Woodland Themed Holiday Party – 12 Days of Appetizers

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This shop, Woodland Themed Holiday Party, is compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InspireWithCheese #CollectiveBias

My favorite foods are appetizers and desserts. All parties should consist of befores and afters. Let’s just skip the middle, OK?

During the holidays, I actually get tired of the huge meals that we only seem to eat at this time of the year. Just get me a few appetizers and dessert and I’m good to go.

I love to put together a rustic/glam Woodland Themed Holiday Party for adults. My 12 Days of Appetizers party is the perfect way to showcase all my rustic decor.

This party is the easiest one you’ll host during the holiday season. Why? When you send out invites, ask each couple to bring their favorite appetizer. You will only need to put together a few appetizers and a couple of desserts and you are done.

Thankfully, shopping at Kroger for Kaukauna® Cheese helps me put together delicious appetizers that are easy to make. Don’t tell my guests, but my carrot cake came from Kroger also. I’ll just let them all think it’s homemade.

Woodland Themed Holiday Party

For this party, all the fancy china stays in the china cabinet and I pull out all my rustic platters and my slab-of-wood cake plate. I’m not really a collector of things until it comes to cake plates. I can’t get enough of them.

To set up my party table, I grab a glam tablecloth from my linen closet. I need something dark and woodsy for this party. I love how the little circles remind me of leaves blowing in the wind.

Battery operated tealights inside frosted jars add a festive touch. Cover the jars with glue and dip them in Epsom Salt. After they dry, add a tag or two – instant winter decor.

A Woodland Themed Holiday Party must have a herd of deer and a snowman as the centerpiece. Oh, and a couple of rustic trees for a backdrop.

Helpful Hint: I arrange all the serving platters on the table before I fill them with food. That way, if it looks off, I can rearrange the platters without being concerned about food items shifting or falling off the platters.

My favorite DIY decor for this party is the place cards. I used tiny terra cotta pots (you could use peat pots as well) and filled the top with moss. The little “12 Days of Appetizers” tags are attached to twigs and fresh Rosemary sprigs using a hot glue gun and I think they’re adorable.

Here’s a free download to make your own tags: 12-days-of-appetizers-tags

I’ve also got a free printable table sign: party-table-sign

Spinach and Pepper Jack Cheese Tarts

My Pepper Jack Cheese and Spinach Filled Phyllo Tarts will be the star of your holiday party. They’re so easy to make.

I use frozen phyllo tarts. They’re fully cooked and all I do is fill them with the creamed spinach mixture and top them with slices of Kaukauna® Pepper Jack Cheese Balls.

Every appetizer party needs a little chocolate!

After my party, my 20-something-year-old daughter sent me a text asking me if the cheese balls were homemade. When she found out they were not homemade, she wanted all the details. I told her that she could find Kaukauna® Cheese Balls, Logs and Spreadable Cheese Cups at Kroger.

They are in the cheese section of the deli and they’re made with 100% real cheese. No wonder they taste so good.

The Kaukauna® Port Wine Cheese Ball is featured on my fruit tray. Grapes and/or pears and crackers are all great options to serve alongside the cheese ball.

My Woodland Themed Holiday Party is a hit with my family and friends and it’s so easy to set up and the cleanup is a breeze. Of course, my husband cleans up after our parties while I relax. I cook. He cleans. It’s a total do!

Are you planning a holiday party? Follow Kaukauna® on Facebook and Pinterest for more holiday party ideas!

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