Christmas inspiration 2022 | Christmas around the globe
The Christmas Castle - credits Tom Heuijerjans
The Christmas Castle - credits Tom Heuijerjans
Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs - Credits Isabell Janssen @ outsider
Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs
Mrs. Riot
Mrs. Riot
Vondels Amsterdam - Fries Ornament
Vondels Amsterdam - Foodies Ornaments
Vondels Amsterdam - 'Kroket' Ornament
We are almost in one of the busiest and, in our opinion, one of the coziest periods of the year for the hospitality industry. And we can finally welcome guests for Christmas again!
Most hotels and restaurants are already busy thinking about the decorations, we have even seen the most beautiful Christmas hotel of the Netherlands on Instagram, ready to receive their guests! We have also seen a lot of newsletters with delicious menus and it’s great to notice that ordering Christmas dinners to go remains possible at many restaurants in addition to reserving a table! Last year we created a digital Christmas inspiration booklet with the biggest trend of that year; the ‘Christmas drive thru’. Of course we had to create another list this year, including the recurring ‘tree lighting’ ceremony, looking on Pinterest for your decorations, Christmas atmosphere in your hotel room, an ‘Electric Bingo’ in Christmas atmosphere and much more Christmas inspiration.
Reading time: 4 minutes.
Creating a party around the start of your Holiday Season
As mentioned many times before, a ‘tree lighting’ ceremony is fairly well established in America. The greatest example is in New York, where the ‘Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting‘ ceremony will take place on November 30 this year. They even celebrated the ‘Tree Arrival Day’ a bit, this year in t-shirts! The Anglo-Saxon world has fully picked up this phenomenon, many hotels organize a get-together or small event for charity during their unveiling of the Christmas tree, lights and ambiance. We even wrote about it back in 2014! The Claridge’s hotel in London even has a famous designer design their tree every year….
We too are celebrating our own ‘Christsmas tree lighting’ ceremony at our office this year. Our old beech tree in front of the building will be lit on December 9!
Christmas Decorations
When it comes to Christmas decorations, you have unlimited possibilities these days. For years I have had a small Christmas tree in my kitchen with ‘kitchen ornaments’ such as a string of candies, dried oranges, cinnamon sticks and so on. However there are also great ‘food and drink’ ornaments for sale, such as those from the brand Vondels, many of their decorations totally fit the hospitality theme. They sell different snacks for in the Christmas tree like a cheese soufflé or a croquette but also pastries and drinks like wine and cocktails. Great for ornaments in the tree at bars, in restaurants and hotels, isn’t it?
If you want to limit the decorations a little, a small branch with a few twigs attached with one or more simple baubles in the color of your interior is also great. And if you are looking for inspiration, check out our Christmas board on Pinterest, we pin what we think is inspiring. ^Marjolein
Christmas inspiration | Is your hotel room in the Christmas spirit?
Think about your hotel guests, are they going from a wonderfully lit lobby, restaurant and bar to a ‘bare’ hotel room? Or can you also bring the Christmas atmosphere to the rooms? On Pinterest you can find unlimited possibilities for this, including inspiration from other hotels. We have collected a lot of them, for example, we spotted a hotel with a lit Christmas tree in every room, a hotel with presents and decorations at the outside of the building, Christmas bows around the room door or a reindeer on the room door!
But again one branch with a few baubles attached to it on a small table is simple and also fun!
Miracle pop-up
Miracle is a Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar that serves Christmas cocktails in festive, kitschy Christmas décor. With professionally designed cocktails and the nostalgic energy of the best office party you’ve ever been to, the Miracle pop-up puts even the moodiest grinch in the Christmas spirit.
The Miracle pop-up has a lot of locations in the United States and some in Canada. You can also visit a Miracle Pop-up in Amsterdam at Boom Chicago or in London at the Henrietta Hotel!
Christmas at Mrs. Riot in Covent Garden
Mrs. Riot is a bar in Covent Garden, London named after, of course, Mrs. Riot. With a lovely motto: ‘Here for the drama’. Mrs. Riot was one of the first role models to change history, she was the most vibrant, vulgar and lucrative icon of theater land in the 1700s. She amused her audiences with her smooth sarcasm on stage. After nearly 300 years, her name is again linked to the same streets where she was discovered.
Nowadays, Mrs. Riot is a drag bar and we have already enjoyed their fun and delicious cocktails and inclusive ambiance ourselves. At Christmas this year, they have 2-hour packages that include Christmas crackers, mulled wine, six Christmas cocktails, unlimited pizza and festive pastries. The choice of cocktails depends on your package. For more info, check out their website.
A real English Christmas experience, food, lots of booze and humor!
An active Christmas | Create a Christmas ambiance at minigolf, bingo and other leisure destinations
Groups of friends, families are often in for a bit of competitive fun! For those who like an active Christmas we came across Puttshack in London (and the USA), we wrote about this technological mini golf experience last month. They have different Christmas packages consisting of a welcome drink, a game of their special mini golf and, depending on your package, different snacks and drinks.
In our opinion, we also have a lot of bowling alleys, indoor minigolf and other activities in a cozy Christmas atmosphere in the Netherlands. They just don’t offer such a technological experience as Puttshack but that shouldn’t spoil the fun, right?
Another activity for Christmas can be found at Hijingo Bingo in London. An ‘Electric Bing’ experience in Christmassy ambiance. Here you step into an alternate reality and get ready for an ‘Electric Christmas’ bingo, with drinks and – thankfully – old-fashioned Bingo prizes, including the chance to win £1,000 cash. We spotted Hijingo Bingo for our article on a ‘Spooktacular Halloween’.
Christmas inspiration | Eat & Drink Your Christmas Tree
Are you a restaurant that values sustainability? Then the Dutch book ‘Eat & Drink Your Christmas Tree’ by Lowlander Beer might be fun to get inspiration from. We wrote about it recently and you’ll find several recipes in it, from basic recipes like spruce needle butter and jam to festive starters, main dishes, sweet desserts and drinks. It is a book by Lowlander Beer with contributions from the Dutch chefs Samuel levie and Joris Bijdendijk. In addition, Lowlander Beer is coming out with a Winter I.P.A. for which they also used Christmas tree needles.
Walibi Bright Nights
This year the entertainment park Walibi opens during Christmas for the first time, they are introducing the Walibi Bright Nights. During these bright nights the whole park is beautifully lit, even most attractions are decorated and open, in addition you can enjoy light shows, participate in fun activities and enjoy winter treats. The park is open throughout the Christmas vacations from 12:00 to 20:00. For more information, check out their website or Instagram page.
The Amsterdam Winter Paradise
From December 15 to January 1, the RAI in Amsterdam will be transformed into the Amsterdam Winter Paradise. You can come here from morning till evening for various activities. For example, you can go ice skating, ride the Ferris wheel or the carousel. In the evening, you can go to the Aprés-Ski Dorp (village) and enjoy shows by artists such as Tino Martin and Xander de Buisonjé. Several restaurants from the city are opening pop-up restaurants here such as BAUT, brasserie Van Dam, Pofferdikkie, Ron Gastrobar and ‘t Heemelrijck. For more information, check out their website.
Sleeping in a Gingerbread house | Christmas inspiration for hotels with a large garden?
We came across an adorable gingerbread cottage on Airbnb. You have to go to the United States for it, Geyersville in California to be exact. The thick walls provide natural insulation, keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The tree design surrounds the cabin, making it feel like it is embraced by the forest, while the sunlight filtering through the stained-glass window adds to the fairytale feel of this space. The cottages were created by sculptor Miquel Elliott of Living Earth Structure.
Great idea to create a special Christmas cottage in your hotel garden, or a ‘Christmas hotel room’?
Castle Geldrop becomes the ‘Christmas Castle’ for 3 days and gets a visit from Santa Claus
December 17, 18 and 19 you can meet Santa Claus at the ‘Christmas Castle’! The home-away-from-home for Santa Claus and his wife. You can meet his wife in the kitchen, write a letter to Santa in the Christmas Castle Post Office, see where he sleeps, and meet him in his office.
The Christmas Castle is a production of Eventioninc, they’re also working with several charities to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere at the castle. Monday, Dec. 19, is reserved especially for this purpose.
