Ho, Ho, Ho: Minimal(ish) Holiday Entertaining

This holiday decorating post is in partnership with Bed Bath and Beyond. All opinions are my own.

I love holiday entertaining and decorating, probably more than any other time of year. There’s so much excitement, everyone’s generally in a pretty good mood, and there is never a shortage of festive cookies around. What’s not to love?

BUT, while it may be true that I love, love, love Christmas, I’m not really the type to go completely over-the-top with the Christmas decor. Not there’s anything wrong with that. When it comes to decorating for the holidays (or really any time of year), less is definitely more!

So, I partnered with Bed Bath and Beyond to put together a simple holiday tablescape that is festive, but more importantly stress-free. Every single thing I used for creating this minimal modern holiday tablescape came from Bed Bath and Beyond – from the linen table runner and napkins to the marbles plates and drool-worthy gold flatware. One-stop shopping for the holidays?! Yes, please!

If you’ve never shopped at Bed Bath and Beyond before, you may not know exactly how much inventory they have. Hint: IT’S A LOT! And they have some really good stuff!

I’m in there every few months, to pick up Simple Human trash bags and CO2 canisters for our SodaStream. So I’m pretty well-versed in what they carry in store. And maybe you are too? But did you also know they have a HUGE online store?

In fact, everything I used for this holiday entertaining post can be purchased through their online store. So technically, you don’t even have to get in the car to bring this tablescape to life. I’ll link everything up to, so you can easily find pieces you love.

Minimal Modern Holiday Entertaining

So, how do you make your home feel festive and lively for the holidays if you’re going the minimal modern route?

In short, keep it simple! It’s actually really easy. Just pick 1-2 holiday statement items that will help set off the room and go from there.

I found a small faux Christmas tree to rest on our credenza and wrapped the bottom with an extra linen table runner I had to tie in the linen textiles from the table. Obviously, not required. But since I already had it, I figured I might as well. A simple wreath, hung it from the window or on the wall would be another great option.

If you have time, the last little extras that I like to include: a vase or two of tree trimmings, rosemary branches, or pepper berry if you can find it. I used pepper berry. It’s my favorite! Remember I used it for this holiday wreath DIY. Then, if there’s any room, I’ll throw a few (simple) ornaments onto the table, like theses matte black ornaments, or some pretty fruits (like satsuma mandarins on the stem, which are so pretty this time of year), and that’s it!

From there, I just bring in anything that I would normally use – doesn’t have to have a holiday vibe to it. That’s where the balance comes in! So, in this case, I set out some wood trays for food, simple coupe glasses (that I’m obsessed with), a rust colored table runner, dusty pink linen napkins, and grey marbled plates (salad plates / dinner plates) to round things out.

Oh, and I almost forgot about one of my favorite things…the flatware! OMG. I am obsessed with this flatware. It’s not what I would normally be drawn too, but for some reason, I am all in on this set. I think what I like most about is that it’s a little unexpected. I would normally go for something uber modern and maybe silver (classic). But when I saw these, I knew they were special! Also, gold is a great festive color to work into your decor.

What Do you Serve at at a Minimal Modern Holiday Party?

Of course, it’s entirely up to you. But if you need some inspiration, I’ll tell you what I like to do… First: alcohol! I like to have a batch cocktail for parties because it can be made ahead of time and guests can serve themselves. Plus, it looks pretty in a punch bowl, especially is you add edible flowers and orange slices like I did.

I always have a few bottles of wine out too, along with some non-alcoholic options. Btw- these are the coupe glasses I used for the rose wine and these are the glasses I used at the punch bowl station.

For food, I like to set up several cheese platters and bread / cracker trays (I used a set of small wood trays and a larger wood tray as well) around the table for guests to nibble on, along with finger foods – fruits and veggies. This is the cheese knife set I used for the bread and cheese tray.

And then for the meal, I like to serve something simple. This time, I went with chicken pot pie hand pies (from my fave local bakery) along with a few homemade sides – asparagus, brussel sprouts, and a simple arugula salad. That’s it!

Having someone else make the main part of the meal is a huge game changer for me. It cuts down on the amount of cooking time and gets rid of that extra stress of cooking a fancy meal.

In my mind, a minimal modern holiday party isn’t just about the looks. It’s also a feeling. You know what I mean. A minimal mindset – does that make sense?