Christmas with a bang.

The first laugh at a Christmas lunch often comes before the food arrives. Someone pulls a cracker, reads the joke aloud and puts on a paper crown. At a winter market, a hot chocolate in a Christmas cup can prompt a different question: “Where did you get that?” Think about where your customers will be when they notice those details, then choose the ones that suit your service.

Pull a cracker

Try a single place setting under the lights your guests will see. Lay a red or green Splendid Star cracker across a folded napkin for a lively Christmas lunch. For an evening booking, try a gold Snowflake cracker against a black napkin. Silver and red Snowflake designs give you other ways to pick up the colours already in the room. Take a quick photo of the setting you like so everyone laying tables can copy it.

Set the scene

A red napkin under a mince pie looks festive and catches the pastry flakes. Set a stack at the cake counter and use the same shade at your tables. Purple Planet Packaging’s Christmas range includes red, green and black paper napkins, plus gold and silver for party settings. Plain colours are handy if you have some left in January: a green napkin still looks at home beside a café lunch.

Pour some cheer

If most of your customers take their drinks away, the cup is the bit of Christmas they carry with them. Planetware’s double wall cups feature an illustrated Christmas tree; Vegware’s Christmas Market cups offer another festive design. Choose the size you already serve, check which lid fits and keep the two together at the drinks station.

When you plan your order, use confirmed covers to count crackers, include counter service when estimating napkins, and use your usual hot drinks sales to guide cup orders. NCASS members can ask Purple Planet Packaging to apply their 10% member discount to their account.