Have fun with bokeh
Take advantage of festive lights to enhance the mood of your close-ups
Approaching a small-scale setup in the same way that you would a portrait shoot is often a good rule of thumb. Consider using a longer focal length (something equivalent to around 85-100mm) to isolate the subject against a complementary background, and setting a larger aperture to reduce the depth of field. You can then selectively focus on the part of the subject that you want to be sharp, with the rest of the scene being rendered as a soft blur.