How do you decorate your table for Xmas Day lunch/dinner?

[OhCobblers]

i've got a red and gold selection that i've used for the last 5 years but am a tad bored with it.

how do you decorate yours? any ideas for something new??

i have a plain black tablecloth, then a smaller, patterned white one over the top. this year the centre will be a silver tray containing a big pillar candle surrounded by pine cones, some sprayed silver, and some sprayed with fake snow. plain white dishes, silver and black crackers.

I used to do it tastefully but then dd came along... she likes bling!!

used to be white and gold with one of the wee Thornotons individual Xmas chocolate puddings or robins at each plate with a 'nice' cracker and some lovely wee tabel decs. Now we have homemade placecards, decorationsand hats to go with the paperchains, sequins, racing sprouts crackers etc etc etc

We have a gold runner across the centre of the table, gold chargers, and gold glass coasters. No tablecloth. Then there are gold or red crackers, the best cutlery and the white china. There is some sort of festive floral creation which changes each year.

What about using red things and adding white or silver or both? Or some green? Or keep the gold and add in silver and pewter, or gold and green? Or go for broke and get new things and sell the others in the local paper if they are in good condition.

Red, white and silver here. Just bought Nordic red and white crackers, have red and white napkins, going to tie them with these Chrsitmas pudding charms that I am always too terrified to put in the pud.

JL have some gorgeous red tumblers that I am coveting, would be brill for mulled wine etc, but they are a bit toppy atm. Will hopefully buy some in the post Xmas sale for next year......

I also fill a big silver bucket/vase thing with greenery from the garden incl holly and then hang weeny red matt baubles off it. It sounds awfully naff, but it actually looks vair tasteful.

oops charms

We put a line of tables all through the dining room and into the hall and cover them in purple cloths sprinkled (by the dc) with gold glitter. Then all down the middle is a really long battery operated train track with the condiments (robins) in the trucks. They can go up and down the table and stop at each setting as required. Every plate (gold and purple striped) has a purple cracker, a Christmas animal hat (like a reindeer or a dwarf) made by my grandfather and a carved wooden glass holder (ditto). The glasses are 10" flutes with a gold design.

Because the table is so long we have six centrepieces, all different, all christmas story themed, so one is a manger scene, one has Mary on the donkey, one has a lot of sheep with a star above etc. Each chair is covered in gold and purple fabric and a small tree on a long ploe is attached to the back of each that is hung with tiny gifts for the guest in that particular chair.

It's really lovely!!

Blimey Hully, how many guests do you have?

Usually upwards of forty.

We have carollers too, they come in for the port bit.

Pmsl at hully

Why?!

with lots of food and a tablecloth, plus napkins and a few crackers...but LOTS of food..

For the leg pulling

Not here, chum.

Really? Where do you get your carollers from on Xmas day then? The homeless shelter?

Er, yes. Round our way the Crisis at Christmas team get a bunch together and go out singing for jollity and fundraising (and a few mince pies round ours)

Well forgive my error then apologies all round

Sallright. I made it all up. hehehehe

Hully you always make me smile . It all sounds lovely dear.

Well for the last 3 or 4 years it has been cream crockery with red and gold accessories at my parents. But this year for the first time ever it is just DH, DS and me. I am not sure yet what to do. Maybe red and white and silver.

On a more serious note...

where is the green, people?

I knew it

But no one would dare risk the homeless bit being true..hehehe

Actually have just remembered our wedding present china is white with green and gold. So that will be my theme. Have a gold table runner too.

Mistletoe green is apparently de rigueur this year

Napkins from Designers Guild etc. Ho hum.

We were red and gold but this year I am ditching the red and using purple eg purple cyclamens and pansies.

Inspired by Hully I am wondering if I can affix condiments to scaletrix...

worm - have you seen these?