Posadas

The Washington National Opera Ball took over the ceremonial building at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in 2010. Event producer Sandi Hoffman of Sandi R. Hoffman Special Events transformed the lobby into a winter landscape with plush white carpets and white birch trees lining the hallway.

Ronald McDonald House Toronto hosted its annual holiday-time gala at the Carlu in December. McNabb Roick Events reflected the Holiday Chic: Sparkle theme in sequined table linens and the crystal candle holders that served as centerpieces.

For a winter-themed corporate party, design director Andrew Zill of Baltimore-based Feats Inc. created a snowy scene that included a glowing bar anchored by a crystal-flocked tree.

Centerpieces of white carnations designed by Feats Inc. evoked fluffy snowballs.

David Stark created an elegant but relatively inexpensive look for the Whitney Museum of American Art's annual gala in December by using hundreds of softly glowing candles.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary gala in November at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto, where planners created a wintery forest feel by lining the ballroom with living trees hung with candlelit lanterns.

Russell Harris Event Group produced a winter wonderland-themed party for Fox in 2010. The designers covered the patio at Los Angeles's Villa Sorriso in blue carpeting and hung LED tubes in the trees, creating an effect that simulated falling snow.

Zak Events wanted to showcase "winter whites" at the 11th annual June Briggs Awards held at the Pierre New York in January. The look included custom-built white leather tufted highboy cocktail tables topped with icy-looking glass vessels filled with candlelight.

The Out NYC's Great Lawn has been turned into a "Winter Wonderland" for the season. The area, which is available for group buyouts, includes an outdoor ice rink, wintery decor, a pine forest, hot tubs, and a menu of Alpine-inspired food and drinks such as chocolate fondue, cheese fondue, hot mulled wine, Mexican hot chocolate, and more.

MillerCoors celebrated the introduction of the Coors Light resealable aluminum pint can in 2010 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. The hotel's pool area was converted into a winter scene with fake snow, ice sculptures, and illuminated high-tops meant to resemble blocks of ice.

At the 2010 National Opera Ball, the winter theme continued into the courtyard, which featured fake snow falling from the rooftop and was designed as a tribute to the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Entertainers circled the snow-filled courtyard in inflated Zorbs.

For Toronto marketing company Capital C's annual holiday party in 2011, Apex Sound & Light projected 3-D mapped images of falling snow onto the venue's windows. Silver furniture added to the ice theme.

Capital C's creative director of live events, Mary Pallattella, created booths against the wall of the dance floor space for the company's holiday party. A video fireplace centered the booths.

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium held a Russian winter-themed gala in 2010. Heffernan Morgan designer John Hensel incorporated wintry touches into the decor, illuminating the pathway to the cocktail reception with snowflake-shaped gobos.

For a Regent Park School of Music fund-raiser held at the Carlu in Toronto in 2009, the event organizers at McNabb Roick Events draped panels of sheer white fabric and oversize snowflakes, stars, and icicles from the ceiling of the concert hall to give the space a wintry feel.

Before the presentation, the wall was washed in an icy blue light.

Red and green are the colors that immediately come to mind when thinking of holiday events, but they aren’t a requirement—in fact, event designers say they typically avoid pairing the two in an effort to avoid appearing to favor Christmas over Hanukkah. However, red—especially when paired with black and silver—continues to stay hot, as it evokes a feeling of holiday nostalgia. “Rich, deep shades of red will be big this holiday season, and touches of sparkle will stay strong,” says Jennifer Iovino at Peterson Party Center in Boston. “Industrial metallic, especially brass, is a look that will also be seen quite a bit.” Also trending: emerald green, Pantone’s 2013 color of the year. Or, opt for a subtler palette, mixing silvers and whites with shades of grey for a cool, wintery look. “For the holidays this year, I’m going to be keeping colors neutral,” Gorjestani says. “I’d leave out the red and opt for whites and muted winter tones.” Add in organic textures, and the color scheme lends itself to an updated twist on the ever-popular snowflakes-and-icicles winter wonderland theme. “To create a sort of Narnia-esque winter forest, pair an earthy color palette with burlap, branches, birchbark, and organic materials like wood and leaves,” Galley says. Pictured: A tabletop look designed by Boston’s EFD Creative, with a centerpiece by Jeri Solomon Floral Design and rentals from Peterson Party Center, shows off one of the season’s most popular color schemes: red, black, and silver.

Whitney Osterhout ad Ramzah Khan, graduate students at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, took inspiration from materials frequently used in construction, aluminum tape and chicken wire, to create their "Metaliicus Rosa" tree.

Camille Saum of Camille Saum Interior Design also repurposed everyday items and created ornaments with recycled Pepsi and Coca-Cola cans shaped as teddy bears, trains, Santa Claus faces, and reindeer.

Chocolate truffles inspired interior designer Darlene Molnar's paper tree crafted with green and glittery gold paper adorned with iridescent paper twisted to form abstract rolled truffles. Boxes of the chocolates, an added gift for the buyer of the tree, adorned the base.

André Wells of Events by André Wells paid homage to the song "Blue Christmas" with his tree. Multiple shades of blue bulb ornaments, plumes, peacock feathers, and glitter peace signs adorned the branches.

Syzygy Events pieced together panels of engraved routed Lucite to create an unconventional tree. Individual frames carved into the panels served to highlight the gold, white, and bronze ornaments and provide a space for them to move naturally within the rigid panels.

Interior designer Barry Dixon's Venetian Fantasy tree incorporated long strands of clear beads draped around its circumference, Venetian-style glass ornaments, and various shades of blue bulbs.

The Great Gatsby came to life in Edge Floral Event Designers' white, gold, and black tree. Bill Enright used glitter, black feathers, gold and silver ornaments, and sparkling white lights to capture the revelry from the 1920s in New York.

Designers Julia Walter and Brian Fell of Boffi-Maxalto Georgetown took inspiration from nature in Tuscany by incorporating warm gold hues and natural brown materials into its tree instead of traditional brightly colored red and green ornaments.

Elizabeth Krial Design's "Christmas Stories by the Fire" tree brought its theme to life with snow-covered branches, ornaments of reading glasses and owls, and books surrounding the base.