Holiday Entertaining Tips From the Party Planner to Presidents

FOR A MAN who grew up on an Arkansas farm, Bronson van Wyck—an event planner whose clients range from Beyoncé to both Presidents Bush—sure knows how to party urbanely. Recently tapped to transform the Rainbow Room’s Bar SixtyFive at Rockefeller Center for the holidays, Mr. van Wyck is planning a tree trimmed with hundreds of Swarovski crystal ornaments and thousands of twinkling lights. Now a New Yorker, Mr. van Wyck said his entertaining skills took root when he was a child living “two hours away from anything,” spending Christmas Eve dinner at his grandmother’s home which was handsomely trimmed with magnolia-leaf garlands....