to not have a Christmas Table worthy of Kirsty Allsop?

[autumnlights12]

On Facebook this morning. Several friends have uploaded their immaculately dressed dining tables, already ready for Xmas day. Best china. Best crystal. Best serving dishes and best cutlery. Fancy table feature with various twigs and candles. I have none of this. WIBU to rush out and panic buy perfect Crimbo table accessories from John Lewis? Or will my Tesco best non china suffice? Sob.... Facebook has once again made me feel deficient.

Already? They'll be all dusty and gross on the day

I'd rather have tesco plates that have been in the cupboard and are dust and animal hair free

Your friends need to get a life!

Yes, already. And they are show home perfect. Sob.

lol small house and loads of people going to be here christmas day they will get whatever plates i have and whatever mismatched cutlery i can find its about the family being togehter not how posh your table looks, and the people who have put out thier best china and wine glasses will probably worry about them getting broken

There is too much pressure to be perfect. Those people posting photos of their trees, tables, meals etc are just looking for praise. Sad life! Just enjoy your Christmas and be yourselves.

Pssst autumn do you want to spend your whole day stressing over potential broken dishes or getting very drunk and not caring if a small child knocks one over?

We do have linen tablecloth and napkins, silver napkin rings and candlesticks etc. but TBF, my parents use them every day! But there'll be additional adornment and the crystal will be used. Nice to make it look pretty! But it'll get laid tomorrow / Christmas Day morning.

Anyone who had time this past 4mths to gold fleck sodding pears deserve shooting. That's not something to be jealous of.

The family fat and happy laughing around ur own table is.

Rock on Christmas!

I wish I could like that post LaCiccolina!

On the day, no-one will care what they are eating off and with. Do you think DCs will look back when they're older and remember the beautifully laid table?
No - they will remember the warmth and joy and love around the table. That is much more important.

We haven't even got a table (no room for one) !! I could always gold-fleck our knees, I suppose.

stuff them.
My table will have a mixture of plates, non matching wine glasses and little ones a santa plate from poundland.
but I hope my guests will enjoy the meal and ambiance regardless

and dare i say a plastic measuring jug as a gravy boat as we love gravy and boat not big enough

Lol, giant plastic jug here too! Very Kirsty's homemade Xmas!

Unless you normally enjoy fussing about with homewares and decorations and stuff, I don't see why you need to start now. You're not deficient, you just don't happen to have the same hobbies as them.

We don't have any of that stuff (not even a dining table, we eat in the kitchen). I'm not sure I even know what crystal is in this context. Who cares as long as you and your family have a nice day.

another good reason for not taking part in facebook.

i don't even have a table...

YABU. I would ditch hide these friends

What has happened to Christmas? :( Remember the 70s? The paper tablecloth? The mismatched plates and uneven chairs? The separate camping table in the corner for the children?

Our one and only dining table is in the kitchen. I'm not sure where we'd eat for the next 48 hours if I laid it got Christmas lunch now.

oh yes Ariel i remember those Christmas' very fondly

Mines covered in the chaos caused by DH putting marzipan and fondant on the cake.

And yesterday's mince pie. So icing sugar, flour, rolling pin, cutters and very heavy granite board.

i know what you mean and have friends like that. I must admit to have wished i had bought some christmas placemats as mine are nice but not christmasy. They had some in £1 land but they were cloth and wide. I have christmas plates for 6 from years ago bought by my mum which i will use.

May use nice china but will be mismatched and the decent cutlery.

I do like all the christmas stuff but it seems a waste if it is only used at that time. White is a good idea.

my home isn't a show home. wish it was sob.

When I was young we did used to make a real effort for getting the table looking special for Xmas dinner - the good china, silver cutlery (inherited from mother's mother), linen table cloth & napkins (ditto), matching wine glasses etc.

BUT - the china, cutlery etc would be dug out of storage on Xmas morning, the linen a couple of days before (so we could wash the "storage" mustiness out). The table would be laid a couple of hours before the dinner as we were lucky enough to have a separate dining room which was only used for eating on special occasions. We preferred it that way, as we didn't have presents except the stockings until after the dinner so weren't all busy with those, and laying the table was all part of the build up on the day itself.

Clearly these people on Facebook a) have separate dining rooms plus space to eat meals elsewhere b) have acres & acres of storage to put all this "just for Christmas" tableware & decorations and c) are trying to show off. Also, I'm with Dozyduck on the insanitaryness of laying the table days in advance!

Well, if I set my table now I'd have the cat sleeping on it for the next day and a half!

Christmas isn't a competition and I hate it when people show off about their Christmasses. OP just use your tesco plates or whatever, stick a candle in a jar as a centrepiece and enjoy your day with your nearest and dearest.

That's just stupid and far too early.

I do have a lovely decoarted Christmas table but that's because I am very anal and I can't bare to have things that don't match.

I can't wait to get out new serving bowls ect.

Christmas isn't a competition

That's it in a nutshell.