This is a sponsored post on behalf of Stop and Shop. All writing, opinions and photography are my own.
I seriously cannot believe that Christmas is on Sunday! For some reason, December seems to have flown by this year, and I’m running around prepping for the holidays this week. Thankfully there are places like Stop and Shop where I can get almost everything in one place!
I like to keep it simple with easy holiday decorating and entertainment. For me, simple directly correlates to less stress! 🙂 I thought I would share some of the things I picked up at Stop and Shop this week to decorate my home and a SUPER easy appetizer idea for last-minute guests!
The Easiest Appetizer to Prep
I love to visit with friends and family during the holiday season; but I don’t like to be slaving away in the kitchen, so I chose meals and appetizers that make for easy holiday entertaining (bonus if they can be prepped ahead!). A simple cheese plate is a beautiful appetizer to serve and takes literally about 5 minutes to put together!
I like to use a slate cheese plate, so I can write the names of the different cheese next to each one. Choose 3 to 4 cheeses, some olives (our Stop and Shop has an olive bar!), some crackers and fruit (I like grapes or raspberries). Arrange the items on your cheese plate and garnish with grapes or fresh herbs. For this cheese plate, I chose sprigs of rosemary (found in the produce section).
Stock your refrigerator with a few cheese plate staples like brie, cheddar, dill havarti, Wensleydale, and your pantry with crackers; you will always be ready for last-minute visitors or when you need to bring something to a holiday party or get-together!
Easy Holiday Decorating that Lasts
This year, I took care to find holiday decorating ideas that weren’t complicated and would last past Christmas. Not only is it a more environmentally-conscious way to decorate, but it can save you some green too! I visited the floral department of our Stop and Shop and scooped up a few plants that I decorated for Christmas and will last me well beyond the season!
I chose a European cypress, lemon cypress and an adorable rosemary Christmas tree. Rosemary shrubs are easily pruned to look like Christmas trees, and I decorated mine with cute little ornaments! Not only does it look festive, but it makes my living room smell so good!
Choosing live plants means that after you take down your holiday decorations, you will still have some lovely color to brighten your room and living space! The rosemary can be planted outside in the late spring, and you can enjoy fresh herbs for summer and fall cooking.
I gave a natural and fragrant accent to the pillar candles on my dining room table. If you want to dress your candles up in a similar manner, just get some jute string (I got mine with wire in it) and wrap it around your candle a few times. Add a sprig or two of sage, rosemary or lavender, and you table will look AND smell great!
I’m really happy with the way the holiday prep has come together in our house. I’d love to hear about your holiday decorating tips, and I hope you have a healthy and happy holiday season!
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