The Christmas Table Styling Weekend List
While we often put in extra effort to prepare a special meal when friends and family visit, sometimes the table – your place of gathering – is left neglected of extra attention. This Christmas, make your family lunch an aesthetically pleasing and memory-making one with a few extra touches to the table setting.
Place a table runner of butchers or kraft paper, hessian or linen down the middle of the table as your base to build on. Recycle jars as vases, filling them with a mix of bought native flowers and cuttings from the backyard to make the bouquets as home specific as possible. Hanging garlands overhead will make for a cosy and intimate meal – string fairy or festoon lights above the table, with overlapping crisscrosses of leaves, branches and other vine-like foliage.
For a rustic feel, collect a bunch of well-loved wooden boards to serve your dishes on, as well as simple serving ideas of whole peaches in folded down paper bags or warm bread wrapped in a tea towel held by a garden pot. Tableware can be matching or mismatched. Don’t stress if your favourite set has chips or you’re lacking a full set – the character of the table as a whole will feel familiar and comforting with all your beloved pieces out for lunch.
Little details can make all the difference too. Use real cotton or linen napkins, placing your good cutlery on top and wrapping the bundle in a loose trimming of twine or a thin coil of copper. Slip a sprig of rosemary or thyme into the bundle, too, for a surprise aroma upon sitting down to lunch. Print out menus of the day’s epicurean offerings and beverage choices, with each person’s name credited as the dish’s chef. Sparkling water is always a nice touch for a special occasion too – perhaps freeze a few berries into ice cubes in advance to add a splash of colour to your water glasses.
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