The holiday season is the prime time for entertaining: no more so than the main event, otherwise known as, Christmas dinner!
It’s the ultimate social gathering and the perfect opportunity to get creative with your hosting skills. What better a place to start than the focal point of the festivities, the Christmas table?
Whether you’re serving up a formal or casual feast, the Christmas table is the ideal way to present something spectacular to your guests. With endless opportunities for dazzling centerpieces, quirky place cards and even funky napkins, you can create something irresistibly Pinterest-worthy to wow your loved ones in no time at all.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve put together our top tips on how to make your holiday table sparkle, with ideas that are sure to delight and impress.
Themes
Themes are a great way to add a sense of consistency to your table decor, as a well as an easy way to really emphasise the festive atmosphere.
You can choose to have the table theme correlate directly with your home decoration (for example, if you’ve gone with a specific colour), or you can make it really stand out by designing it as a totally unique entity of its own.
Once you settle on a theme, you can use it to guide all of your décor decisions.
A few of our favourites include:
Rustic Chic
(photo credit: dish.allrecipes.com)
Recreate the tones of a cosy cabin with warm wooden accents, fresh evergreens and splashes of red and green. Beautiful pillar candles help to emphasise the homely atmosphere and evoke a welcoming family feel, while earthy table runners add a subtle but stylish touch.
Winter Wonderland
(photo credit: celebrationsathomeblog.com)
You can create your own Winter Wonderland tablescape with sweet woodland features in shades of silver and white. Festive animals, shimmering baubles and classic candles all combine to create a magical vibe, with dustings of fake snow being the cherry on top of the (Christmas) cake!
All In White
(photo credit: goodhousekeeping.com)
Some things just never go out of style! An all in white theme is the height of simplicity and elegance. Match everything from the crispest white napkin to the purest floral centerpieces for a look that could be straight out of Vogue.
Sparkles
(photo credit: stylemepretty.com)
Get glamorous with a sparkle inspired theme! Bring together silvers and golds for a tablescape that really encapsulates the party spirit. Sure to get people in the festive mood, you’ll have so much fun sprinkling the holiday glitter with this playful but beautiful theme.
Centerpieces
A well-executed centerpiece has the power to transform your tablescape and makes a beautiful addition to your festive decor.
It can range from something as simple as a few well placed Christmas baubles to an extravagant attention grabbing scene straight out of a winter fairytale.
You want your centerpiece to be a striking example of your overall theme, so be sure to use it for inspiration.
And remember: whatever you decide, don’t overdo it! Less is more, and some of the simplest centrepieces can be the most effective. Outdoor elements are a foolproof choice, with flower arrangements, evergreens and woodland ornaments (such as pine cones and intricately bound twigs) always sure to make a pleasing addition to the table. Candles help to set the scene, whilst holiday themed figurines add a playful touch.
Don’t be afraid to add your own mark to a readymade centerpiece either: something as easy as painting a pine cone silver to match your sparkles theme or tying a plaid bow around a flower vase can make all the difference.
Some of our top Pinterest picks include:
(photo credit: lovefrenchbulldogs.tumblr.com)
(photo credit: byzenz.nl)
(photo credit: thesweetestoccasion.com)
(photo credit: midwestliving.com)
Place Names
Place names are a fun way to add a personal touch to the dinner table: plus, they’re the easiest thing to handmake if you fancy yourself as a crafty type!
They can be as straightforward as a cursive handwritten card balanced in a beautifully folded napkin or as complicated as a polaroid photo of your guest attached to a rosemary wreath… just let your imagination run free!
As always, tie your place names in with your overall theme. If you’re going for an all white theme, a simple scroll resting on a guest’s plate would be pretty. For those that prefer a rustic atmosphere, why not create a mini Christmas tree with a piece of firewood (as a name base) and a branch of greenery?
Now is the time to let out your creative side! Be inspired by these gorgeous examples:
(photo credit: alicreates.wordpress.com)
(photo credit: apracticalwedding.com)
(photo credit: buzzfeed.com)
(photo credit: sayyes.com)
(photo credit: somethingturquoise.com)
A Little Something Extra
But why stop there? There are countless ways you can add even more festive joy to your dinner table!
Why not experiment with…
Napkin Design
(photo credit: werannas.blogspot.fi)
(photo credit: buzzfeed.com)
Chair Decoration
(photo credit: sophiasdecor.blogspot.com)
(photo credit: guiademanualidades.com)
Placemats
(photo credit: dearlillieblog.blogspot.com)
Cutlery Holders
(photo credit: modwedding.com)
(photo credit: homestoriesatoz.com)
And above all, remember to have fun with your tablescaping – avoid stress by preparing as much in advance as possible and take pride in your special creation.
We’d love to see your table scapes this Christmas! Please tag your table on Instagram or Facebook with #mywinningchristmas and we’ll share our favourites!
