The traditional holiday colors of silver, blue and white will sparkle in a room with lots of candlelight. Pottery Barn stylist Jeffrey Moss has beautiful tips for how to merge traditional elements with modern touches to make the party shine even brighter.

The menu for a Hanukkah party should be just as festive as the decor. Foods cooked in oil represent the oil found in the Temple of Jerusalem. So traditional dishes like fried latkes, braised brisket and sufganiyot (jelly–filled donuts) are as symbolic as they are delicious. The menu for our Hanukkah Party was created by Evan Bloom, co–owner of San Francisco's Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. Like the food that has earned the restaurant a cult following, the dishes are deeply rooted in tradition while drawing on seasonal and sustainable ingredients. And many of these foods any can be prepared in advance, giving you plenty of time to light the menorah, raise a glass of kosher wine, and relax and enjoy a fabulous party.

To create a simple yet striking centerpiece, Moss wrapped a trio of tall, slender Bosphorous Vases with thick paper in tonal shades of blue. Each sheet is pierced with cutouts that form a pattern, and when a lit candle is placed inside the vase, the design seems to glow.

At each place setting, Pottery Barn stylist Jeffrey Moss placed a Silver Gilt Charger under a Great White Dinner Plate and Salad Plate with a Hanukkah Tree of Life dessert plate on top. Glass Beaded Chargers were used as platters due to their generous size and elegant detailing, along with a Hanukkah Tree of Life Platter. Whimsical silver Dreidel Salt & Pepper Shakers and Napkin Rings with tiny menorah place card holders put the finishing, glittering touch on the holiday table. "I wanted to create the sense that this meal is going to be an occasion, with guests enjoying multiple courses while talking and laughing together for hours," Jeffrey said.

As a sweet memento of the evening, give each guest a jelly donut to take home. To make this parting gift special, Moss presents the donut in a cellophane bag that is labeled with each guest's name and secured with a pale–blue ribbon. A piece of tempura paper placed inside the bag absorbs any excess oil.

Timeline

2 Weeks Out

Do some research about the best places to get the ingredients you need for your Hanukkah dinner. For the best quality, buy your brisket from a butcher rather than a supermarket. A farmers market is the ideal place to shop for items like beet greens, lettuce and celery root.

1 Week Out

Create a plan for preparing the meal, including a comprehensive shopping list, as well as a list of all the tasks you need to accomplish and when each needs to be complete.

3 Days Out

Prepare your brisket. Brisket is one of the few dishes that actually tastes better several days after it has been cooked.

Prepare your applesauce.

Day Before

Prepare the dough for the jelly donuts. After cutting the dough into circles, store it in the refrigerator until the party day.

Day Of

Measure and chop the vegetables for all of your dishes at the same time. Store them in covered bowls.

Slice the brisket while it's still cold and reheat in the oven at a low temperature in juices that have been skimmed of their fat.

Prepare the potato latkes and drain on paper towels.

Make the dressing for the salad and refrigerate.

Blanch the beet greens and set aside.

Just Before Serving Dinner

Reheat the potato latkes in a 500° oven.

Assemble the salad.

Sauté the beet greens.

Remove the donut dough from the refrigerator and let it sit out until close to room temperature.

After the Dinner Plates are Cleared

Deep fry the donuts and fill with jam. Serve while still hot.