New year, Holidays, and You- 6 ways to decorate your home bar without it looking like a Christmas Tree!

Admit it; whether Christmas is the reason or not, this is the most beautiful time of the year where parties, holiday festivities, and shopping for presents keeps you busy with tonnes on your plate. Moving from parties to parties, and making sure you have your fair share of fun at your home bar with friends and family.

6 Ideas for an inviting home bar this party season

You shouldn't wear yourself out trying to create the perfect Martha Stewart holiday and party decorations! You might want to soak in the Christmas spirit and make sure that the new year begins on a happy note for everyone around you.

Your home bar could be an exclusive built-in piece of furniture, a kitchen island doing double duty, or just a table tucked in the corner. With a bit of decoration, sparkling accessories, and traditional trims can make your home bar become the center of your holiday celebration! But we all know that it is indeed a lot of work to pull off in a brief period.

Also Read: Ten essentials your home bar may be missing

The one thing that's short on most of us is time. So here are six quick-fix ideas to capture the holiday spirit at your home bar without spending a great deal of time or effort.

Match the festive color palettes with function

While prepping your home bar for holiday entertaining, think of essential elements that are beautiful yet practical. How about a slab of polished granite or a walnut cutting board for a work surface? With some bar basics like glassware, ice buckets, shakers, and accent pieces that are worthy of the occasion, of course. Bring out the silver trays, crystal cordial glasses, and instead of boring bar towels, a couple of colorful cloth napkins on hand for clean-ups. 

A consistent and cohesive look, with one or two festive accent colors ( how about two shades of  like burgundy and chartreuse, instead of Christmas red and hunter green?) You can do that with the entire entertaining area around the home bar: winter flowers, scented candles, patterned pillows for a modern, elevated look.

Bring out the warm and cozy

Your home bar and your home should feel like a cozy and inviting refuge. We recommend burning wood scented candles and warm and dim lighting. But if you want to go for a makeover, we suggest lightweight linens with chunky textures like knits and velvets and some fleece throw blankets to keep guests warm. Just rearranging the furniture towards your home bar next to the large window facing the city lights can create a warm and welcoming gathering spot for winter entertaining.

Bring the glow and sparkle

Glass and crystal make your holiday bar shimmer and sparkle. When you enhance the shimmer with shiny accessories and glittery lighting, you can use some Christmas decorations! If you do put up a Christmas tree, use some bright-colored balls and bulbs in clear hurricane glasses and apothecary jars of different heights around your home bar. How about stacking the extra shiny and colorful ornaments in a bowl, with boughs of dried pine cones, some faux evergreens, and white string lights for a simple centerpiece?

If you wish to, make decanters filled with vibrant wines and spirits in the bar's décor. A quick tip is to hang a mirror in an ornate metallic frame right behind the bar to give it a lot of space. You can arrange clusters of votive candles on top of the bar, suspend lighted stars and snowflakes, or simply stringing twinkle lights around the bar or tiny battery-powered twinkle lights into a glass bowl or vase.

Stock and style your bar essentials

If you are doing up your home for Christmas, it makes sense to match your decorations for the holiday bar. Utilize the palette in the bar's glassware and accessories. Bring out jewel tones, metallics, like pair ruby and emerald glasses with shiny gold coasters. For a luxe look, mix crystal and gold like these Gold Rim Whiskey Glasses. 

As you get ready for the parties at this time of year, it makes sense to have a fully stocked home bar with all the merrymaking essentials, including some party games. That means you outfit your bar with all the ingredients needed to make signature cocktails. Want to take your décor a step further? Some sparkly straws, festive glassware, bowls of seasonal cocktail garnishes or snacks, or something from our novelty collection should be perfect to set the right mood.

Check out some nice cocktail recipes that are perfect for the season -

A home bar is a place where quirky is allowed and even celebrated! Display your collection of shot glasses, or fill some tiki glasses with these beautiful spoons and stirrers.

Bring the winter inside

The smell of the outdoors can help set a festive, wintry mood if your holiday table can be decorated with some natural, fragrant winter greenery with evergreen sprigs, fresh-cut white hydrangeas to add texture, color, and fragrance. With fresh holly and magnolia leaves attached to napkin rings or for a sophisticated touch- placing name cards could do the trick. Some scented candles could also help bring the feeling of a nature walk, right in the comfort of your home bar.

For a Christmas touch, the area around the bar counter can be decorated with garlands weaved in ribbons. You can buff-up a few store-bought wreaths with fresh citrus ( e.g., lemons, limes, oranges, or just green floral wire) 

For  hostess gifts, think about wrapping your presents with small holiday greens, or even just a  ribbon to suit the festive mood is a great idea.

Check the quirky and fun holiday gift ideas-

Style your drinks

As you serve some winter-worthy signature cocktails, you can help guests with experimenting. A tumbler with peppermint sticks for guests who want to give their drinks a minty twist is a great idea. If you can, tying small ornaments in different colors to wine glass stems with a ribbon so the guests won't lose their drinks is a cool way to give a new look to your glasses. With colored chalk, you can also create a menu of featured holiday drinks on a framed blackboard and display it on an easel by your home bar or hang it behind the bar.

Ensure that holiday cocktail napkins, coasters, spoons, and swizzle sticks are within easy reach of your guests.

A home bar is a gathering place in the holiday season and has to be the centerpiece of all your celebrations. If you decorate the bar with an exemplary display, it will add loads of character and style to your space and will make your home bar the spot where everyone wants to be. Turn your home bar into a great hangout place, and people will be talking about it for months to come in the new year.