretty and festive ideas for serving your favorite dishes during the Christmas holiday season.
My friend, Jill, serves appetizers on a cutting board, simply topped with cedar. You can add a few cranberries here and there to make it even a bit more festive. I love this presentation. If you don’t have extra greenery laying around, fresh herbs are a great substitute.
To serve my friend Sylvia’s delicious olives, we simply filled a wooden bowl with eucalyptus and placed the vessel of olives inside. Just that little touch is all it takes to make the presentation beautiful. I picked up the fresh eucalyptus in the floral section of my local supermarket, but any greenery or herbs you like can be used.
Serving desserts? My friend Pam likes to cover her hot cocoa tray in gobs of teeny tiny marshmallows and serves brownies atop crushed peppermint candies.
Notes: This project was a collaboration with my friends, Sylvia, and Jill. Watch for Sylvia’s fantastically delicious olive recipe on her website (Feasting at Home) soon.
Sylvia (left) and Jill (right).
IT'S ME, SERENA!
I bounced through the first years of my life in a hippie gypsy wagon, hand-built by my father, wandering the back roads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. My family eventually settled into a tiny cabin in the woods on property that was once inhabited by Native American Indians.
I spent my childhood days searching for arrowheads, teaching myself to sew on a treadle sewing machine and to bake in a wood-burning stove, with no running water, refrigeration, or electricity in our home. My family lived frugally and early on, inspired by my parent’s thriftiness and style, I gained a knack for thrifty creativity and turning ordinary objects into something useful. And I dreamed of the home I would create for my own family someday.
Now I’m married to my husband, Colin, and our children are all grown. After 24 years of producing The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair, I'm spending time visiting other markets around the world. You can watch episodes of Serena Goes to Market here.
I share more about my life story from time to time, here on my blog. You can also find me on Instagram, and Facebook.
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