Your Guide to Hosting a Holiday Party - Garden to Table Style — Katie Oglesby, Kitchen Garden Design, Wisconsin & Illinois

Whether you are hosting a big Christmas dinner or a small holiday party this winter, we've included directions to make it as simple as possible to plan a garden to table gathering that will delight your guests.

We want to inspire you to create an unforgettable event that captures the essence of the season. As we guide you through each element, envision a gathering infused with the warmth of shared moments, the freshness of seasonal ingredients, and the joy of connecting with nature. Let your celebration echo the simple yet profound joys of the garden-to-table lifestyle.

Read on for tips and tricks about garden to table party planning, decor, and menus for your holiday gatherings.

HOW TO START PLANNING YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY

Let the Planning and Inviting Begin

First, choose a date for your holiday party. Next, send out the invitations. While evites are convenient, taking the time to mail a printed invitation adds a personal touch that will make your guests feel truly special. If you're comfortable with graphic design, you can create your own invites using Canva.

If not, you can find beautiful custom designs on Etsy or work with a design artist. We had a fantastic experience collaborating with Melinda at Billet-Doux Boutique to create our party invitations and more!

To add an intimate and special touch to your party, create personalized menu cards for each guest's place setting. Pair them with monogrammed cloth napkins, embroidered with the guest's first initial, which can also double as a unique place card to help them find their seat at the table.

Prepare Your Garden to Table Menu

My goal is to inspire you to eat with the seasons, whether you’re harvesting straight from the garden or using up your preserved garden goods. And if you don’t have anything left in your garden, you can still tune into Mother Nature and purchase in-season produce at your local grocery or farmers market.

In winter, you’ll want to focus on root veggies like orange and red beets, parsnips, potatoes, and cabbage. I love to amp up my winter meals with fresh herbs, too. They bring a pop of freshness to the deep, rich flavors of winter. Celebration on Wells curated a delicious dinner for us with these seasonal foods in mind.

Beverages - Garden to Table Style

Create a festive touch by serving water glasses with frozen cranberries and sprigs of rosemary—giving your drinks the look of a winter wonderland! Using sparkling water like San Pellegrino adds cute bubbles around the rosemary, and be sure to offer a few other non-alcoholic options, like kombucha, for variety.

For cocktails, you can serve two signature drinks: a classic Old Fashioned and a Poinsettia cocktail. If you're based in Wisconsin, the Old Fashioned feels like a perfect regional fit. The Poinsettia, a champagne-based cocktail, adds a light and festive flair. Don’t forget to provide a non-alcoholic version of your signature drinks for guests who prefer that option.

Appetizers - Garden to Table Style

Pumpkin Hummus: If you have a baking pumpkin from your garden (or from the store), roast it in the oven and puree it into a delicious pumpkin hummus. Add freshly cut thyme, garden garlic, and a squeeze of local honey to give it extra flavor.

Charcuterie Wreath: To create a charcuterie wreath, start with a round base. A tree trunk platter makes the perfect wintery round vessel, especially if you have one from a downed tree in your yard. Layer in fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme for the greenery, then top it with meats, specialty olives, fresh mozzarella and cherry tomato skewers, assorted nuts, and cranberries.

Baked Brie: Elevate your baked brie by topping it with a homemade cranberry or cherry jam from your garden. The sweetness of the jam paired with the creamy brie creates a perfect balance of flavors. Serve it warm with crusty bread or crackers for an irresistible appetizer that will have everyone coming back for more!

Dinner - Garden to Table Style

First Course: Start your dinner with a compound herb butter and freshly baked sourdough. It’s a fun way to engage guests as they try to guess the variety of herbs packed into the butter!

Second Course: Serve a seasonal salad with a homemade raspberry balsamic vinaigrette, butterhead lettuce, fresh raspberries and cranberries, goat cheese, and candied pecans If you can’t grow your own produce, reach out to local growers.

Remember, when you can’t grow your own groceries, seek out local growers. I contacted Tribe Country Farms in Woodstock, IL, which is a hydroponic lettuce growing farm. The greens tasted so much better than anything I could find in stores and I love supporting a local business.

Main Course: Serve filet mignon paired with roasted beets, a smooth beet puree, potato parsnip mash, and a sprinkle of microgreens. If you grow your own produce, this is a great time to showcase your garden’s bounty. Potatoes, parsnips, beets, and microgreens all thrive in cooler temperatures—root vegetables are particularly happy in the cold, and you can even dig up parsnips from beneath the snow!

Dessert - Garden to Table Style

For dessert, serve a chestnut crème brûlée. While it might not feature much from your garden, the rich, roasted chestnut flavor is perfect for the winter season, creating a cozy, comforting feeling. Even with dessert, you’re embracing seasonal flavors, making the experience feel complete and in harmony with the time of year!

Create the Perfect Garden to Table Atmosphere

We hosted this party in the greenhouse at Oglesby Gardens, aiming for an organic, natural atmosphere to complement our more refined design elements. Mary Alice Home created a stunning tablescape, and we enhanced it with carefully selected pieces from Fontana Home for the perfect balance.

A beautifully set dinner table is a thoughtful way to show your guests how much they mean to you. Start with classic dishes and add a natural touch by using burlap chargers for an organic feel. For a pop of festive color, incorporate traditional Christmas plaid bread and butter plates, which can also double as dessert plates. And don’t hesitate to use your nice silverware or inherited china to make each place setting feel extra special.

For the centerpiece, create a DIY garland with dehydrated orange slices, dried eucalyptus, and asparagus fronds from your garden, along with fresh balsam and cedar fronds. Incorporate these into a faux garland for added fullness. A high-quality faux garland, like the one we purchased from Fontana Home, is a great investment—perfect as a long-lasting decor piece that you can customize each year with new natural elements.

Use wood chargers or cake plates on your appetizer table to add visual interest by displaying appetizers at different heights. To enhance the warm ambiance, include candles of varying heights throughout the table. Or add our custom scents

For the beverage table, try cutting up poinsettias and placing the flowers in glass bottles for a simple yet stunning backdrop. You can also add mistletoe, boxwood balls, or small ornaments near light sources to create a cozy, festive atmosphere.

Don’t forget the chairs—decorate each one with a wreath for a special touch, like the ones from Fontana Home. Ribbons or faux greenery are also great options for adding charm to the back of each chair.

Also Luminaries outside as your guests walk up add a special touch for this special occasion.

End the Evening with Something Traditional

We wrapped up the evening with British Christmas crackers, adding a fun, old-fashioned tradition to end the night on a special note. Or perhaps you have your own family tradition that you'd like to share with your guests.

Our garden-to-table dinner party was a celebration of the seasons, friendship, business collaborations, and the joy of enjoying thoughtfully curated meals. Whether you're growing your own produce or supporting local growers, embracing the garden-to-table lifestyle fosters a deeper connection to the Earth and your community.

As you plan your gatherings, let the warmth of shared moments and the richness of seasonal flavors enhance your festivities. Here's to cultivating memories and savoring the magic of the garden at every table!