This post is part of my 10 Week Christmas Planning Series. Click here to read more posts – Christmas Planning 2014. It is written by Maxabella Loves and it is chock full of simple but very cute ideas on how you can jazz up the dining table for Christmas day.
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When we have people over for a meal I always know what my table setting is going to look like before I even think about the food and drinks (or even inviting anyone over, now that I think about it!).
I am obsessed with making parties look joyous, no matter how big or small the occasion. I mean, food is nice, but we eat something every day. How often do we get to bring a little sparkle and cheer to our homes through some festive decorating?
If you usually go to a bit of decorating trouble at Christmas, this post full of inspiring ideas will be just your thing. And if you claim that decorating just isn’t your thing, I hope you’ll find a few simple ideas to try out at your place this year. I promise that adding a little something to the party table will make your Christmas extra-special.
Rustic
This lovely a low-key, natural setting above was created by Emily from The Beetle Shack for next to nothing. This kind of festive scene is very calming, which might be helpful if you have small children gone rogue on sugar pilfered from their Santa sacks…
It’s easy to put together a natural, rustic theme for your table:
Gather bunches of foliage from the garden (any kind looks lovely en masse) and add some other found natural objects like pine cones, berries, nut shells and seed pods scattered along the centre of the table.
Buy some cheap hessian from your local fabric shop and cut it to create a runner for the centre of the table (it’s a bit scratchy to use as a whole table cloth).
Even if it’s daytime, add some candles by popping a few tea lights into clean jars. Don’t worry if the jars don’t match. You can add a ribbon around the top of the jar if you would like to make them match and to add some colour.
Use simple twine to tie rolled napkins, thread through a Christmas gift tag if you want to allocate places to everyone (or just add a little Christmas flair).
For a fragrant touch that smells just like Christmas should, you can also tie sticks of cinnamon together with twine and add your place card to the bunch.
Traditional
For an easy traditional Christmas setting, you can’t go past your own Christmas tree for inspiration:
Keep some ornaments off the tree to put into a big glass bowl in the centre of your table.
Use a small ornament to wrap around a rolled napkin at each place setting.
You can buy a tiny Christmas tree for not many pennies at the $2 shop. These make a sweet little table centrepiece, especially if you add some battery operated lights or even tiny ornaments.
If you have a live Christmas tree, cut some sprigs from an inconspicuous place at the back to pop into pretty vases for the centre of the table.
A plain white table cloth is perfect for showcasing red, white, silver or gold decorations. If you have multiple tables and don’t want to spring for lots of tablecloths, buy some cheap, single-bed flat sheets instead.
Crafty
The kids will be honoured to decorate the table this year. Guide them in their crafting, or simply let them create their own vision. Either way, a homemade table will bring the true spirit of Christmas to your day.
Cover a hula hoop with fake ivy or real foliage from the garden. Hang homemade ornaments, tags and baubles and suspend the hoop above your dinner table. If you have a pendant light above the table, forget the hoop and simply hang your ornaments from the light.
Lay down some sheets of plain white paper (butcher’s paper is great) and ask the kids to draw a beautiful Christmas scene. Sure beats a boring table cloth.
The kids will enjoy making a Christmas gift to leave at each guest’s place setting. Try one of these crafts for inspiration, or hit up Pinterest for ideas galore:
Nothing gets a party into full swing faster than a party hat. The kids will love making these cute Christmas tree hats for each guest.
Whatever kind of Christmas day you are planning, I hope you take the time to make your table as special as you can. A beautiful setting helps create a beautiful day.
What Christmas theme are you planning this year?
Maxabella firmly believes in balance: chocolate in, chips out; exercise good, early mornings bad. She keeps a neat house but only wears clothes that don’t require ironing. Writing about fitting good parenting into a lovely life is her favourite topic, mostly because in cyberspace you cannot see eyes roll. She blogs from the heart at Maxabella Loves.
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Maxabella also has wonderful ideas on how to keep kids entertained over the school holidays. Check out these fab posts from her blog:
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