Decorated table vs serving dishes of food - what do you do?

[Jessforless]

I know it’s June… 😂

Just looking at Christmas table decorations and really want to go all out, candles, garland down the middle, saw some lovely pictures.

But then what do you do with all the serving dishes? Does yours fit or do you not decorate the table?

This made me laugh!

We haven’t got a table, so if we’re at home, I don’t have to make that choice. But if we’re at the in-laws, there’ll be around 10 of us. I decorate the table and MiL plates up in the kitchen. She’s always done that, but never bothered doing the table before. But I hate cooking and have zero interest in learning to make ‘proper’ gravy, so DH gives her a hand in the kitchen and the table is my contribution. She’s happy she’s got a poncey table and I’m happy to have a table decorate. Nobody else cares, so long as the food is nice!

I put stuff on the counter and make sure it's easy for people to move around to get food.

Or I use nice candlesticks, or small decorations.

And if I want something dramatic, I hang things from the ceiling. Like this...

We eat in kitchen-diner and I always put serving dishes out on the kitchen island for people to help themselves there. It's how I always do dinners with more than 6-8 guests.

We dress the table to an extent, take a few bits off when the food comes out and have the most popular refill items on the table. The rest goes on the sideboard but we can reach that from the table.

Don't forget, beautiful table wear can.rwally elevate a christmas table. I'm a fan of anything guilded, check out charity shops for cheap items. Cut glass wear, old crockery with metallic accents, candles, lovely napkins. Makes meals over christmas a real treat.

I have a heated server in the kitchen and decorate the table. That eay everyone can help themselves and I'm not bobbing up and down every few minutes fetching more potatoes 😂

About 40 years ago I had a server with slits on the top and 3 tealights inside. I don't know what happened to it, but It was so useful.

That's pretty, but do you find just one cat is enough at Christmas?

@RosesAndHellebores luckily we have three, so starter, main and dessert.

Now my cat ( RIP you ratbag) would have been swinging from the ceiling decorations, any attempt at removal would have earned you an indignant clout!

We put dishes on the table, and I decorate as much as reasonably possible. Tall candlesticks that don't take up much room on the table, a tablecloth and the table runners that my sister and I embroidered for my mum when we were 9 and 10, usually hold chargers under the plates, (which help catch gravy spillage etc.), nice glassware, decorations on the sideboard, we have a ring of lights from IKEA over the table from which I hang Christmas tree decorations etc.
The food is the star though, there has to be room for all the veggies, the stuffings, two gravy boats, two dishes of potatoes. Meat is plated up beforehand (and some veggies put on the children's plates so they get a little bit cooler) and a platter with more meat is put on the sideboard for people to have it they want more.

I hate having food plated up. It means:
a) you get food you don't want and you have to eat it anyway
b) you get food you don't want and it gets wasted
c) the host/hostess has to spend ages faffing around finding out what people want which is a hassle for them and means the food gets cold
d) I think it's rude to start eating before everyone has their food and, most importantly, the host/hostess has had the chance to sit down
Serving dishes are the way to go because:
a) it's the best way to ensure everyone has hot food (if the food is put in warmed dishes) as the dishes get passed round
b) it reduces waste as everyone just takes what they want
c) it means that people can have second helpings if they want them

It's a conundrum isn't it, sometimes I use more, smaller serving dishes to serve 2-3 people to reduce the faff of passing hot dishes around the table, this also means there's some space for decorations.
Sometimes I put all the food out in the kitchen and everyone serves themselves, DH prefers this but I find it can make things a bit disjointed.
Recently I've invested in jolly tableware which as pp said makes a big difference.

We don't decorate the table...we just have a white table cloth, a fancy runner, placemats and cutlery/glasses. We do have very nice chair covers that match the runner though and it all looks festive enough.

We have 14 people for dinner, there's no way we could fit decorations around all the food!

How do you heat the plates and serving dishes?
I have taken to clearing my decorated table, and running them through a quick hot dishwash cycle, before returning them.
I would have 6-9 plates to warm.

Rinse them under the sink and put them wet into the microwave for one minute. Quick wipe with a cloth as they come out.

Thanks, Roses and Hellebores. I am a microwave user, but that did not occur to me. Probably get 5 or 6 plates in. I will have a trial run.
Hellebores, that reminds me - I want some for my Christmas greenery this year!

Our table seats six, but it’s only for food, with no room for decorations. What we’ve done is get a large mdf board which sits on top of the table, then cover with a tablecloth. It gives an extra two feet width and two feet length. That way we fit everyone comfortably, can decorate and fit the dishes down the middle. We got a buffet server which you can remove the tops from, so it’s like a flat hot plate and that keeps the veg etc from going cold as the dishes are on it.

There's usually eight of us for Xmas lunch. I've got one of those big standard oak tables with heavy brown chairs. The chairs take up so much room once everyone is seated it's difficult to get up and move around. 2 of my guests are now on their 90's so it's really not an option to put food anywhere but the table. However the first 5 minutes is taken up with pass the such and such and of course the dishes are hot because I'm trying to keep everything warm. So that adds a teatowel or oven gloves to pass the dishes. I always end up with a cold meal as I wait for everyone to plate theirs up. I'm always at the end of the table nearest to the door so I can get up and refresh the gravy etc. I think I do too many veg as I like to dater for diets and favourite dishes. Everyone seems to really enjoy their meal and always have seconds but I'm too het up to relax properly and enjoy mine.
We're moving house soon and I'm definitely going to change the chairs to allow more room, use my hostess trolley in the room we're eating and start laying good up in kitchen. Don't think our 90 year olds will be with us💔

Rinse them under the sink and put them wet into the microwave for one minute. Quick wipe with a cloth as they come out.

I have tested, this is sheer genius!

I have a Christmas tablecloth and my decoration is two very large beer glasses (Dartington Crystal so very smart) and I fill them with Quality Street. The bright colours are my decoration. Then I fill the table with food and that makes it look really good.

Christmas tree lit off to the side in a dark corner, tinsel in the curtain rods, bright sunshine and the windows wide open. Or the windows and doors shut tight and the airconditioning cranked.

TheSandgroper
Are you somewhere hot?
My ideal would be a bright frosty day, but more likely to get dull and drizzly!

Yep. Perth. And I can’t stand a northern Christmas. Coats, overheated houses, OMG the germs to be spread around (and I’m not bitter at all about being made sick on my holiday, oh no).

And so dark. Give me light and bright. I tend to be up at 5 on Christmas morning and out in the dawn with the birds waking up and it’s heaven.

Thank you. It sounds like your ideal place.
I am a snowy mortal, and like the winter (minus the germs!)

Sideboard. You 'show off' the turkey then cut and serve it and the veg from the sideboard. You can put small dishes of cranberry sauce, bread sauce etc on the table for people to help themselves. Cut extra turkey so people can get up and help themselves if they want seconds.