Christmas Tablesetting Inspirations

As you all are well aware, I love to set the table.  The only problem with this is that for holidays, I tend to set the table a few days too early.  Pretty to look at, but I want to keep the tables undisturbed until Christmas brunch and dinner, leaving us crammed on the couch eating off of wobble-y TV trays.  Just the same, while Sean and the kids play their sad trombones, I’m admiring and finessing the tablesettings and feeling that the inconvenience is well worth the wait.  Here are my Christmas tablesettings that I hope you can draw some inspiration from.

With a mixture of thrifted and inherited plates, every once in a while I don’t mind making the splurge on plates or glasses that stop me in my tracks, like these water goblets.  The crimson color dictated the color scheme for this table setting.

Paired with classic Lenox plates and vintage urns with the same simplicity, the fun fabric tablecloth and the crimson glasses are the star of the show.   The chartreuse and burgundy are a festive play on the traditional Christmas colors of green and red.  Remember my tip – no need to hunt down a Christmas tablecloth when there are loads of fabrics that work just as well, if not better, and keep the tight budget in check.

For the kitchen table, where I’m planning to serve brunch, I kept things totally traditional and far less formal.  I used a flannel blanket for the tablecloth, and filled a galvanized sleigh with presents and ornaments for the centerpiece.

I’d be lost without Goodwill, and I found these charger plates at a recent jaunt for just a dollar a piece, and the “Memory Lane” transferware was scooped up a couple years ago at the Goodwill, too.  With the different patterns and textures, the plates work well together, and the Christmas Spode is the icing on top of the cake; or should I say placesetting.

When setting your Christmas table, choose the color(s) you want to display, and the prints and patterns will compliment each other.  Take a play on tradition and use some of the unexpected, and don’t be afraid to mix old and new.  Because, as you know, this is my favorite way to set a table.