Dressing A Holiday Table

When holiday tables are set to the nines, the overall look can seem a bit uptight. Hosting your own seasonal soirée doesn’t have to be a grand affair to leave a good impression on guests. Here are a few simple ways to keep the fa la las flowing and your festive decor from feeling too stiff.

1. Layer your linens. If your runner isn’t long enough for the expanded table or you just want to add more texture and pattern, layering your table linens adds charm and makes use of linens you may not have thought to use for the holidays. Play with colour and pattern to give your table some life — stark white can feel too formal for the holidays unless accompanied by colourful accessories.

2. Mix-up your dinnerware and glassware. Try different water goblets, wine glasses, starter plates and entrée plates. For servingware, choose colours that contrast with the rest of your china and dare to venture beyond the traditional red and green scheme. Settling on a few main colours helps to keep this look cohesive.

3. Loosen up. Middle of the table centerpieces have definitely had their moment, so this season switch out a singular arrangement for a looser assortment of varied candlesticks. They’re narrow enough to stagger between servingware and they break away from the middle-of-the-table mold. Spreading multiple mini-vessels with cut flowers or stemmed foliage around the table works well, too.