Deck the halls with beer and mango…fa la la la la! La la la la! Fun fact, I grew up in the southern hemisphere, so a warm Christmas by the beach is exactly how I celebrated. This meant barbecue lunches, a midday swim, Santa in board shorts and cries of Merry Chrissie Mate! Even though it'll be cold here in Portland I can still create a Christmas celebration for my kids inspired by my own childhood Christmases down under. Try out this beachy, tropical vibe for your Christmas party this year and have yourself a "fair dinkum", very Aussie Christmas!
Setting The Table
No matter what the weather, this bright and colorful table will give you all the tropical feels. I started setting this table by adding Two-Tone Flower Polyester Leis to each seat backs so everyone could wear them during the festivities. I then used the Luau Bright Stripe Plastic Tablecloth Roll to create a table runner down the middle of the table.
In the center of the table I used a pineapple as a unique mini Christmas tree. Adding a Natural Bleached Finger Starfish to the top as a beach themed star and wrapping vintage Christmas lights around the pineapple made this centerpiece really stand out!
In New Zealand, a traditional dessert that was served at all of our Christmas parties was a Pavlova; a large meringue base with fresh cream and berries on top. As a fun bite-sized tropical twist on this tradition I served up colorful mini meringues on a white platter.
I added the fruit on another white platter. Different sized star cookie cutters made it easy to cut up the fruit and Hibiscus Cocktail Parasols held the fruit stars together to create little trees.
I always like to have candlelight at a holiday dinner table. For this setting I used fun little mini barbecues I had at home and added White Tea Light Candles to them.
Place Settings
I started each setting with My Mind's Eye Red Solid Scalloped Paper Dinner Plates and layered a fun Luau Santa Paper Dessert Plate on top. Santa loves his tropical cocktails! Under the plate I tucked a striped Luau Santa Beverage Napkin and added Premium Metallic Gold Cutlery to each setting.
As a cute nod to the beach and the festive season I added little starfish place cards dressed in beachwear. Learn how to make your own DIY Beach Starfish Place Cards HERE.
Another tradition "down under" was always wearing a paper party hat. I had a little fun with these and you can too. Remove the flip-flop from a Flip Flop Key Chain and glue it onto a Mini Glitter Santa Party Cone Hat.
The Mantel
I decorated our mantel with Flip-Flops rather than the traditional stockings. I then filled the fireplace with Red Hanging Honeycomb Decorations, Light Blue Hanging Honeycomb Decorations, Yellow Hanging Diamond Honeycomb Decorations, and Light Blue Hanging Diamond Honeycomb Decorations. I love how bright and festive this space feels!
Across the top of the mantel I hung the Luau Santa Garland with the cute flamingo in a Santa hat and added Happy Huladays Latex Balloons.
Add even more tropical flair to the mantel with mini beach balls and leis.
Rather than snow capped Christmas village houses, I created DIY beach houses! Little DIY Christmas Surf Shacks with sandy snowmen, surfboards, palm trees and Christmas lights can be placed anywhere throughout your home this season. Find out how to make your own DIY Christmas Surf Shacks HERE.
Above the mantel I hung a not so traditional wreath. A Small Eucalyptus Wreath (just like the koalas eat!) was decked with Medium Polyester Palm Leaves and leis interwoven into the wreath using floral wire. At the center I added a large White Starfish and flanked the wreath with Mini Pink Flamingo Yard Ornaments. If I had some, I would've added cockatoos as well, another familiar presence at Christmas time.
The Bar Cart
Every good holiday celebration needs a bar cart. Give yours a tropical makeover with a Luau Blue Table Skirt and luau Christmas beach balls. Then add a Tropical Tasseled Serving Tray and Teal Patterned Plastic Champagne Flutes ready for the Christmas toast.
Down Under Trees
Another fun fact, I never had a real Christmas tree growing up! The heat at that time of the year doesn't make them very practical, so we always had a faux tree. I love the new colorful tree options you can get now. I used a bright blue tree on one side of the mantel with a large White Starfish on top.
As decorations, I used Fiesta Christmas Tree Ornaments and Mini Fiesta Stocking Ornaments to pair with the stripes on the table.
I then added quirky details like Flip Flop Key Chains as ornaments and Flip Flop String Party Lights instead of traditional fairy lights.
On the other side of the mantel I made a fun beach ball Christmas tree. A unique twist on the balloon Christmas tree trend. Learn How to Make a Beach Ball Christmas Tree HERE.
The Kids' Table
How do you set up your Christmas celebrations? When I was growing up we always had the adults at one table and another "kids table" set up. I set up this celebration in the same way with a cozy corner for the kids.
I put up an awesome Luau Santa Backdrop above their table, Santa giving a hang ten riding the waves. There is a similar mural on the Bondi Beach boardwalk in Sydney so it brings back wonderful memories.
Kids are a lot more comfortable lounging around on the floor than us oldies! I used a lower table and surrounded it with comfortable cushions.
I used the same Luau Bright Stripe Plastic Tablecloth Roll to create a table runner down the middle of the kids table. In the center of the table I used the whimsical and fun Luau Santa Centerpiece.
I layered the place settings with a less elaborate Red Round Paper Dinner Plates and bright blue plate under a Luau Santa Luncheon Napkin. As a place mat I used Luau Christmas Sticker Scenes, they double as a fun activity for the kids over the day. Finally, I added a Luau Santa Paper Cup, red cutlery and tasty candy cane treat!
I gave the kids place cards that pair well with the adult's starfish. Using DIY Papier-Mache Gingerbread Ornaments I decorated them in the same way. Find out how I decorated the DIY Starfish Place Cards HERE.
Last but not least I left a cute Christmas buddy at each kids seat. This Christmas Stuffed Koala is so soft and cuddly, the perfect Christmas companion for a fantastically unique down under Christmas celebration. Have yourself a sandy little Christmas!!
