Pitch-Perfect Caroling Party

People of all ages can enjoy a caroling party. Put guests at ease by singing boldly yourself, regardless of your ability to keep a tune. The point is to have a good time participating in an age-old tradition.

Get your guests into the spirit of the season with music-themed invitations.

Greet your guests at the door to set the tone for the evening before ushering them in to your winter wonderland.

The treat table is a feast for the eye and the mouth. Make a no-sew table topper with 50-cents-a-yard blue sueded fabric by hot-gluing a blue-checked ribbon to it. Flowers are also key for a fresh, festive look. Try 'Paperwhite' narcissus bulbs, white hydrangeas, and amaryllis.

Use elements pulled from nature as the basis for decorations. Here, cedar branches tucked into a blue vase create an impromptu tree.

Copy sheet music onto blue and cream paper and use it to wrap little crafts boxes. They make fun ornaments tied to a tree with ribbon.

Christmas sheet music photocopied onto parchment paper gives these decoupaged musical ornaments an antique look.

Instead of an ordinary tree stand, place your tree in a galvanized container found at home improvement stores. Weight the metal bucket with rocks so the tree doesn't tip.

Keep the party stress-free by minimally decorating for the party. Here, a largely neutral color scheme is dressed up with hints of blue in the pillows, votive candleholders, and glass ornaments.

The fireplace might technically be nonfunctional, but it still glows with a mass of pillar candles on the brick hearth. A pair of antique andirons gives it an authentic feel. The mirror above is draped with pepperberries and greens and crowned with blue teardrop ornaments.

White pearl beads nestled around a votive candle create a snowy effect.

Provide a song book with a mix of the standards and your own favorite Christmas tunes.

A key party-decorating point is to look for simple, inexpensive items that can boost your color scheme -- in this case, blueberry candy canes for the dessert table.

Getting everyone together to enjoy the sounds of the season is a reward in itself.