Food and drink form a very big part of every Christmas celebration. Whether we are inviting people over for casual drinks and nibbles or hosting an elaborate Christmas dinner or lunch, you will need your dining table to look the part for the season. Coming up with a stylish solution need not be too complicated or time-consuming.

I have always believed that it's the little touches that make all the difference, especially when we are talking about a contained area such as the dining table. Whether you want to recreate the traditional Christmas look or you want something more in keeping with a contemporary feel, the answer lies in the detail.

Creating a Christmas table does not necessarily mean cluttering your dining space with a lot of festive baubles. Limit the items on your dining table to things that are actually related to dining, with maybe only one extra Christmas bauble added for effect. You do not need miles and miles of tinsel wrapped around your table for your guests to figure out that you have made an effort. All you need to do is create a theme and stick to it.

The first issue to be decided is a colour theme as this will set the tone for the whole event. Co-ordination is essential down to the last item. For instance, sticking a bright gold Santa as your centrepiece just because "you happen to have it" when the rest of the table is in red and white will just make that centerpiece look totally out of place and ruin all your good efforts.

Choose one dominant colour and use it for the accessories- Guzzini, for instance, do a lovely line in red and you don't get much more Christmassy than that. The beauty of Guzzini allows you to mix and match Christmas and non-Christmas items so your red table accessories can be matched by a red vase, candles and even a small Santa that can be used as napkin holder. Alternatively, you can opt for a touch of gold, interspersed with white, using delicate touches like the ASA gold napkin rings or even the white snowflakes from the ASA accessories range to make a statement.

If it's not a sit-down lunch or dinner that you're hosting, don't use your everyday plates and crockery for the nibbles table. Why not bring out the party aspect by using special plates and cutlery? The ASA range, for instance offers some interesting options and colour schemes - look

out for the olive plates and the dividing dishes as they add that certain something to the overall style. The star shaped bowls, on the other hand, work well both for nibbles or to serve dessert or soup during a sit-down meal.

Francesca Cassar is Business Development Director at Domestica