How to Entertain this Holiday Season


The holiday season is about memories made and moments savored, surround by your loved ones. Festive gatherings are made even more special with the glisten and glow of elegant crystal. However you choose to celebrate, let Waterford inspire your seasonal moments with our guide to holiday entertaining.

Holiday Cocktails

Every great gathering starts with a signature crafted cocktail. Make the affair both personal and festive with a drink specially made for you and your guests to enjoy. Depending upon the time of year and event, a signature, ready-to-serve drink can take on different forms.

  1. Choose your base spirit. From vodka, to gin, to champagne, consider you and your guests taste when choosing the anchor for your drink.
  2. Add seasonally appropriate ingredients, like herbs, spices, or secondary liqueurs to round out the flavors of your cocktail.
  3. Finish with a garnish for extra essence and a beautiful finishing touch.

The art to the perfect drink is in the glassware – depending on your cocktail creation, serve in stunning crystal to match. See our guide to crystal glassware to choose the most fitting type to enhance the aroma and flavor of your holiday cocktail.

Setting the Table

Festive holidays have traditions of their own, but all include gathering around the table with friends and family. Brightened by the sophistication of crystal, Waterford drinkware, tableware, and decorations elevate these festive moments.

Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas

This Thanksgiving, your nearest and dearest will break bread, give thanks, and savor the moment together. Build your table around the serving dishes and other decorations.

  • Warm seasonal florals displayed in a cut crystal vase provide a wonderful centerpiece for your fall tablescape.
  • Crystal bowls and serving trays filled with a delicious Thanksgiving spread provide an element of luxury to your dinnerware. A crystal cake plate and server are essential for warm pies, ready to share.
  • Multipurpose Glassware raises the spirit of choice, shaped to elevate the aroma and flavor of a variety of fall drinks.

Christmas Table Setting Ideas

Embrace seasonal traditions or make those of your own with modern yet elegant crystal, ideal for a Christmas dinner setting.

  • Standing decorations, from a set of crystal trees to a vase for seasonal blooms, elevate any tablescape. For a modern take, use ornaments as place settings, chosen with care for those seated around the table.
  • Indulge in your wine of choice served in stemmed wine glasses, first aerated in a crystal decanter to enhance the aromatics for the utmost enjoyment. Crystal serving dishes make for a cohesive display.
  • Inspired by twinkling lights on a nearby tree, crystal candlesticks and votives throughout the center of the table bring warmth and ambience to your Christmas meal.

New Year’s Eve Table Setting Ideas

A festive atmosphere is essential when ringing in the new year. Be inspired by the sparkle of the Times Square Ball for your New Year’s eve party this year, decorating and toasting with crystal.

  • Less casual than a sit-down dinner but worthy of a considered arrangement, ice buckets, pitchers, and crystal bowls for self-serve refreshments dress the table for new year’s eve.
  • Champagne toasting flutes are the pinnacle of New Year’s Eve drinkware. Enjoyed throughout the night until the clock strikes midnight, bubbly is that much more exquisite with the tactility of Waterford.
  • Invite a little piece of Times Square into your celebration with replica ornaments and panels with the same crystal cut as the ball that will descend at midnight.

Festive Favors

What’s the holiday season without the warm gift of giving? As the host, a sparkly crystal ornament makes for a thoughtful memento for your nearest and dearest to start the new year off right. Special shapes commemorate milestones while personalized ornaments make the present even more cherished.

Are you attending a festive soiree? For the host, consider gifting a crystal treasure they’ll enjoy, making future entertaining both elegant and effortless. Explore Christmas Gifts for the Host.