Hosting My Annual Merry Pinkmas Holiday Brunch
merry pinkmas 2025 recap
There's something so special about gathering your favorite people for a holiday party, and this year's Merry Pinkmas was exactly that! This year marked the 2nd Annual Merry Pinkmas; last year’s party was a blast, and I’m so excited to continue this tradition year after year. We did our usual ornament exchange (which is always the best part), enjoyed way too much good food, and I got to use some of my favorite (and girliest) plates and vintage glassware. If you're here for some party styling inspiration or just love cute Christmas decor, here's how it all came together.
Last year's Merry Pinkmas featured a pink and dark red color scheme, but this year I went lighter and brighter with blush pink, hot pink, and light green. I created a bow wall backdrop in the dining room, and honestly, it was so easy—I just took various pink ribbons (a mix of silk and velvet) and adhered them to the wall using blue painter's tape. For the tablescape, I kept things mostly pink and white, which let the colorful floral centerpiece really pop and tie all the color swatches together.
MAIN TABLESCAPE PIECES:
CHAMPAGNE FLUTES (mine are vintage, but these are really pretty!)
PINK WATER GLASSES (mine are old + unavailable but here are similar ones!)
ornament exchange — the main event!
The ornament exchange is hands down everyone's favorite part of the day. Each guest brings a wrapped ornament and tucks it under my tree when they arrive. When it's time to play, we gather around and draw numbers from a bowl—this year we had 17 people total! The rules are basically the same as any white elephant gift exchange: whoever pulls #1 goes first and unwraps an ornament, then everyone else takes turns either stealing an already-unwrapped ornament or choosing a new one from under the tree. Once an ornament has been stolen three times, it's locked in and can't be stolen again.
It's so fun to see the variety of ornaments people bring—we've never had duplicates, and everyone takes it seriously. (My mom bought her ornament 11 months in advance this year!) This year's group really brought their A-game. I'll link some of the cutest ones below! My favorite stores to find ornaments are Anthropologie (hands down my #1), World Market, Pottery Barn, Bauble Bar, Old World Christmas, and handmade ornaments from local markets.
the menu: food and drink ideas
Merry Pinkmas is always a brunchtime affair, which gives me a lot of freedom with the menu. I try to make sure there's a good mix of sweet and savory items, and of course take into account any allergies or preferences as best I can. My biggest tip is to outsource where you can! Especially if your guests are eager to help and bring a dish.
Luckily my best friend Lexi is not only an amazing chef, but a certified sommelier—she always brings plenty of bottles of wine, and this year she made the most delicious salad with roasted squash in it. My friend Carly is the dessert queen; this year she brought an absolutely unreal carrot cake that we were all drooling over (like, actually lol). I don't even like carrot cake (I'm staunchly against vegetables cosplaying as dessert), but I LOVED it. My mom is a party hosting icon, so she always helps me pick up any slack in the food department (ily mom!!).
For the main dish, I've learned to make my life easier by buying it from my favorite restaurant. This year I got personal-sized quiches—veggie and bacon—and they were perfect. Delicious, easy to heat up, and most importantly, buying them from somewhere makes my life as a hostess so much easier! So the final menu consisted of: quiches, chocolate croissants, almond croissants, salad, greek yogurt parfaits with granola and berry medley, and carrot cake.
hosting 101: always have a drink station set up
Whether I'm hosting a 17-person event like Merry Pinkmas or just a casual dinner party with a few friends, I will ALWAYS have a drink station set up. You want your guests to be able to help themselves—nobody wants to hunt down a busy hostess to ask for a refill or a glass of water.
My drink station staples include: extra glasses, at least one drink dispenser (usually full of water or water with lemon slices), a drink tub stocked with sparkling waters, carafes of other non-alcoholic beverages (tea, lemonade, etc.), and an ice bucket with a scoop. Bonus points if that ice bucket is full of nugget ice like mine was ;)
The star of my Merry Pinkmas drink station is my pink Santa punch bowl. He's perfect and I love him. Last year I used him as an actual punch bowl with a festive strawberry-infused, sparkling boozy punch. This year, however, I used him as a champagne bucket to house the tasty wine Lexi brought!
I draped both my drink table and food buffet table in these green velvet table cloths with a ruffled hem. I love how the green contrasted with my pink table settings and helped weave the color palette through different touchpoints. I got so many compliments on these tablecloths and will definitely be ordering them in more colors!
Merry Pinkmas has quickly become one of my favorite traditions, and I'm already thinking about next year's color palette (yes, really). There's something so special about dedicating time to gather your favorite people together. And the best part is that it doesn't have to be complicated or stressful. A few thoughtful details, good food, and the people you love are really all you need. If you're thinking about starting your own holiday party tradition, I can't recommend it enough. And if pink isn't your thing, that's okay—I'm using enough pink for both of us. Enjoy the rest of the photos below!
xoxo, severina
