Christmas table settings

[Listzilla]

I'm terrible at setting the table, I never seem to remember to plan it in advance so I just chuck whatever comes to hand at it and it looks awful, cheap and nasty and just not right.

How do I do it properly? I suppose I want to get the bones of it so right that I can just change it slightly every year if I want to and it'll still look great; I don't want to be buying new stuff every year.

I think, start with the base, tablecloth or not. Then decide if you want a runner, these can be used on top of a cloth or on the table surface itself. Cloth place mats if not using a tablecloth.

After this, think about place settings; heat resistant mats, or charger plates. Coasters to protect the table surface, cutlery, and any special glasses and plates. Remember to factor in room for serving dishes and drinks, also enough heat proof mats for hot items.

Then you can decide on decorations. If you have holly sprigged tablecloth and Christmas design plates, for example, keep anything else simple. If plain you can be a bit more elaborate. I'd stick to a single item at the table centre, or a small item at each place setting and a cracker. Or you could do something with the napkin for each person, like a small sprig of holly tucked into the napkin ring, or tie a bow around it of Christmas ribbon to match your colour scheme.

If in doubt, make it really simple. IME, a Christmas table only looks gorgeous before people sit down and start pouring drinks and pulling crackers, and then it starts to look a mess, so don't agonise over it!