Holiday Decorating: Make Your Gathering Special With a Beautiful Table Setting

One of the best parts about celebrating any holiday is gathering with friends and family around the table for dinner. Holidays meals are special because they are often one of the few times everyone is home and together again. Make those events feel even more special by setting a beautiful table. Here’s some wonderful inspiration to help you plan your holiday dinners.

Before you even get close to this table, the sweet scent of narcissus will draw you in. The silver and white speak of elegance, and you can’t wait to get closer for a better look.

White narcissus are beautiful in a holiday centerpiece. Besides their heavenly scent, they remind us to hang tight through the cold winter because the promise of spring is just around the corner.

This is the perfect tablescape if your budget is feeling a bit stretched. You can usually find very affordable, 4 inch pots of narcissus in most garden or big box hardware stores. Shop the discount stores for white candles and spray paint a few pine cones silver, and your centerpiece is complete.

Recently I had the opportunity to tour this year’s Southern Living Idea House in Senoia, Georgia. This is a view of the dining room.

The dining table was dressed for a holiday dinner. Though this place setting was incomplete, lacking flatware and a napkin, I loved the simplicity of the curled ribbon with a little ornament placed atop the salad plate.

The kitchen table also showcased a lovely holiday tablescape in muted colors of green, brown and cream. All the centerpieces and mantels were dressed with fresh greenery. This centerpiece even contained clove-studded oranges.

At Christmastime you can never go wrong with the traditional colors of green and red. Every holiday table needs a special centerpiece. Don’t have anything blooming in the yard at this time of year? No problem! A few pretty wrapped presents will set the mood for your holiday table.

If red and green isn’t what you had in mind, consider a frosty winter table setting. Pull out your white china and combine it with silver chargers, lacy or open cutwork place mats and your best stemware for a table they’ll be talking about until next Christmas.

Soft blues and aquas are really popular right now, and combined with white, it really creates a beautiful table setting.

I especially like how the soft blues are evident in the centerpiece, trees and even the napkin rings.

Tip: If your table is cozy and space is at a premium, place your napkin across the center of your bowl or salad plate.

Narcissus also work great combined with the color red for a holiday table setting. Add a little candlelight, some luscious, red pomegranates in a wicker basket, and you’re all set for your holiday dinner.

Tip: Don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy tablecloth. Mix and match your holiday colored place mats for a look that’s cozy and casual.

Silver combined with almost any color feels festive and just right for a holiday table setting. Here’s another great idea for a simple, inexpensive centerpiece. Silver ornaments grouped on a silver tray feel elegant and sophisticated.

The colors gold and red combined with a natural or woodsy centerpiece are perfect for a Christmas table setting.

If you’d like to give your guests a little gift with which to remember the evening, consider a pretty ornament for each place setting. This beaded ornament perfectly highlights the gorgeous beaded tablecloth.

Do you have a favorite color combination for holiday dinners? Or an idea for an easy, budget-friendly centerpiece?