come talk to me about decorating Christmas table...

[lilolilbethlehem]

... I have been hosting Christmas for 20 years, but this is one thing I've never quite got my head around.
All these beautifully decorated tables in magazines - but where do they put the food? I like to have the serving dishes out on the table, rather than pass serving bowls round (not good with children)/serve in another room (then people have to hop up and down from the table when they want more). Which means opportunity for decorating table is severely limited. What do you do?

am lucky, my table is 8 foot long, so i have room for candles and flowers

I like a very plain table. White tablecloth, white crockery,white napkins,plain glasses. Only decoration is ivy around the candles and 100s of little metallic starts scattered over it (collect afterwards with a magnet-very groovy).

I also couldn'r bear thoguht of any meal being plated up ready. Noooooo! Serving dishes on the table.

agree, bowls on table. We do have a long table but lots of people. We manage candles, but that's about it.

I make sure I have lovely napkins, decorated with ribbon and foliage. Lovely crackers, maybe a runner. This year I am pinning name cards to my glasses with little Santa pegs. Won't have candles on the table because of the kids, but will put these elsewhere in the room. Sometimes put ribbons on teh chairs too.

None of this stuff gets in the way.

I do a centre piece with things like dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, eucalyptus, deep red roses etc. The back of each chair has ivy and other bits. Each place is set with gold or red charger plates, handmade crackers etc.

My dh is responsible for decorating the dining room (although my mum always congratulates me!!!) and does agreta job decorating our glass topped table with candles, silver chargers, bells, baubles etc.
But yes - space is aproblem - sow e have resorted to utilising a plate warmer om a sideboard beside the table. We just pass teh dishes round and then they can go back out of the way.

I do an arrangement with fresh flowers/ foliage, and usually incorporate some tiny battery powered fairy lights instead of candles. These are safe with the wet florists foam, and you can hand dishes across without setting yourself on fire!!!