Look great no matter what you celebrate
Holidays are to humans what fluorescent lights are to bathroom mirrors. Fluorescent lights bring out the essence of us, whether we want to see it or not. Some of us have to make a fuss around the feast and table in the atmosphere of ancient Rome, while some of us have to not only go home, but also close the door in a quiet room and recuperate until January 2nd. Some people have to practice hygge. In some sense, tell us who we are or who we want to be. But no matter who you are and no matter how big or small the occasion, you probably want it to look good. At Eater, the platonic ideal of “looking good” doesn’t require a lot of money or a lot of effort, but instead requires simple hacks that are as smart as they are accessible.
Because the most direct path to understated luxury is to stuff unobtrusive stuffing with fancy bread cubes and oysters. Or he can arrange a piece of eye-catching cheese or sprinkle some chopped green herbs on top of the beige food. Or, in 2023, you can dust off the gravy boat, invest in a few taper candles, gather some mismatched textiles, and call it a party, worthy of the Eater’s Year of the Tablescape. As Madonna once said, beauty is where you find it, not how much you pay for it. You don’t have to worry about getting the perfect turkey, spending a fortune on flowers, or Victorian-era doilies she sources on Etsy. It just makes it look better.
