We don't tend to use a cloth - for us, the plain wooden table is nice and it works better. But if we did, it would be either the pale blue and white checked cloth (which restricts the colour scheme) or going out to buy a pure white one.
I always do a table centerpiece with a candle - but not always in time for Christmas Dinner (it was mid afternoon on 26th last year!) - but lots of greenery, red berries, some white baby's breath, 5 dark red roses - all stuck in relatively randomly around a circular oasis so that its all covered. I stick the candle in by lighting and quenching 4/5 matches, sticking those along a piece of sellotape, and sticking that to the end of the candle to make little "legs" that stick into the oasis.
Sometimes I use the "good" china - Imperial Blue by Denby. But I often just use the everyday as that is white - I just make sure none of the chipped plates are used 
.
Clear glass candle holders (I got a set of 3 different height dinner candle holders and a separate set of 3 different height wide tea light holders from Ikea a few years ago) help increase the lighting.
Plain but nice glasses (that haven't been "bloomed" by the dishwasher), that sparkle. And some festive paper napkins to pull it all together.
I have a set of 3 red beaded round placemats, and a set of 3 gold rectangular placemats, that sometimes come out. But only if I'm using the white ware - I will use the blue tablecloth with the Denby ware.
I have a small holly/ivy patterned cream jug, that I use for dessert time.
I tend to carve the meat and serve that on plates, along with a roast potato each and a spoon of stuffing. But everything else goes on the table for people to serve themselves (and leftover roasties and stuffing as well for seconds). If there were a lot of people, I would have the dishes lined up on the high part of the counter between the kitchen and dining room ends of the room - for people to serve themselves as they collected their plates and to be able to get at easily once they get up for seconds. But 2 jugs of gravy (at least) on the table.
We don't tend to have a starter - we share a plate of M&S party food in the sitting room while we open presents as the turkey cooks/rests instead.
We stay at the table for cheeseboard, but we tend to take a break before dessert and we may serve that individually served onto plates in the sitting room.
Admittedly, on Christmas Day we only have 3 normally, but I served 8 for Thanksgiving recently and we've often had quite large gatherings so I am used to catering for numbers!