Holiday Table-Setting Tips and Tricks
Image via Digs Digs
Recipe plan, check. Grocery List, check. Guest list, check. Table setting pinboard, check. You’ve done all the prep work for your Christmas dinner, now it’s time to put it all into action.
You’ve promised yourself that this year, your table isn’t going to be the same humdrum dish arrangement as last year, the year before, and well, ten years before that. It’s time to shake things up a bit, but you don’t want to go overboard or spend too much time—or money—to get it right.
As you are planning your holiday tablescape, keep these suggestions in mind.
1. Set one table.
Image via Daily Mail.
Yes, we are telling you to abandon the concept of the kids’ table. And let us tell you why (and how). When you set out to arrange a kids’ table and an adult table, that means you have to do two times the work. You have to come up with two different themes, plans, sets of dishes—you get what we’re saying. By setting one big tableau for everyone to share, you can hone in on your aesthetic and take advantage of efficiency. But how do you satisfy both the adult sophistication and the youthful fun? Here are three examples that work for a 5- and 75-year-old.
This glittered steer is playful, yet elegant. If you can print names using an elegant font, even better.
Image via Front + Main, the West Elm Blog
Mother Nature is ageless, isn’t she? You can get the kids involved in foraging for the table decor by sending them outside to collect sticks and greenery.
Image via Apartment Therapy.
Who doesn’t love color? These tables would put anyone, young or old, in a festive Christmas mood! Colorful pillar candles and Christmas balls are really all you need to make this happen.
Image via The Design File
2. Let the napkin do the work.
If you really want to keep it simple, affordable, and quick, let the napkin take the wheel at your Christmas table. Especially if you are planning to have the food in the center of the table, putting the design focus on the napkin keeps the main real estate clear yet still has your table looking designed and considered. If the center looks painfully bare, you can start with a few big arrangements and then move them away when the guests are seated. Here are a few simple napkin tricks that are quick, easy, and bold.
Use bright napkins to make these cute elf hats (the thicker the napkin, the better). You can find folding directions by watching this video.
Image via Good Housekeeping
If you have a big bunch showing up for your Christmas feast (and there’s no doubt you do), pull together a random assortment of napkins resting on simple white plates. When you take the mismatched look far enough, it looks intentional and not messy.
Image via A Field Journal
Borrow baubles from the tree or in-tact bulbs from that broken strand of lights and tie them around the napkins. For an extra touch, write your guests’ names with a gold Sharpie.
Image via A Taste of Home
3. Don’t fight your style.
Image via Good Housekeeping
You may have pinned that super modern black and white tablescape, but to make it work, you are going to have to start from scratch. Big no-no.
Think about your Christmas place settings like this: something old, something new, something borrowed, something glued. Use something you have, buy one thing new, borrow from another area in your house, and get crafty! By using what you own, you will stick with a look that is familiar and attainable.
Something Old…use your grandmother’s wine glasses.
Image via A Coastal Bride
Something new…treat yourself and add something unexpected. For the right home, these Gilded Dapper Animal plates from West Elm ($8 each) would look great under a slice of bûche de Noël.
Image via West Elm.
Something borrowed…use your son or daughter’s sheet music as placemats!
Image via Pure Inspiration
Something glued…in other words, get crafty! These peppermint trees are so simple to make!
Image via BHG
4. Make it comfy.
In all this preparation to make it work (as Tim Gunn would say), you might have forgotten that guests need to sit happily for an hour or so.
Test out your table by sitting in the seats before the guests arrive. Since you’ve most likely added chairs around the table, make sure they are spaced far enough apart. Can your guests get in and out easily? Is there elbow room, sufficient for proper ham cutting?
Image via Decorating Files.
5. Think 360.
Image via Apartment 34
Before everyone descends, be sure to take a lap around the table. Make certain your centerpiece works from all sides (after all, it’s not a photo shoot with only one camera angle) and check that the backs of your place cards aren’t covered in hot glue blobs.
Now take just a step back and admire a job well done!
