A Christmas Table That's Casually Festive

One of the fun things about the holiday season is the opportunity to host or attend a variety of events. This week I decided to set a table that's both casual and festive, and just right for a lunch with friends!

The dishes I chose have a fun octagonal shape outlined in green.

The four salad plates tell the story of St. Nick.

Check the view through the window!

And who wouldn't love a sleigh ride through town?

Stepping back, you can see that the table is decorated in traditional green and red, with doses of white to keep things casual. I've also added some holiday greens and berries around the teapot on the chest in the background.

Red velveteen ribbons hold doubled napkins of white and red. Holly and berry picks were tucked into the ribbons.

Leaves and berries are scattered on the tablecloth and in the center is a Christmas cactus which has begun to bloom (in red of course!). Next to the cactus are festive peppermint-striped candles.

I've collected a number of recipes for holiday drinks and I thought it would be fun to use the balloon wine glasses for them. They're a gorgeous shade of red, which is why I bought them off eBay. I apparently glossed over what size they were, lol!

The salt and pepper shakers echo the design of the candles.

I love all the blues that appear in the salad plates! I found these on eBay, to go with. . .

the dinner plates, which feature toys grouped beneath a Christmas tree. Greg inherited the dinner plates from his grandmother. I treasure the holiday dinners we enjoyed at her house. I used the dinner plates for the first time on last year's table.

These look good enough to eat!

I liked how the sun burst through the clouds in the midst of the photos.

Jake waited patiently for me to finish. Surely all those plates have goodies on them!

Casual and festive — and easily put together in a busy holiday season!

Table resources
Plates | Nikko 'Christmastime'
Wine glasses | Waterford Marquis 'Vintage'
Napkins | Williams-Sonoma