5 Tips to Host An Eco Chic Holiday Party
So you wanna be the hostess with the mostest this holiday season? Well, roll up your apron sleeves, don your brightest lipstick, and pull back those curlers, because we’ve got your eco-chic considerations covered. Here are the tips you’ll need to create a dinner party in gorgeous green style.
1. Forget the paper.
When even your 9:00 – 5:00 corporate office has gone paperless, it’s time you do the same. Scrap the usual paper invitations and go virtual. You can craft Facebook invites for free, create cutesy invites with evite.com, or stick to plain ole email. And encourage your guests to carpool or take public transportation. Make it even easier by providing a link to public transportation maps like Hopstop.com or Transit.511.org.
2. Go for green gifting.
Encourage guests to bring homemade gifts. Like, with their own two hands? You bet. Tell them only DIY gifts will do for this party—food gifts, crafts, clothing, jewelry, and art are all welcome. And if they simply have no crafty bones in the body, make an allowance for something gotten at a craft fair—they’re popping up all over during the holidays!
3. Make it a potluck.
You may be the queen of the castle, but you still have a full party to plan and manage! Ask everybody to bring one dish made from local foods. Vegetables, herbs, nuts and meats are all welcome additions to the holiday spread. Tell your guests that they are welcome to bring empty reusable containers, as well, if they’d like to bring home leftovers from the party. No plastic baggies in this house, thank you.
4. Decorate in sustainable style.
Opt for locally-grown flowers and plants from your local farmers market or florist. Old wine bottles and thrift store vases make for antique and chic showcasing. If you aren’t able to score any local or heirloom plants, opt instead for bundles of fresh herbs. Tall, woody rosemary, sage, and thyme are all stunningly delicate and crafty-looking — and they exude holiday spirit. And go easy on the holiday lights — unless yours are LED-powered, you could be zapping out lots of unnecessary electricity with those colors. We’ve got even more green decoration ideas here.
5. Sip the organic bubbly.
Don’t neglect the libations at this party — how very uncouth that would be. Make an effort to supply organic and biodynamic wines if you can find them. And for cocktails, don’t even think about buying premade mixers! Go au natural with fresh citrus, ice and honey to craft your own simple, and simply green, cocktails. Need inspiration? Check out our recipe recommendations.
Image adapted from nightthree, Flickr, Creative Commons 2.0
