Is the winter season bringing you down? After Christmas, snow turns ugly, and the cold seems eternal. The romanticism of winter fades, and we all become hermits–burying ourselves at home with blankets and Netflix. Winter can be a sad season, because the cold prompts us to stay at home. Friends may ask us to go to the movies or a local bar, but we stay home, because there is the Arctic ride to and from the destination. There is walking through ice on the sidewalk and parking lot. Netflix and chill sounds better, right?
No way! The perpetual wait for spring sometimes brings on depression. You need people! The world needs community, so there is no better remedy for the winter blues than a house dinner party. Make it a formal event, send out invitations, and start planning! Need some help in bringing winter cheer? Here are three dinner party themes to beat the winter blues.
Greenery Parties
Photo Credit: Strictly Weddings
While everything is brown and dirty outside, bring life to your party by including lots of plants. This is a major theme nowadays (especially since it’s Pantone’s color of the year!), and many a dinner party table is set with greenery. This picture from Pinterest shows a table surrounded by succulents. See that menu placed on the flatware? It’s so chic right now! Place settings with a forest of vines, greenery, and small plants as its centerpiece are the perfect look for a greenery dinner party. You can even go boho chic with this theme too! This is a great theme for tired, winter days. It will get you aching for spring and bring hope to the winter. For party favors, you could let your guests take home a succulent or a cactus.
Coastal Parties
Photo Credit: The Daily Meal
Nothing beats the cold winter than an ocean themed party. Break out those shells that you’ve been storing from your last beach vacation and make them the centerpiece of your table! Surround your home with lanterns, and choose flatware of sea greens and misty blues. Pick bright blues and aquas for your table setting to really bring the ocean in. Try using This a net as a centerpiece and make sure to bring out your household gems like model sailboats, compasses, and any hidden pirate maps. You could end the night with a movie. Set a blanket down and adorn it with pillows and make-believe you’re on the beach. Great seaworthy films for kids and adults include The Goonies and The Moon-Spinners. If you are looking for more spellbinding nautical movies you could go with the thriller, Jaws, or the classic, Cast Away.
Travel Parties
Photo Credit: Praise Wedding
Invite your friends to come to a travel inspired dinner and ask them to bring their stories. Because of social media, much of our travel adventures are shared with pictures. But sometimes there is a good story to tell about that time you mistranslated that word in Marseilles, or that time you had to run through the airport to catch your flight to Hong Kong. Everyone has travel antidotes, so host a party so you can hear one! Decorations for the party can include old maps, globes, and suitcases. Make folded maps into mountains to make a stunning presentation. You can even make cuisine that trots around the globe! Try Asian starters, an Italian pasta dish, and a Mexican desert (sopapillas, please!). Have your guests bring one picture of their favorite travel destination and go around the table while you are eating and hear each person’s story. Nothing beats the winter blues like face to face human connection, so this dinner party theme will be a shoe-in hit!
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