An Impromptu Holiday Table for Two

On the spur of the moment we decided not to cook dinner but instead order from one of our favorite restaurants. We had just begun getting the Christmas decor out and didn't want to break our stride so I only had a few minutes to pull together a table for the two of us. 

    

I hadn't had the chance

A Playful Table Setting for Christmas

Welcome! Today I'm excited to join a Christmas Tablescape Blog Hop organized by the amazing Rita of Panoply. She has gathered eighteen of us to share our ideas for festive tables perfect for celebrating the holiday season! You're sure to enjoy the wonderful inspiration you will find in all of the tables — their info is listed at the end of the post.

 

I especially enjoy setting holiday tables in all their variety! Awash in color, they bring joy to family and friends and are a delight to style. This year I decided to embrace the playful side of Christmas with a table that I hope will bring you smiles.

 

The table begins with one of my favorite holiday tablecloths,

How to Style a Centerpiece for Your Holiday Tables

Wreaths and trees have been put up and decorated in holiday themes. Packages have been been wrapped and tied up with pretty ribbons. Menus have been decided upon and china and glassware chosen for the festive meals. All that's left to be done is to set the table! Whether much-loved dishes and glasses will be used or new ones delightedly chosen, your holiday table will need a focal point — a centerpiece! But how do you design a centerpiece? You can use the centerpiece you've used every year, or you can create something that's new and fabulous! I've gathered examples to show you how to style one for your table, using what you already have.   

Plaid Patterns for a Warm and Cozy Christmas Table

Now that December is here, it's time to set tables with pretty china, shimmering glassware, and the glow of metals! All given depth with black accents and the warmth of brightly colored fabrics. I admit to liking all of these all year long! But especially during the Christmas season these are some of the things that heighten anticipation and joy.

  

I've joined a Christmas Tablescape Blog Hop

Set a Transitional Table for Christmas through January

How do you set a transitional table that can be enjoyed both during the Christmas holidays and throughout the month of January? I started with traditional red with a large dose of green. I used table linens in a rich green in a shade between forest and pine. They have woven holly leaves in a slightly different tone with a sheen to the weave.

Dreaming of a White (and Blue) Christmas

Welcome to my dream of a white (and blue) Christmas!

I thought I'd set a table sprinkled with snow, featuring blue tones inspired by a Santa and two of his reindeer dressed in navy blue.

Cozy, Bright and Classic — A Holiday Table

It's early December — time for making lists, decorating homes, planning celebrations and having visions of sugarplums dance in our heads! For me December always includes setting holiday tables! Even before a single tree is put up, or garlands, wreaths, ornaments and figurines are unpacked, the dining room is decked out for Christmas.

 

  

Casually Festive Holiday Table

Hello and welcome! I've set a holiday table for you that is casual, but that doesn't mean there won't be festive touches! 

  

Snowy Holiday Scenes for an Entry Tray

One of the simplest ways to decorate for the Christmas season is is to gather holiday items and place them together on a tray. This is also my favorite way to showcase smaller objects that might be overlooked if scattered across the room.

   

 

Christmas Dining — The New Traditional

Tables set with beautiful china, sparkling crystal and gleaming metals are right at home for Christmas dinner! Today I want to share a Christmas table done in a New Traditional style — classic and timeless, mixed with modern clean lines. 

I love all types of design, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern to global contemporary, with a liberal dose of Sheraton traditional thrown in! New Traditional gives me freedom to mix finishes and periods, with a personal feel that adds excitement.

  

Christmas in Red and Gold

We have traditionally celebrated Christmas Eve with a wonderful dinner, served on a lovely table set with fine china and elegant crystal. Although our traditions and most of yours have been upended this year, I see no reason to discontinue doing the things that bring joy and comfort during the holiday season.

So with my daughter's help, I've set our table with tradition in mind, but with modern elements that particularly appealed to her. Smaller yet intimate in the twilight, you're invited to join us at the table!

Hot Chocolate for Christmas

I have been admiring all the Christmas decor I've been seeing. I haven't gotten far decorating our house; in fact I've only managed to design a spot for serving hot chocolate on the kitchen island. 

 

 

Christmas Vignettes

At last I think we're ready for Christmas, counting down the hours until the celebration begins. The house has been decorated, the presents wrapped, the grocery shopping done. And best of all we've picked up Daughter J from the airport! I can't imagine a better Christmas present!

Enjoying a quiet evening, I thought I'd share a few of the decorating themes and vignettes around our house.

I have been having fun decorating our new kitchen and especially the island. (I owe you a post or two about the kitchen renovation. I haven't forgotten, I promise!)  We purchased a small tree with multi-colored lights and hung sweets and desserts-themed ornaments. Next to it is an irresistible gingerbread house cookie jar and gingerbread tea towels serve as a tree skirt.

Christmas Grenadiers

With Christmas less than a week away, I've decided on a table setting for the dinner we will have Christmas Eve. Celebrating Christmas Eve with a formal dinner is a tradition that my parents started when I was child, and which Greg and I have happily continued. Christmas Eve dinners are merry and cozy, bright with glitter and glam!

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.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Do you find yourself humming Christmas songs at moments throughout the day? Have you tuned out most of the shopping music in the stores only to find that you're actually listening to that song? Is there a special song that immediately transports you to Christmases past?

For me that song is 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', one of the three or four songs that takes me back to the girl sitting on the floor of the living room wrapping presents, trying to be creative, and realizing that making bows was not her forte!

𝆕 On the twelfth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me 𝅘𝅥𝅯

Twelve drummers drumming

Christmastime Accented with Red

I've set another holiday table in what we call the 'game room' (because it's perfect for board games and card games) or the 'garden room' (because it opens onto the lower patio by the pond). I would rather have set it in the dining room, a room that lends itself to larger displays and elegant settings. But I couldn't because we are in the midst of renovating the kitchen. The rooms on the first floor are shrouded in plastic and the dining room table is covered with the stuff you normally stash in the kitchen. The renovation was supposed to begin in September, but it was the first week of November before it did. We can't get to where we store the decorations so haven't been able to decorate the house for Christmas. Ah, well...

Twelve Drummers Drumming...

December is here and with it the Christmas season! For my first holiday table this year I continued with the twelve days of Christmas, ending of course with twelve drummers drumming. 

A Stroll through Christmas Villages, Part 2

Thank you for joining me for the second part of a stroll through our Christmas villages!  If you haven't been to Mistletoe Park, visitors are welcome to Part 1.

In contrast to our other village, this one has a small town/Americana feel. Each house and building has a distinct style and color palette.

A Stroll through Christmas Villages, Part 1

There's something calm and peaceful, and a bit romantic, about the villages that many of us build at Christmastime. I thought perhaps you would enjoy a stroll through ours.