It's not even December yet, and our calendars are swaying under the weight of impending holiday fun. As we all try to carve balance out of these super full days, we want the backdrop for our events to be festive without being fussy. Holiday decor has to be able to make the transition from our kid-friendly events to the Christmas cocktail party, and we give extra points to pieces that will look great as we ring in the New Year.

One of the coolest trends that we've seen lately does all of these things *and* brings the look of the great outdoors inside by incorporating Branches (the bendable, posable, non-molding, non-peeling kind) inside for holiday cheer and general sprucing up of midwinter decor.

In the main photo, we think that this ornament tree is a holiday hit ~ what a cool way to display some favorite baubles in December.

As our faithful readers know, we're suckers for a good centerpiece idea ~ how pretty is this manzanita tree (2nd photo) embellished with Glass Balls? A monochromatic color scheme makes it stylish enough for the adults' table, or add brightly colored ornaments and liven up the kids' table. Love those pine cone place cards, too ~ genius.

After the holidays, Manzanita tree branches in classic pottery vases (3rd photo) provide a nice focal point against a dark wall.

And of course, if you're planning THE holiday party of the year, put manzanita trees and a few pendants in the hands of your event designer or florist, and truly the sky is the limit in terms of glitzy table decor, as in the final photo.