The holidays are coming! At my place, that means decking the halls with festive decorations, making tasty treats to share, and prepping special gifts to honor friends and family. Our Plan a Holiday Party book—which, I might add, recently received a dazzling review in School Library Journal’s Series Made Simple supplement!—has great ideas for pulling off all three of these fun to-dos. Here are just a handful that are too good not to share:

● For a safe decorating option at holiday dining tables, try battery-operated candles. Think red and green for Christmas and blue and white for Hanukkah. Dress up your table with a colored tablecloth, add a string of holiday lights and perhaps a dash of glitter, and presto. Your table is holiday ready.

● In addition to the sugary stuff, try preparing some substantive snacks over the holidays. Cut-up peppers and carrots with hummus, fruit skewers, and build-your-own mini pizzas are great go-to snacking options for holiday parties and busy winter weeknights alike.

● Few treats say “holiday” like hot cocoa. Give a hot cocoa bar a go by setting out cocoa mix, milk, and mugs for your family or fellow holiday celebrants. Then provide fun toppings such as mini marshmallows, creamy peanut butter, crushed toffee bits, and colored sprinkles. You and your crew will soon be sipping a warm and cozy custom drink.

● Looking for a simple and playful gifting option? Try goody bags. Fill them with seasonal candy or stickers, Santa hats, playing cards, and holiday-themed stationery. Stuff the bags with colored crinkled paper shreds to make them extra pretty.

Have other ideas to help make the holidays happy? Tell me all about them in the comments section. Wishing all our blog readers a wonderful holiday season!