HAPPY HOLIDAYS! THE PARTY TABLE, PLACEHOLDERS AND CENTERPIECES

 

The most "magical" time of the year is approaching. There are many things to do to prepare for the holidays. Thinking about gifts, menus for dinners and lunches with family and friends, decorations for the house. This is the ideal time to give free rein to your imagination! So let's start from the number one protagonist of these days: the table. 

 

The tablecloth                                                                                                        The mise en place of the holidays starts from the choice of the tablecloth, we are talking about the most important party of the year! 

To avoid mistakes, choose a precious linen or flanders fabric. Instead, prefer neutral colors such as white, cream or ivory, colors that match more easily with any type of environment and allow you to enhance the decorative elements of your table.

Size is also key. The tablecloth will have to be the same shape as the table considering a drop (i.e. the space between the edge of the table and where the tablecloth ends) uniform on all sides of at least 38 cm., but you can also foresee a longer drop, up to 76 cm.

 

Plates and glasses

For your festive table settings, it's best to choose porcelain plates. White or ivory plates are a passe-partout for any style, from modern to more classic. You can use them even if the tablecloth is coloured, as long as the fabric is precious.

On linen and flanders we recommend clear crystal glasses and silver cutlery or polished or brushed steel.

To complete everything, a touch of bon ton! A nice carafe for the water and a decanter for the wine placed on a trolley or a small table next to the table where you will have spread a runner of the same line as the tablecloth.

 

Centerpiece

And now let's move on to the table decoration. A nice centerpiece will be sure to impress, but do not overdo it with the size and materials, rather focus on the balance and try to go along with the shape of the table. Longer for a rectangular table, rounder for a round table and oval for an oval one.

If you make it by hand you can use natural materials, a choice that will certainly be appreciated by your guests.

In this period, you can indulge yourself with pine cones, holly, berries and cinnamon sticks, to create a classic centerpiece, completing it with one or more candles to make it brighter.

Or you can opt for a floral centerpiece varied in colors and species when the rest is minimal and modern. 

And again use a stand on which to arrange silver or gold balls, red berries and glitter.

You can also use a tray where you can place a few candles of different heights, decorating with pine twigs and bows in the color you prefer.

 

The placeholder

Assigning each guest their place is a simple way to take away the embarrassment of choosing where to sit, but also an opportunity to make a small gift that can be taken home as a souvenir. When creating the placeholder, take into account which centerpiece you will choose so that the effect is harmonious, sober and not opulent. 

You can make it with pine cones, dried oranges and cinnamon, tied with raffia. 

Or simply tie red berries around the napkin and add a gold or silver card on which to write the guest's name. 

You can also use pine twigs to form circles, to which you can tie a small card. 

Colored in white, silver or gold, you can personalize small pine cones with a ribbon by applying a name card and place them next to each place setting. 

And then there's the yummy placeholder. The idea is to prepare some gingerbread cookies in the shapes you like best (stars, reindeer, small trees, gingerbread men) and personalize them with the name of your guest, to be written with white or colored icing. 

 

Happy Holidays!