Ep. 445: Holiday Throwback Special, Pt. 3 - Carson Kressley’s Holiday Must-Haves

We are wrapping up our special three-part holiday series! For the finale, Liz takes the mic to share her absolute favorite holiday episode from the How to Decorate archive.

Liz chose Episode 386 with the delightful Carson Kressley (Queer Eye, RuPaul’s Drag Race). Liz loves this episode because Carson embodies the spirit of "lavish yet achievable" holiday cheer. In this hilarious and tip-filled conversation, Carson breaks down how he turns the day after Thanksgiving into a tree-trimming party, his secret for serving fast food on silver platters, and why he color-codes his guest towels.

Quick Decorating & Hosting Takeaways:

• Match the Decor to the Room: Don't force a red and green color scheme if your room is blue. Carson suggests tailoring your holiday decor to the existing room palette (e.g., aqua ribbons and silver ornaments in a blue room) so you don't have to overhaul your daily decor.

• The "High-Low" Party Menu: You don't need to cook for days to be a great host. Carson’s signature move is serving Kentucky Fried Chicken tenders stacked beautifully on an antique silver platter with a homemade dipping sauce.

• Color-Code Your Guest Rooms: To keep laundry organized when hosting a crowd, assign a specific towel color to each guest room (e.g., the blue room gets blue towels, the lavender room gets lavender towels) so you always know where clean linens belong.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• 00:00 Liz introduces the final Holiday Throwback episode

• 01:45 Carson Kressley joins the show

• 04:00 Carson’s Thanksgiving Routine: Hosting the parade and the "Day After" tree trimming party

• 09:30 Guest Room Essentials: Flawless bedding and the color-coded towel system

• 16:00 Real vs. Artificial Trees: Why Carson uses both

• 20:00 Storage Hacks: Organizing ornaments by tree

• 28:00 Decorating Philosophy: Using non-traditional colors (Aqua and Silver)

• 36:00 The Bar Setup: Hiring a bartender and using rolling racks for coat check

• 45:00 The Menu: KFC on silver platters and country ham biscuits

• 48:00 Why personalized plastic cups are a hosting lifesaver

• 53:00 Listener Dilemma: How to style deep window sills with radiators (From Sweden!)

Also Mentioned:

• Carson Kressley | Instagram

• RuPaul's Drag Race

• Ballard Designs Essential Stocking Holder

• American Stationery (Monogrammed Cups)

• Shop Ballard Designs

Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone.

Happy Decorating!

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