Mama, I am not into centerpieces much, but I do like to fuss with the table. I fill the center with food. Anyway, I haven't decided tablecloth or dishes yet. My choices are a gold damask cloth with napkins or cream damask with sparse Christmas pattern. Not sure if I want to use my china what has a lacy snowflake like overlay design or my MIL's Johnson Brothers with horse and carriage snow scene that reminds me of song over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house we go. I have small nutcrackers and hobnail votives in red and green that I put at each place. I serve Christmas Eve dinner. I will use cloth as well as large paper dinner napkins as our Christmas Eve dinner is messy. Edited to add: I will use several brass candlesticks with little elves slid on the candles.

My table is set. Green tablecloth.......Center piece is a pedestal bowl filled with assorted nuts and topped with a mini nutcracker. There is a wreath of red berries around the bowl. On either side is a grouping of nutcrackers in different sizes. Plates are Spode's Christmas Tree. Napkins will be red folded into a rose. There's only five of us on Christmas day. On Friday we will have our second Christmas with grand children. The table will be about the same but the napkins will be folded kind of like an upside down V and a Santa face made out of felt will be slipped on. The top part of the upside down V being Santa's hat.

Theme is white, green and red with gold accents. Green velvet runners, white dishes with green and gold border, red and green plaid napkins with gold napkin rings. Center piece is fresh greens, white roses, red berries along with gold balls. Red paper napkins for predinner snacks and cheese ball.

Dark green tablecloth with a gold runner I made for down the long center of the table. I added brass candlesticks and other candle holders with upside down gold ornaments instead of candles, and interspersed them with decorative glass votive candle holders I filled with boxwood cuttings for extra greenery. My Napkins are white, trimmed in dark green with gold stars.

There will be 14 of us around the table by xmas dinner...good thing we're a close family! :)

All of your tables sound just gorgeous.

We're kind of like chi. Just the two of us so we'll most likely eat at the breakfast bar on our every day plates. I do love the mental picture of a beautifully set table, but Christmas is pretty much just another day at our house.

I'd love to see photos of your tables if anyone wants to take a minute to share.

:)

Dawn

We're with Chi & Dawn. I love the thought of a beautiful table and I have done that in other times, other lives, but we took our mostly unused dining room apart and turned it into a much used reading room.

My husband, grown son (in the midst of a separation), and I will eat at the kitchen island and will be content happy with some favorite food and lively conversation. We enjoy the best of the best energy that comes with this time of year and will raise a glass to the return of the sun.

I say photos or it's not happening. Wink wink-

would love to see visuals.

I am not a centerpiece person either, as we always have food there even when it's buffet style.

Not to shock you too much but we don't do Christmas so I have nothing to share.:) but still looking forward to seeing some gorgeous settings.

I do an ivory tablecloth that I use for everything. I used to use the fancy Christmas ones, but they need ironing!

I will use white dinner plates, and paper Christmas napkins that have green holly.

I used to do a centerpiece of evergreens, but no longer.

This is from a luncheon this week but Christmas dinner will be the same -- only more plates! An antique lace cloth, damask napkins in silver rings (my Christmas ones -- I have 5 -- the others will just have to have regular antique rings), my Royal Doulton Tartan china, grandmother's cutlery, (with one less fork -- no salad before dinner for Christmas) and poinsettias in Waterford cache pots. It's festive but not over the top!

It is fun to set a pretty table. I used to do it with my good silver, Spode Christmas tree dishes. But family traditions and situations have changed so it doesn’t work into holiday plans now. On one hand it makes me sad, on the other, yay easier for me! I think a pretty table makes a nice family memory for kids especially. Oh well, other things are good too!

i always enjoy seeing the table setting competition at our county fair.

Christmas plaid tablecloth, Spode Christmas tree dishes, green napkins, and green bubble glass goblets. The centerpiece is greenery with old ornaments and figurines places through it. I am thankful that the family is still able and willing to come. There will be five of us and 4 dogs!

Mine will be the typical Christmas colors. White table cloth with gold poinsettia runner , large snowball candle, red and green napkins, wreath with little pine cone and red ribbon napkin rings, and my red and green Christmas plates.

Nothing fancy, dark green placemats, red paper napkins. My everyday clear dishes. I was going to buy some flowers from Trader Joe's but not sure I will be able to, I have to work Christmas Eve and not sure they would survive being in my car for over 8 hours while I work. Just 4 of us this year, my kids and one of Lauren's friends. We are eating late Christmas night as my son will be flying in that evening and we have to drive him home from a northern airport. I do have semi fancy Christmas glasses but they are now mismatched two different patterns, some had been broken in the past so I don't have four of either pattern.

Annie, Martha & Provo...BEAUTIFUL table settings!

No company coming again this year, so I'll share my table from 2015. Note the mis-matched plates, glasses, chairs, heck nothing matches. lol

Our's will be elegant paper plates, thick disposable napkins and plastic cups. LOL My moms table is not big enough for us all to sit to eat. It is like a potluck style, but we all love it.

We will have a plaid tablecloth, Lenox Holiday dishes, silver and white cloth napkins trimmed in plaid. No centerpiece this year because we will be using the small table for our immediate family only. For the first time in forty years, the extended family celebration will be on Christmas Eve and not hosted by us...YAY!!!

Everyone's table sounds beautiful and those that have shared pics..awesome!!!

Schoolhouse...I LOVE it. I've loved every pic I've seen of your home.

Judy when my mom was alive she also did pot luck style....we loved it. She did stop using disposable plates one year when she used the disposable plastic type and found my step father washing them. Lol.

Thanks for sharing..I'm still working on mine lol. Once its done I'll throw a big plastic party cover from the dollar tree over it until tomorrow. I was thinking of doing pot luck style next year...and I just might.

I need to take a new picture. I have little elf salt and pepper set to replace the pumpkin ones.

Everyone's table setting is so pretty. I enjoy seeing pics. Mamapinky0, I don't think I have ever seen silver napkins that can be ironed.

The paper plates and napkins are just for looks they will be removed before we eat. I like the design and colors and change them up every year. I had to start over with my collection since I lost all of them.

Beautiful tables! Since I hate ironing my white tablecloth (there HAS to be an easier way to iron those that I don't know about); our table will be bare. White plates, white napkins (ironed and folded so that silverware can be tucked in) and no centerpiece - because my husband always moves it anyway.

I love that people go to the effort to make the dinner and day even more special with a beautiful table -- especially those that have and use vintage or heirloom items!

My only guests will be my DD and her current flame, and my dining room and table are small -- I do have a sideboard so that is where most of the food goes. I have four plates and bowls in Charter Club "Summer Grove" which somehow looks Christmas-y to me with the fruits and ivy; cups in Noritake "Fruit Parfait" that pair nicely; second hand silverplated utensils; and a lovely small linen tablecloth that I will pair with cream/gold/silver placemats and red napkins. I have a crystal pitcher that I have filled with small ornament balls, mini lights (battery operated) and some greens for the table. Festive and different from everyday, but not really formal.

I don't iron my tablecloths...I throw them in the dryer on hot for 10 min, pull them out hot and spread them on the table immediately...most of the wrinkles come right out.

Somewhere I missed the table scape train. This year as last I will have a dark green table cloth, red chargers and then my china. It is ivory with one gold band around the edge. Table center pieces/candles just take up needed room so I don't bother. We will have brass angel napkin holders and I always make a favor of some sort for each person. This year metal cookie cutters with red ribbons.

I wash the tablecloth then immediately set it outside on the clean patio table to dry. Then it only requires 1 or 2 touch ups with the iron.

Here was mine for our lobster stew dinner tonight. DGS1 and one of his friends helped me set it on Fri. I love doing it ahead of time as I enjoy seeing it when I walk through the DR.

Irish linen damask cloth - very old as only old ones fit this antique 56” DR table. Oh yes, it does require ironing! It get sent to The Laundrey in Milwaukee. The return it on a roller - flawless. Costs a bloody fortune, but heck, it’s once a year. There is just nothing comparable to sparkling white linen damask. Use the 52 yr old 22” damask napkins my mother bought me when I married for the first time - still lovely.

China is an English bone china from a short-lived company named Abbeydale. I had 8 but filled it out to 12 on eBay. The soup plates are Herend Chinese Bouquet Rust - bought in London in 1985 at the old Reject China Shop. Paid 8 pounds each! Wish I’d bought 12. Very hard to find the preferred European shape - slightly different than what is sold in the US. Dessert plates are different - Herend Queen Victoria. Bought them in Bermuda many years ago.

Silver is Tiffany English King with most of the pieces in vermeil. Yes, very formal but to me it says “This is an occasion!l

Bread & butter plates are sterling - found then a few years ago in n eBay. They’re quite old and very lovely with the vermeil-handled knife on top.

Sterling water pitcher (one in a NY State Fair polo match by my uncle. So are all the sterling goblets at each place -all engraved polo prizes from the 1920’s - many held at the old Cavalry post at the Presidio in San Francisco.

Champagne glass are hollow stemmed from Tiffany’s - handed down from DH’s aunt.

i was going to have a florist do my centerpiece but they were so vague about flower availablity that I never to the tureen (it always sits in the middle o& the table with its lid. So, my local green grocer had some lovely potted white cyclamen. Bought one. Plonked it in the middle of the tureen, stuck in cut magnolia and the bottom branches cut off Xmas tree - no water, just greenery. It won’t last long but that’s okay.

Candlesticks are Steuben glass - wedding present gotten by my MIL in 1938.

Here’s how it looked. Yes, we always do Christmas crackers!

Anglo, lovely which I expected no less from you.

I would have loved using my white damask table cover but I am affraid to iron it myself. Yep something in the field of lau ndry that Mama is not comfortable doing. Lol. I know to iron on opposite side with a sheet between the damask and iron but I ruined a lovely old pink one one time so I refuse to iron damask now besides there will be a very young child at table and she loves cranberry sauce...lol.

I have loved hearing and seeing everyone's tables...beautiful.

Dolly my napkins are old cotton and a grey silver...depending on how the light hits them they appear grey one moment and silver the next. I do have a **special** napkin for the young child that will be here. ..its white with santa on it. Simply because I was short one napkin and being 4 I knew the little one would love a santa napkin.

I still haven't set my table...I ran out of time and energy today. I decided to pull out the furniture in the family room and look for popcorn...lol. than I figured why not wipe down baseboards...than I figured I better wipe down the front doors....one thing led to another and before I knew it the day was over and my RA was screaming for a hot tub soak.

Thanks for sharing.

Mama, here's some ironing advice.

First, one must establish what fiber the damask cloth is made from. Many, many damask cloths from the 40's-60's were made from rayon or a blend. These were very tricky to iron - I well remember my mother doing so! It requires a very cool iron and yes, fabric between the tablecloth and the iron. That is most likely what you ruined

Then there are old cotton/linen blend cloths. One rarely sees them anymore other than on eBay. The cotton fibers were never as long as the linen ones and they don't iron up all that satisfactorily. One can use a hot iron and no cloth between the iron and the tablecloth.

And then there is the "queen" of damask: 100% pure Irish Linen. It came in multiple grades. The lowest is still pretty, but will never had quite the crisp, silky sheen of a better quality cloth. Double-damask was the gold standard for department store linen cloths for decades. It is lovely and wears like iron. Specialty linen stores sold an even higher grade of double-damask. According to Feguson's, the maker of just about all Irish linen, it is no longer made - too costly and customer price resistance. It is incomparable and I'm very lucky to have been given a large cloth and 12 napkins by my mother as part of my "linen trousseau" when I married in 1966. It's only been in recent years that I realized what a sacrifice this was for my mother; she never had a damask cloth that wasn't rayon, but she was determined that I would have the highest quality Irish linen ultra double-damask.

I struggled ironing that cloth, it's napkins and other lovely linen placemats I got in this trousseau. They never achieved that crisp but silky and smooth touch. I tried spray starch and other spray treatments, sprinkling etc - none ever worked and I often scorched what I was ironing. Very disappointing...

Then I joined the Alter Guild at our church in St Louis. There was a wonderful woman in charge - a lovely lady who had grown up in Alabama. She had learned to iron the Fair Linen from her family's laundresses. She taught me their secrets!

First, one must understand that linen fibers are only fully relaxed and flat when wet. As they dry, they "pull-up" and this is what we see as wrinkling. Once they have started pulling up, the only remedy is to again completely soak the fabric - sprinkling and a steam iron are simply not enough. LINEN MUST BE IRONED COMPLETELY WET! One irons it until it's dry and then leaves it to fully dry for a day or so before folding and storing it.

Secondly, one must have a good iron. Now I'm kind of cheap when it comes to some appliances and I'd see those Rowenta irons that started at $99 at Target and think "Are you kidding me?" and I'd buy a $20 iron. I'd then scorch what I was ironing or the spray/steamer would explode out with dirty water - you know what I mean. Finally, I plunked down the $99 for a Rowenta and have never looked back. It's a fabulous iron and worth the money. Just don't use starch on anything - it will build up on the iron and burn and then scorch your fabric. If that happens, buy a tube of that stuff that one uses to clean an iron and do a thorough cleaning.

When I'm ready to iron napkins or placemats (I no longer attempt cloths - just too enormous and too much dog hair on my basement floor), I wash either in the machine or by hand, and then either spin or wring out what I washed in a thick old bath towel. If I don't have time to iron right away, I put the neatly folded items in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer of my basement refrigerator. Yes, it must be the freezer - they will quickly mildew in the refrigerator. They will keep for months in the freezer if one gets a bit behind on ironing (yes, I have!).

Take out what you want to iron and let it sit and "thaw" until you can unfold each item. Put the iron on the hottest setting and start ironing. I usually start on the wrong side of the item and then go back and forth multiple times, always ending up on the right side - one actually wants the "shine" with linen.

It's SO easy! I do cotton percale pillow cases the same way - they come out smooth as silk, with that lovely crispness.

This is child's play stuff. Set up the ironing board in front of your TV and find a Netflix movie or a soap and just iron. There are few things more satisfying than seeing a neat, folded pile of impeccably ironed linens . Small luxuries that are satisfying to the soul.

So, mama, you are the queen of washing and stain removal; I'll take the ironing crown! Merry Christmas!

Finally got my table set. I like the traditional Christmas colors for my granddaughters.

My family better come hungry. I have been cooking all day.