You’ll be slaving over a hot stove for hours, preparing a feast fit for kings this Christmas. From the turkey to the desserts, you put love, time and effort into every recipe, and your family digs in with gusto. Why not add some festive touches to the table as well, and make the presentation as breathtaking as the dishes you’ll be serving? It doesn’t take much time or money to transform your table from humbug to very merry.

Choosing a theme

The easiest way to coordinate your decor is to choose a theme. Your theme can be as specific as a single Christmas carol, or as broad as a certain style or colours. For example, you could choose Jingle Bells as your theme, making the centrepiece a miniature one-horse open sleigh, and attaching bells to everything that doesn’t voluntarily move. Or, choose a Country Christmas theme and add lots of country touches to your table, like felt cut-outs and cross-stitched napkins.

If you’re planning on selecting colours for your table, stick with one main colour and a maximum of two accent colours. Holiday colours of green, red, and white look very festive, or accent with silver or gold for a more elegant touch. Blue and white work nicely together for a winter theme.

Table coverings

You may have your great-great-grandmother’s handmade lace tablecloth stowed away, ready to use for your Christmas dinner. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but if spillage and possible staining are a major worry for you, save the lace for accenting your decorative holiday displays instead and pick up some inexpensive cotton or other fabric to cover your table with, or use clean sheets in various colours. You can even use two contrasting colours of fabric, and use the second, smaller piece to hang at an angle over the larger one. Christmas prints are cute and charming, but try to steer clear of anything too busy or bright, as the fabric will overshadow any other accents you add.

For a children’s table, cover the surface with butcher paper or inverted wrapping paper and provide crayons at each setting. Christmas crackers are also great fun for kids, and look cute sitting on each dinner plate.

Centrepieces

Centrepieces can be as simple as a small grouping of different sized candles Potted poinsettias make a pretty centrepiece, as do small baskets filled with pine sprigs and pinecones, or clear glass bowls full of bright Christmas tree balls.

Keeping your chosen theme in mind, choose a centrepiece that will stand out among your dishes of food, and become a conversation piece for guests. If you plan to use lit candles, never leave them unattended, and choose unscented candles wherever possible.

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