I have been very organized this year with decorating and buying gifts.  I even set two holidays tables and can’t wait for you to see all the pictures I’ve included in this post of our dining room table!  The only thing I have to do now is grocery shop and cook Christmas dinner!  Well, actually we are having a brunch with my parents, sister and brother-in-law!  Later, Thomas and I enjoy the tree being on, Christmas movies, Jake and Maggie playing with their new Christmas toys, and a plate of leftovers for dinner!  I heard we are going to have weather in the 50s so I’m not sure if our fireplace will be on this year :-(.

Six years ago, I bought the “Holiday Wishes” china pattern by 222 Fifth at Home Goods Store and my color scheme was born! I stood in the isle with a big smile on my face and said…I love it!! This pattern has all my favorite colors and I fell in love with the shape of the dishes and the pattern. Every year since then I picked up something new to go with the dishes and now I have a complete Christmas table! Other than the gold silverware which was a gift from my parents, Home Goods was my go to!! This year I found hand painted poinsettia wine glasses to match the the glass cups I bought last year!!! They also match my kitchen table decor so it was a win win!

I wanted a more dramatic and dressed up table than our kitchen holiday table and what is more dramatic than black! The tablecloth has off black shimmery stripes that match nicely with the off grey/black in the dishes. I feel that red can be dramatic and red, black, and white can be striking together. I also like these dishes because I can use gold and silver accents on the table and both will match.

As I talked about in my blog post “How to create a casual holiday table,” I love large centerpieces but I don’t like having to look around them to have a conversation with my guests so I keep my decor low.  I also love stacking plates using a charger plate first, then the dinner plate, followed by the salad plate, and then the matching bowl.  I also like using two different kinds of napkins.  One folded under the plate and the other under the silverware next to the china.  For a more formal table, I also like to have the coffee cup and a glass or wine glass out.  If you have a sweet punch that you have made, try fitting a punch glass on the table to.  Depending on how big your dinner party is, I like putting out two sets of salt and pepper shakers one at each end of the table.  I try fitting the butter dish near the middle so everyone can reach it.  Last year I found matching cardinal salt and pepper shakers at Home Goods to match the dishes and they look so cute.  

More ideas for a special table for Christmas, New Years, any holiday or function:

Placecards – There are so many cute ideas for placards to let your quests know where to sit.
Thank you – Placing a small gift at each place setting to tell your guests how much you appreciate them.
Ornaments – A special ornament that reflects each of your family or quest’s personality.
White Elephant – This is a gift giving game where everyone brings a “gag” gift. After lunch or dinner, everyone can sit around the table and participate in the White Elephant game. To find the rules of the game, click here: http://www.elephantrules.com
Mix and Match – It is always fun to switch up your china whether they be fancy or casual. Have fun with different shapes, sizes, colors and patterns that flatter each other. For example: putting a solid colored plate with a patterned plate or using a round salad plate with a square dinner plate.