Edible Vancouver Island November/December 2023

to tie the holiday ambiance together. Visitors will feel at home from the moment they step into your entryway, all the way to the dining table. With so many shapes, sizes and colours-wicked or flameless-candles will always give your house a cozy energy. You can also tuck sparkling fairy lights into glass hurricanes to create a welcoming winter vibe. Strategically placed around the home, especially when combined with other festive decor like pinecones or fir bows, these gently twinkling lights will blend beautifully into your backdrop. Play background music Have you considered the acoustic landscape? You could throw on any ol ’ Christmas playlist, but Louvet assured us that joyful music doesn’t have to be limited to the holiday genre. With streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, there are unlimited options to guide the tone. When in doubt, just let the party’s mood be your guide–whether it's ambient, smooth jazz or ‘60s classic hits, your guests will be grateful your soundtrack followed their lead. GO THE EXTRA MILE WITH A FEW PERSONAL TOUCHES Once you ’ ve decluttered your entertainment space, picked a great palette and added inviting lighting and music, you’ll want to sprinkle in a handful of personal touches. Bring a bit of nature inside Louvet recommends incorporating all-natural elements into your holiday, suggesting fir bows, pinecones and sprigs of holly as great foundational pieces. Bonus: many of these may be found in your backyard or sustainably collected as windfall, further adding to the outdoorsy feel. Make use of the versatile glass hurricane Davidson loves the versatility offered by a set of glass hurricanes. This might be the one must-have holiday item. Candles or fairy lights will add to the general ambiance, but he also suggests filling them with pinecones, cranberries or small Christmas ornaments. For each dinner, it’s easy to swap out the decorations to match the holiday or event theme. Layer textures into the place setting Build an extravagant tablescape by layering different textural elements into each place setting. Start with stacking napkins and dinnerware, then add a sprig of rosemary as a napkin tie, or a personalized wooden ornament as place settings. It’s easy, afford able decor that gives your holiday party a modest "wow" factor. Ambiance, when done right, can transform your next celebra tion into a memory that your friends and family will cherish for years to come. The best part is that creating a warm, inviting home isn’t about buying new decorations; it’s about appealing to your guests’ senses and taking the time to create a space that feels clean, comfortable and intimate. Jessica McKeil is a writer and owner of Sea to Sky Content, who lives on, eats from and explores Salt Spring Island. She'll be weaving all the tips for ambiance and decor for small spaces into her own hosting this holiday season.

Making space in your home helps reduce the visual noise for visitors, which allows them to better absorb that festive feeling.

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