"Every holiday has its own personality, its own style and theme, complete with food and decorations," says the veteran caterer. "For us Filipinos, the biggest holiday of all is Christmas, and a lot of traditions revolve around the Christmas dinner table."
Amen to that. For those of us who don’t have the Martha Stewart gene floating in our veins, Alvendia showed that setting a Christmas table is all about creating your own style and atmosphere. It should keep you going back to admire your handiwork, and get you so excited that you can’t wait for everyone to see it (all the while secretly praying that your careful efforts won’t be demolished by enthusiastic dinner guests).
"Dressing up a table is like an artist painting an artwork," she notes. "The table is your canvas, and in lieu of brushes and oils, one uses the colors, patterns and shapes of one’s dinnerware, glassware, flatware, tablecloth and runner, flowers and other décor."
For her eight holiday tables (including a much-gasped-over New Year confection), the author of Creative Catering and Entertaining used not only the traditional Christmas colors of red and green but practically all the available tints in the spectrum. For "Blue Christmas," she employed rich cobalt blue and white accented with silver. Her "Middle Eastern Sparkle" table was clad in a length of dazzling gold brocade. In "Rainbow and Poinsettias for Noche Buena," she mixed sunny yellow, apple green, orange, lilac and blue plates with the traditional red Christmas flower. "New Year Fantasy in Glass" is just that – an unforgettable presentation of the most delicate crystal in periwinkle blue.
How do you make a tall centerpiece without blocking the view of guests sitting across from each other? In "Angels from Heaven," Alvendia demonstrated how with towering gold-and-white cherubs, while in "Maligayang Pinoy Pasko," a native design featuring goldfish in goblets was inspired by the shape of Chinese dragonfruit.
Of course, what would Christmas be without Santa and a dash of the old red and green? In "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner," the centerpiece Santa rides, not a sleigh, but a pewter pumpkin – a unique Yule twist on Cinderella. For "Red and Green, All in a Row," Alvendia used the traditional color scheme in her votive candles and tableware, but instead of mixing them, she staged each color separately on opposite sides of the dining table.
She says that when doing holiday settings, it’s important to consider the guest list and ask yourself: "How can I delight my guests?" For this homegrown Martha Stewart, with a bit of Terence Conran thrown in, delighting guests is a specialty.
Here, Alvendia shares her Six Golden Rules for Great Holiday Entertaining:
• Rule 1: See to it that your guests are comfortable with one another. Carefully select your guest list and sit those who have things in common together. Serve welcome drinks and light appetizers to break the ice. Some of your guests may have come a long way or may be tired after a long day, so it is generally a good idea to have a light aperitif and cocktails before dinner, especially while waiting for other guests to arrive.
• Rule 2: Add delightful touches. This centers on your choice of food and drink, but the table presentation, background colors, lighting and choice of music definitely add to the delight of guests. When planning your menu, it is very important to take into account the flavors, textures and colors of your food offerings, as well as their presentation. Today, food presentations are being celebrated as visual feasts.
• Rule 3: Spring a surprise. Come up with something different to add to your party’s enjoyment level. If the guests are friends of yours who don’t know each other, try ice-breakers, the type of which may vary according to the number of guests. Alvendia recalls a memorable Rotary party in the ‘80s where, after the welcome drinks, the guests were mixed by breaking up couples. Both husbands and wives picked a name from two separate baskets, and the matching names sat beside each other. One husband picked Tarzan, while his wife got Cleopatra. They then spent the next few minutes with Tarzan hunting for his missing Jane, while Cleopatra went in search of her Anthony.
Another surprise might be an unusual table setting, or a unique dessert that the hostess might have prepared herself, like a Baked Alaska. Usually, a most welcome surprise comes in the form of special favors or giveaways: A bottle of homecooked pasta sauce made from a recipe handed down for generations; a one-of-a-kind ceramic piece made by the host; or a batch of cookies specially baked for the occasion and packaged in attractive containers.
• Rule 4: Use your imagination. This is what sets great parties apart from ordinary ones. Let your imagination run free, but remember that this takes time: Time to think, plan, then execute. Read up on party planning. Be adventurous in thinking of a theme, design or motif. Take an inventory of what china you have: Take stock of what you need, and what you can use. Think out of the box. You might want to use fresh fruits and vegetables instead of flowers, or an assortment of candles for an interesting and intimate atmosphere. For a quiet dinner, you may want to go minimal with the barest of essentials for a "less is more" effect. Remember, if you have fun in creating your dinner, your guests will have fun, too, and in the end, thank you for it.
• Rule 5: Try not to be too thrifty. Remember, you’re giving a party for your guests to enjoy, so expect to spend a reasonable amount. If you’re on a budget, make the menu simple but have one special dish that people will remember: For example, a great cocido in its own flavorful broth with tender meats, sausages and garden greens. Surround it with an array of sauces, say, a trio made from fresh tomatoes, roasted eggplant and mashed sweet potatoes.
Also try to think of dishes certain people like or crave, and experiment until you "perfect" those dishes. If you’re not inclined to cook, book a reasonable and reliable caterer or a supplier of take-home food instead.
• Rule 6: Whenever possible, ask your guests to participate. For instance, hold a Mongolian barbecue where your guests choose their own combinations of meat, seafood and sauces. Or throw a Make Your Own Congee party, where guests can choose what condiments and flavorings to mix into their congee. (Variations on this theme include make-your-own halo-halo and make-your-own batchoy.) Featuring fondue or raclette cheese is also a popular way to get guests to "create" their own food, thus breaking the ice and lending the affair a more relaxed, informal atmosphere.