MY MINIMAL CHRISTMAS TABLE STYLE GUIDE

Chances are the last thing you want to think about on Christmas is setting the Christmas table. That’s why I always try to set and style the table a couple days in advance so it is all ready to go! Plus, it makes me feel like I have my life together a little.

Although I’m not home for the holidays this year I was able to help my mom set the Christmas table when I went to visit in mid November (talk about planning ahead!) Just kidding, It’s about the only thing I did to plan ahead for the holidays.

For the table this year I wanted to keep it really simple with minimal place settings and focusing more on the centerpiece. The best part about this is there is less clean up, more table space for serving dishes, and the table setting is easier to achieve!

| HERE ARE THE THREE COMPONENTS TO MY AFFORDABLE AND MINIMAL CHRISTMAS TABLE SET UP |

LINENS

I wanted to keep everything really clean and classic with a white table cloth. I feel like this sets the scene for a really classic setting with very little effort. The only thing to remember with a white table cloth is giving it a good wash with bleach and a good iron after you use it!

The only other linens we used were these warm terra-cotta colored linens just draped at each place setting. Sometimes I will try to create a statement napkin display, but this year this simple and minimal approach seemed to do the trick.

THE CENTERPIECE

For the centerpiece I used my mom’s famous faux magnolia garland. It is the perfect length to work with our dining table and it adds a lot of warmth to the table without making a mess. To add some color in I layered in some other faux and real plantings found around the house and the yard ( who else loves yard clippings! ).

The only other aspect to the center piece is the series of tall pillar candles. I love the drama that pillar candles add. There’s nothing like seeing the wax spill down the ends of the candles throughout the course of dinner. Here are some of my favorites to use:

PLACE SETTINGS

For the place setting I decided to place the plates directly on the white table cloth instead of using a charger. This de-layered approach allowed the place settings to sing a little stronger. I decided to layer my parents every day china with some of their seasonal side salad plates. This combination really worked well with the minimal dark brown and white plate under the hand painted salad plate.

Last thing you need for your setting is your favorite glassware! You can’t go wrong here. Try mixing taller and shorter glasses for a more eclectic look. I was able to shop my parent’s collection and use some of their finer china stemmed glassware that really helped complete the look.