Since all things Christmas have a chance to shine only once each year, I make the most of them during December. Without question, my favorite thing to do is dress the places we eat.
Always I start with a centerpiece. Here it is a most traditional one using an antique mold and a variety of artificial accessories.
No dishes are more traditional or recognizable than these by Spode. Getting them out of the cabinet year after year is like welcoming an old friend.
The placemats and napkins are almost as old as the dishes, and if memory serves me correctly, they, too, were a gift from mother. Eventually they will be passed on to the more traditional of my two daughters.
Playful and fun are the flatware that I found a few years ago at Ross and the holly berry napkin rings that give off a happy jingle.
Adding a bowl for a soup starter and a holiday popper completes each place.
Thinking about who will join the hubby and me at this table makes me smile as I know there will be lots of shared memories and laughter. That is what makes the holidays special.
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
Joining
With the house having little touches of fall, it was a no brainer to have the next step be continuing them on the table for the evening dinner. Already what can serve as a centerpiece is there making it easy to add the rest.
None of my dishes reflect fall better than these. The rich color with its arty black leaf outline is perfect, and I like using them for another reason. They were a gift from a very special and thoughtful friend who knows how crazy I am about all things for tables.
Some time ago this flatware was on sale at Target, and it has been such a good find. Its coppery contrast with the table’s wood surface adds such warmth.
Thinking about what food is going to be served, I don’t put more dishes on the table than can be used. Tonight there will be an entree and a salad, so nothing more than dinner and salad plates are needed. The black salad plate complements the leaf outline, and its shape will be perfect for the salad.
On any table, the napkin presentation is one of those little touches that make a table special. One of my favorites is this one folded accordion style and fanned to make it stand.
With the addition of wine stems and water glasses, a table can’t be much simpler than this. It started with what was already there and has warm color and texture which makes any table inviting.
I can’t resist sharing with you one of my favorite salads made with delicata squash, one with which I was unfamiliar. The attraction was its green and pale yellow striping, reason enough to give it a try!
For the salad, cut the squash into rings and remove the seeds. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 400 until tender, roughly 15-20 minutes. To prepare the salad, place mixed greens or any lettuce on a plate. Top with the roasted delicata rings, sprinkle with craisins, toasted almonds and feta (optional). My preference for dressing is a honey mustard vinegarette, but most any salad dressing would work.
The most recent dinner was a visual treat. The delicately designed dishes are quite old, a memory of the hostess’s mother.
Without question, they made a lovely setting when combined with silver and glass.
Playing off the pale green in the pattern, the hostess found the perfect linen tablecloth and napkins. All together the look was quite elegant at the same time warm and friendly.
A few days before our gathering a storm blew through that flattened many of the small blooming things. The hostess was clever enough to see that her damaged flowers perfectly matched the colors in the china, so, voila, a just right centerpiece made in a silver bowl.
So there would not be question about where each person sat, there were name tags directing us to our place. That is always a thoughtful gesture.
The first course, a zucchini mold, happened to be my assignment. It was something with which none of us were familiar, so we all experienced a new taste treat. Not only was it tasty, it was easy to prepare which makes it worthy of making again as it gives a whole new way of presenting zucchini.
Though I walk for exercise, my eyes are always open for what is blooming in fields adjacent to the path. There’s Queen Ann’s lace, goldenrod, interesting grasses, cattails, lupine pods and things I can’t even name. Often I come home with a handful that combined become part of lovely arrangements for the table.
My favorite way to arrange flowers is to put them in a variety of vessels. It is simple and the containers can be placed randomly to create an easy centerpiece.
The cloth that is background for the flowers is folded on the diagonal leaving part of the table bare. When it’s time to eat, a couple of placemats fill and protect the bare space as well as reflect the quiet background of the cloth.
Playing off the cranberry color of the small vases and the flowers in the textile, these dishes are perfect. They are long discontinued from the 40’s and 50’s and were a purchase from an antique show some years ago.
Their appeal is not only the color but the unusual shape.
Adding the thumbprint glasses continues the color scheme and finishes the table.
Tonight the family will gather around what we call the big house meaning it’s a step up from the breakfast room. Having teenage girls get involved in the table preparation is a great way for them to recognize that setting an attractive table can be very uncomplicated. Sometimes a pretty table is also a gentle reminder to use good table manners!
So, how does one make table setting a creative process? For me, it begins with there always being something on the table from which to draw inspiration. Does that say something about my not liking bare surfaces? Here, it was nothing more than flowers arranged simply on a runner.
Now, I have to confess to being a dishaholic. The beauty is that it creates a variety of options when it comes to selecting. With the colors of the flowers and the runner as influences, I picked these dishes for our evening meal, but the selection could just as easily have been a solid color that works well with a variety of accents. By the way, places like TJ Maxx, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Goodwill are great resources for items that are both inexpensive and add flair to your table.
You will notice that the table is prepared for two, the hubby and me. Whether it’s the two or us or company coming, the table will add to the experience of eating. That is a gift I give to others as well as myself. 
Luckily, my dining table is rarely undressed which made getting it ready quick and easy. The new favorite table runner from India, decorative gourds from San Miguel and trivets were in place.
With this beautiful runner, I like to keep the table simple and chose to use clear glass dinnerware on a subtle placemat. 
I had no solid napkins so the next best thing was to use ones with essentially the same colors as the runner.
They are bound with flexible holders that were a gift from a friend who knows how I like setting tables. That’s the kind of friend to have!
As I was putting wine stems out, my eye was drawn to the orange in the runner, so I put the etched glass ones away and opted for the orange stems that usually come out only at Thanksgiving.
All done but for the flatware. I know Carson of Downton Abbey wouldn’t approve, but I do like to lay it in different ways to add an unexpected touch.
So, in a matter of minutes, the table is set. I’ve also thought of simple fixings for dinner: pasta mixed with tomatoes, basil and olive oil 
and one of my favorite go to 
This is one of my favorite table runners made by the hands of a Vietnamese person with disabilities working in a state run workshop. Funny how it has been used dozens of times and I’ve never paid much attention to the red. Usually, it is the blue and orange tones that dominate my thinking.
Not today! Red has totally grabbed my eye which was reason enough to pull out the crocheted placemats made by my mother-in-law. I smile as I think of her trying to teach me how to crochet. My hands were so awkward with a crochet hook, and I didn’t get much farther than casting on with a chain stitch. 
Red is not a color I use much on a table, and I’m not sure why because it is one of my favorites.
Maybe it was the flowers on the runner that drew my eye and made the red seem more important. Whatever the influence, it made for a very happy table.
There was no need to add more color, so white dishes provided the finishing touch.
Later, when chili was dished up, I had to laugh when even it had traces of red. On this day, red was meant to be.