How To Lay The Perfect Christmas Dinner Table
There is no downplaying how special a Christmas dinner is for almost everyone in the world but after so many years of preparing the same meal on the same day, you might feel like it’s time for a fresh take on this merry event. Since failing to invite certain guests is probably not on the cards and replacing those 80’s classic Christmas songs with Justin Bieber hits isn’t really an option you could perhaps try re-designing your table decorations. Here is our simple guide on how to lay the perfect Christmas table and add a show stopping statement to your dining area.
Give Yourself Time
Make sure that you have all the decorations and utensils prepared before the big day to avoid any last-minute stress of hunting down the missing serving spoon or finding out that all your glasses are watermarked. Gather your decorations at least a week before and try to set the table on Christmas eve, this will help you feel more relaxed if guests begin to arrive early on Christmas day. Hopefully by the time they show up, all you’ll need to worry about is pouring that first round of drinks rather than any last-minute setting up.
Choose A Theme
Just like all Christmas decorating, having a theme will make life a lot easier and make your table look loads chicer. Perhaps you can match your table decorations to another theme in your house, such as your Jack Frost themed Christmas tree to keep consistency or match them to your party dress to become the hostess with the mostest. There’s no rules with what theme it should be but just try and have one so that you know what decorations to buy and which colours they should be in.
Layer Up
To create the most dramatic look, layer up your table decorations by starting with a festive tablecloth which will act as the base for your masterpiece as well as protecting your table from any stray sprouts and wobbly wine glasses. Then add place mats in contrasting colours or skip this step completely and reach for vibrant charger plates instead, or use both, depending on how dramatic you want the table to look. Then, top the place mat or charger plate with a dinner plate and starter plate, or dish, and finally, decorate with a neat napkin and Christmas cracker. If you wanted, you could also add name cards on top or to the side for a more organised table arrangement or let your guests play musical chairs when they arrive and leave seating arrangements to them.
The same layering principle applies to the cutlery which should be lined up either side of the plate and traditionally with the first course cutlery being the furthest away from the place setting, although unless you treat your home like a fine-dining restaurant, there’s no need to be tied to these rules.
Make A Showstopping Centrepiece
A centrepiece can be a great way to integrate all your table décor into one showstopping piece, however, this doesn’t come without challenges since you’ll often need a lot of room for all those serving dishes and condiments. In this case, your centrepiece can run the whole length of the table to fit around your equipment. Scatter tealights, confetti, beads, battery operated lights and whatever else you can think of along a table runner to bring your design to life and taking up minimal space! Those of you with tables large enough to accommodate the whole street for dinner can really go mad with the centrepiece and incorporate plant life, towering candelabras or bauble displays to integrate your theme together. Just bear in mind that people might want to see each others faces…
It shouldn’t take a lot to make the perfect dinner table, especially when you follow this guide and never forget the golden rule, preparation is key. New table décor might be just the refresher your home needs to mix-up your usual Christmas look so give it a go this year and have a different setting for all the great memories you’ll be capturing.