How To Set A Festive Christmas Table
How To Set A Festive Christmas Table
Whether you are a novice or expert, setting a festive Christmas table can be easy and fun. When I look at my Christmas table all set and decorated, it truly brings in the holiday spirit and warms the cockles of my heart. The thoughts of family and friends permeate throughout my mind and remind me of how truly blessed I am. What a wonderful life I have and the many blessings that have come my way.
As with any type of decorating, you want to have each room compliment each other. For instance, if your Christmas decorating is modern, you want to keep your Christmas Table Setting modern. As you walk into your Dining Room the character of the table should mimic your decorating taste. There are so many different products out there today that it can be difficult to choose but I know that you will find what you need to accomplish this.
Before you begin, let’s take a minute to go over the basics of table setting.
Keep in mind the following when planning to set your Christmas Table
How many guests are you having, what type of table – round, square or oblong, formal or casual? What type of mood are you looking to create? What do you need to accomplish your “look”?
Table Padding helps with the setting of your festive Christmas Table. Not only does the table padding protect your table finish from liquid spills, hot spots, scratches, dents and nicks it helps to absorb sound and gives the tablecloth a gentle flowing drape and prevents the tablecloth from sliding or pulling.
Table padding is made of felt and vinyl and the soft backing is safer for many modern finishes. Table padding comes in many sizes or can be cut to the size of your table or cut longer to include the drop or overhang. And there is always the option of having a custom made pad for your table.
Tablecloths come in standard sizes for square, round, oblong (rectangle) and oval. Need help figuring out what size and shape of tablecloth you need?
Do you know the difference between and oblong and oval tablecloth? Many time people confuse oblong with oval. An oblong tablecloth is designed to fit a rectangle table with square corners and an oval tablecloth fits an egg-shaped table.
Do you know how to figure out your tablecloth size?
Measure the width and length of your table. Add the overhang or drop, which is how long the tablecloth will hang over the side, typically the desired overhang is 10-12 to lap level on dining tables and 15 inches for banquet tables.
When you have these measurements, add the overhang times 2 to each measurement of your table. You don’t want the tablecloth to be too long. Your guests should be able to be able to sit and not have the tablecloth touch their legs, you don’t want anyone pulling that tablecloth!!
Example: If your table size is 30×72 inches and the desired drop is 10 inches you would figure it this way:
10 inch (drop size) X 2 would be 20 inches
Add the 30″ (from your table measurement) to the 20″ (doubled desired drop) = 50 inches
Add the 72″ (from your table measurement) to the 20″ (doubled desired drop) = 92 inches
The perfect cloth size for your table would be 50 X 92 inches. Since tablecloths come in standard sizes you would then select the size closest to those figures.
I have a rectangle table and start with a biege tablecloth, then I use a square green colored tablecloth laid down with the points showing at the mid point of the table, add a table runner and use a small corresponding table square. Layering Looks stunning!!!
I am a big fan of Table Runners, they just add a little something extra to your table setting and can be used to compliment your linens, china and decor. Table runners can also be used to hide a leaf in the table. Table runners are sometimes called “scarves” and are pieces of material that run lengthwise or across your table. Table runners can run within the dimensions of a table or extend into the overhang.
You can really go all out and decorate your chairs. There are many varieties of chair coverings or slipcovers that give your table an even more elegant look.
I use taffeta scarves or runners and tie them around the back of the chair with a big bow and place a flower in the middle of the bow. This creates a stunning and polished look at your festive Christmas table.
There are so many things that you can do with a napkin.
Napkins are a piece of material (made of cloth or paper) used to clean the lips or fingers and for protection of clothing. Napkins can be made of a variety of fabrics including cotton, linen, silk, and cotton/polyester blends. Cotton, Linen, and Silk napkins are typically used for more formal settings while cotton/polyester blends are used for casual everyday dining.
Turning a plain piece of cloth into an exotic swan for instance, brings back my many days in the catering business. Napkin folding can turn your table into an elegant work of art and it is an easy and fun task. Not into napkin folding, then napkin rings are the best thing. There are napkin rings for anyone budget and taste.
The Charger is making a big come back on tables. The charger makes a table look more elegant, whether serving dinner to your family or entertaining the guests.
Chargers are simply under plates that are used at each place setting of a formal table. The charger will be larger than the actual dinner and salad plates used to hold the food. The dinner plate is never placed on the charger. When you are shopping for chargers, place the salad plate or soup bowl, not the dinner plate, on the charger to see how it sizes and coordinates.
The charger should compliment the choices of china, silverware, and décor of the table setting. A charger may be used with or without placemats, depending on your table setting.
The use of the right charger can add a touch of elegance to the table. By coordinating the design of the table setting, the color choices, and the pattern used for the china, the charger will beautify other pieces and create a sense of an elegant and festive table setting.
I could go on forever about the different types, shapes, sizes and colors of Christmas Dishes, there are so many that are available to you. What it really boils down to is your taste and what you like. For me, I like clean lines and borders and have a set of Mikasa China that I use for all holiday’s, ivory dishes with a gold inlaid border. Plain and simple and I use chargers, tablecloths, napkins and decorations to bring in the color of the holiday.
Now on the other hand, many people have a set of Christmas Dishes and Tableware such as Spode, Lennox, Mikasa and the list goes on from the most expensive to the least expensive. It’s up to you, your budget and your taste.
Most sets of china come with some basic serving dishes and if you are like me over the years I have accumulated additional serving pieces for my china. Then there are the holiday serving pieces that we save over the years.
But for ease of serving and cleaning, I like to use Stoneware/CorningWare serving dishes, that can easily go from the oven to your table. Stoneware is attractive, microwave proof and even oven proof. Right from your oven to your table, eliminating extra dishes, pots and pans. Another reason you need table padding, to save your table from the heat of serving dishes.
Just as versatile as stoneware is Corning ware, both help eliminate extra chores on a busy Christmas Day and add beauty to your Christmas Table.
Most of us know how to set a table, but for those that need a little refresher here is an overview…
* Forks should go on the left and spoons and knives to the right of the plate
* An easy way to remember the correct order to place utensils is that they go in the order in which you use them; so the salad fork goes on the outside left while the larger fork used to eat the main course goes on the inside left. Turn the blade of all knifes so they face toward the plate, why well in midevil times the blade pointing out meant harm to the person next to you.
* If you are using chargers, place the salad plate and/or soup bowl on the charger.
* Place the side plate or bread and butter plate to the left of your place setting;
* Place the wineglass at the tip of the main-course knife. The water glass and any other glasses should be arranged in the order they will be used with the first one on the outside.
* The napkins can go under the knife and spoon or on the side plate. If you choose to use napkin holders or fancy folds, the napkin can go on top of the charger plate set up or even in the water glass for a more decorative and elegant place setting.
Truth be told…I leave the place cards to the kids, who have a great time trying figuring out who sits next to who. It’s a great touch to create and decorate place cards.
Place the cards either on the charger plate setup or better yet in attractive place card holders which are placed on the charger plate setup or directly on top of the charger plate setup.
Using place or name cards adds a finishing touch on your festive Christmas Table Setting.
What do you say about Glassware? There are so many styles and shapes that just can boggle the mind.
If you are using a Christmas pattern such as Spode, you most likely have the coordinating glassware. Most importantly, set a water glass, wine glass if you serve wine or alcohol and for the more adventurous, a stylish shot glass for the tradition after dinner sambuca with coffee beans.
Finally, for an extra special touch, you could leave a small gift at each place setting. If you shop around in dollar discount stores you can find all kinds of small gift items. Wrap them and use ribbon to give them a holiday look. You could even place the name cards in a frame for your guests to bring home. Opening the gifts will make a great conversation starter when everyone sits down at the table.
Decorating your table with a festive Centerpiece will give your table a festive Christmas feeling. Candlesticks are another great way to decorate your table and add a flair of elegance. You can also use candles and music to create the perfect festive Christmas setting.
The final and finishing touches create a festive Christmas Table Setting!
About the Author
Ann Cohen is a mom, wife, friend and caterer who love babies, “green”, decorating and holiday’s. Being able to entertain and decorate on a budget is important today and loves finding that “great deal.” To get some more tips on how to’s, green and saving money check out How To Set A Festive Christmas Table and browse her selection of how to’s.
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