Spice caught up with Hooray magazine founder Renee Douros to talk fresh ideas.

1. Opt for an unexpected colour palette
Keep your festive styling fresh by steering clear of the expected red and green. Instead, opt for soft pastels with touches of gold, or bright whites with deep greens and silver accents. It’s easy to go overboard with traditional festive decorations, but keeping your décor clean styled around a central colour palette will help you to achieve a pulled-together feel.

 2. Take it outside
As Aussies, we miss out on the whimsical ‘white Christmas’ that our Northern friends enjoy each year. We’re not sad about it though—in fact, we think one of the best things about living in the Southern Hemisphere at Christmas time is that we can celebrate outdoors. Northerners; don’t be too jealous now!

 3. Introduce greenery
Incorporating foliage and florals en masse will lift your event styling, adding interest and a fresh fragrance to your celebration. Use an overabundance of bright, vibrant florals for a fun festive vibe or berry-toned blooms for a sophisticated Christmas dinner party.

4. Let guests serve themselves
There’s nothing that excites guests more than seeing a table covered in plate-upon-plate of delectable delights that look as good as they taste. Lay out plates of food and set up a drink station for your guests so you don’t have to play bartender all night.

5. Light it up
Beautiful lighting does wonders in setting the mood and creating ambience. Use long-stemmed candles dotted throughout your tablescape and fairy lights strung high above the festivities to create a soft, diffused light.