How do you set your table for Christmas?

[Nineteendays]

I am hosting Christmas this year and am looking for table decorations to fit with the colour scheme of my new kitchen. However, I keep seeing amazing decorations taking up all of the middle of the table and I don’t understand where you’d put the food for Xmas dinner? Do people just plate up everyone else’s food before putting it on the table? I was thinking of having the veg/extra sausages/potatoes/gravy on the table but then would need the space where the decorations are. Do you just move them out of the way for the meal? Seems a bit pointless putting them there first.

any advice welcome, you can see I’m new to this! Thanks!

I've tried so many different ways. Now I decorate down the middle of the table with greenery, candles, fairy lights and twisted willow.
Just behind our table is a large island so I put everything out on the island and let everyone help themselves.

And regarding being given a plated up plate I would just be grateful that I'd had Xmas diner cooked for me. I know it's hard work and couldn't care less how I was given it!

@RepetitiveMotion , yes, that’s why I really don’t like it. I’m really not fussy, but too much of this, not enough of that…

Worst ‘plating’ was at a sister-in-law’ house - SO much really fatty meat (recipe from her own country) I felt sick just looking at it. Couldn’t possibly say anything - she’s HYPER sensitive and takes offence at the slightest little thing, but no way could I eat that fat!

Next door neighbour has got a holly tree that overlaps my garden,so l take a couple of snips fron that and that is all l have on the table

I hate plating up or being plated for, any decorations you just move, put the food on the table in serving bowls.

we don’t have centre pieces though, just a nice festive tablecloth , then crackers, different glasses, plates and cutlery.

We’ve got 10 people this year and we’ll be squished into our kitchen diner. I was wondering what to do as we usually bring servicing dishes to table when there are less of us. I like the idea of laying everything out on tHe kitchen island and letting people help themselves before they sit down. For seconds and thirds DH or I can get up and offer stuff round to people rather than guests getting up and down from the table all the time.

@CurlyhairedAssassin when everyone has sat down for round one I usually do a big platter of meat, roasties, pigs, stuffing and Yorkshire's and put it on the table for people to help themselves to. If anyone one wants anything else they either go up or I get it.

The kids always eat loads this way.

Thank you all! I have an island so putting food on the island for people to plate up their food sounds a good idea!

Help yourself in the kitchen from the dishes everything was cooked in, don’t need or want any more extra dishes to wash