We’re back for week two of our holiday planning. Only nine more weeks until Christmas! This week the focus in our house was our Pumpkin Party! We will talk about all the planning details in just a minute, but let’s pick up where we left off on our Christmas prep work.

CHRISTMAS: The Planner | I’ve been referencing my Christmas Planner almost daily since writing down all kinds of reminders for myself in it. I’ve combined a few print outs to create the perfect planner in previous years, but this time I went a different route. (If you’re interested, in the past I’ve combined an Etsy planner that is no longer available and this planner I found online from Life Your Way, which worked really well for me. I’ve found one, two, three other planners I think would work well, too.) This year, I’m using my 2017 agenda from Kate Spade that I didn’t have a purpose for earlier in the year– just another example of using what you already have. I still look at my combined planners from time to time, just to make sure I’m not forgetting anything. I’ve taken out the January through September pages so I only have October until the end of December to look at. That helps to keep me focused. Then I use the notes and checklist pages to write down shopping lists for friends and family, as well as to keep a log of orders made online. I love that it has multiple credit card slots in the front because I can keep store cards in there and also a few gift cards. I don’t like to give gift cards as gifts (as I mentioned in No. 1) but I do like to keep a few Starbucks and Best Buy cards on hand, just in case I’m at a party and someone I wasn’t expecting to be there shows up and I don’t have a gift for them. I also love that it is a zipped agenda because I can use it as a wallet when needed, as well. [This is why I prefer a smaller notebook for the holidays instead of a binder. Can you imagine walking through a store trying to reference your shopping list, with multiple shopping bags, organizing receipts, AND a ton of people around? That doesn’t seem like an organized system to me, even though I love a larger binder for home use.]

Holiday Cards | It’s time to order our holiday cards. For the last two weeks I’ve been scouring the Minted website to find the cards I love the most. I’m leaning towards a non-photo card (which is important to note around this time of the month, because if you want to send out holiday cards with photos you’ll likely need to schedule in time for a photoshoot), but there are so many great options and even opportunities to create a custom piece that it’s hard to choose just one card. This one and this one are my two front runners at the moment. *Until 10/23, receive 10% off holiday cards with code CHEER17. ALSO, did you hear that Target now stocks Minted greeting cards? I picked up two the other day.

Shop Smart | You may notice some stores have started to put out their Christmas displays already. Take advantage of this time to reassess what you have and what you need for the upcoming entertaining season. You’ll see great deals on items from Williams-Sonoma, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Maybe you’ve been putting off purchasing new place settings or some of your serveware. You don’t have to pick up pumpkin cocottes just because they’re advertised. You may also find a great selection of white or glass dinnerware that can get you through the holidays for an affordable price. It will save you time and money when December rolls around and you still need that platter dish you didn’t buy in October, only then you’ll really feel the expense when you’ve also purchased 12 gifts that day.

Keeping this in mind, I’ve decided to share sales each week that may help you in your search for gifts this holiday season.

SALES THIS WEEK:

• Save up to 30% off with code SAVEMORE, but this sale ends today.

• Receive an extra 30% off sale items using the code GOODLOOKS until 10/23. I love this scarf as a gift for one of my    girlfriends, and I’m thinking of buying these suede loafers for myself.

I start picking up a few cases of wine around this time now, too. That way, whether there is an impromptu get together or you’re hosting Thanksgiving, it’s one more thing you don’t have to worry about.

—————–

Now for the party….

THE PUMPKIN PARTY: We invited a few friends and family members over for pumpkin carving and dinner. I usually don’t do much around this time of year — maybe I’ll put out a few gourds for decor, or enjoy a movie night, or attend a friend’s costume party, but usually I’m not the one hosting. This year we moved house and I wanted to revel in that “homey” feeling with our first party here. I focused on simple entertaining and easy fun. We did most of the party in the kitchen. I covered the island with a black tarp, taped it down, and set up a few different carving tools and a bowl for the pumpkin bits. Everyone loved having their own work station with a set of tools to get creative with their pumpkins. Later in the evening we took our finished work out to the front porch and put LED-tea lights in them.

After carving, I sent everyone out to the patio to play a competitive game of pumpkin bean bag toss while I cleaned up inside, which was quick and easy thanks to the table cover. The first and second place winners received autumnal candles, and everyone had plenty of fun playing and were thoroughly distracted with a bit of bubbly while I put dinner in the oven to warm up. I always have a game at my parties because not only is it good fun, but also because games are great ice breakers. I’ve been the shy one at other peoples’ events and when someone starts a game I know it gives me a reason to participate and let loose a little. And now people have come to expect it from me.

I catered the spread from our favorite holiday restaurant and it was basically a mini Thanksgiving dinner: ham, stuffing, scalloped potatoes, cranberries, and yam soufflé. We served buffet style which kept that casual vibe I love.

The table setting was my pride and joy for this event. I was inspired by Chyka Keebaugh’s Halloween table from a few years ago. I love how elegant this looked, but how simply it all came together. I purchased a black tablecloth and a roll of tulle to serve as a base, then layered the look with two pumpkins, a few candles, and small vases of flowers that I draped cobwebs and spiders over. I found some affordable burnt orange chargers and sandwiched a white bone-china dinner plate in before adding an adorable matte black salad plate I found at World Market (unavailable now). The linen napkins were from there, too. And the silverware was from Target. I originally purchased a brass box set, but somehow I was short a few knives the day of. When I went to Target for some last minute things, I saw that they sell individual utensils now, which is a great tip for future use in case you need a replacement in a pinch.

After dinner we had an apple cider bar set up with our Keurig and festive black mugs from West Elm. Everyone went home with a goody bag full of candy from our self-serve candy bar. I love going into a party shop and picking up all the little gum balls and chocolates in corresponding colors, especially if I can find matching ladles and gift bags; so easy, but memorable — which is how the whole night felt.