Setting A Holiday Table

If you have thumbed through magazines, watched any crafts-based TV show, have ever seen talk shows or any morning TV show around the holidays, you have probably seen many different ways to decorate, dress, or set a Holiday table.

You probably realize that you can go out and spend quite a bit of money or you can be a decorating do-it-yourselfer and obtain the same results for a lot less money. The following are a few tips and pointers for making your Holiday table look as good as the delicious food that you will be cooking.

ALWAYS shop the after Holiday sales. You can buy items that you will definitely use next year like ribbon, decorative tins, and paper. Obviously, this is a great idea for next year.

If you use cloth ribbon to decorate packages, dont throw it away after the gifts are opened. You may not want to wrap with them next year, but you can use the ribbon in many creative ways in the dining room.

Holiday placemats and napkins are on sale after the holidays, so that is a great time to purchase them. Just remember that if you are using one color scheme every napkin does not have to match, but they should blend. Now is a great time to learn the art of napkin folding, so do a little research.

Now, pick a color scheme. Choose blues and whites, red, browns and coppers, red & white, green and white, or the bright pinks and greens that are becoming popular. Just remember that you can follow your trees color scheme, or you can break away from tradition and try something completely different since it will be a separate room.

Pick a theme. Do you want a log cabin feel, Swiss Alps cottage look, or an elegant table? You might want to choose your theme based on the type of food that you are serving. Just like with the color scheme, pick a theme and stick with it. Do not mix and match your themes.

Cloth napkins make all the difference in the world when it comes to setting a holiday table. Napkin folding has become an art that is really quite simple if you have an iron and a bit of starch. There are many holiday napkin folds that will add a beautiful touch to your table. If you are really crafty, you can embroider each guests name on their napkin and this can be done days before the big meal.

Find some pine cones and spray paint them or use gold, silver, blue, red, or green glitter glue. You dont necessarily have to be neat when using the glue and this makes a fun project for kids who love sparkles. Place the finished cones in a large bowl for the centerpiece or place them randomly around the dishes that you will be serving.

Fresh, colorful fruit makes a wonderful centerpiece that can be used for a fruit salad on New Years Day. If you have pineapples, which signify WELCOME, they can be placed on the center of each plate with a candle embedded in the top tied with a colorful ribbon. There are a plethora of fresh fruit vendors that will ship to your door.

Wine and matching water glasses add a nice touch to any table. If you are serving red and white wine you will need two wine glasses for each person. Since glassware comes in many colors, this will add to your color scheme.

No Holiday table would be complete without candles. If you are using a large candle holder, you will need some nice taper candles. It is also creative to place small colorful votive candles holders around the table. Be sure to light the candles before your guests arrive.

Place a small gift on each plate. If you are a canner, give jelly, apple, pear, or peach butter with a pretty bow around the top and place on each plate. Homemade candy or other homemade treats are great small gifts. The baked cereal & nut mix in a jar with a ribbon or in a decorative tin make a nice small gift. The idea is to give everyone something that they love and will enjoy taking home with them. Even a small picture frame with a picture of the entire family or friends, or in remembrance of someone that is no longer with us makes a beautiful sentimental gift.

Go to any discount or dollar store and find inexpensive toys for the kids plates. Coloring books and crayons are also nice to give the kids something to do while the adults are still enjoying the meal.

Tie long, colored scarves that have become so popular on the peak of the back of each chair. Attach a note to let each person know that this is a little something that will keep them warm. If you shop around, you can get them for a very reasonable price and they are decorative and make a very creative gift.

If you are feeling industrious, make a list of the holiday recipes that you will be serving and create a menu or booklet and place beside each plate. Use a hole punch and tie a colorful ribbon through the booklet.

Small gifts like these make people so happy because of the thought that you put into each and every one.

Now that your table is set, you are ready to conquer the big Holiday meal that you will be serving.

For great holiday recipes and napkin folding tips visit Gourmandia.com!