Holiday Table Setting | Table Setting Ideas

Hey Frenns! It’s the holiday season and if you are anything like me you are gearing up for a holiday dinner. If you’ve gotten my cookbook, My Kitchen To Yours, you will know that one of the tips I give for hosting at your home (for a large or small group), is to begin to decorate a few days prior to the holiday or event. The are a few reasons for that- first you want to take your time and decorate when your mind is not distracted. Another reason is, preparing in advance gives you time to know if you have everything you need. It would be unfortunate to realize you are one plate or cup short 10 min before your guests arrive. Lastly, I do not like to decorate while I’m also cooking. Either my food will not end up completely done OR burnt or my table won’t be put together just like I want it. You do not want that to happen. So you decorate in advance.

I love decorating my tables for events. It’s one of my favorite things to do to bring everything together. I decorate my table whether I am hosting for an event or if I am just having something for my husband and me. No event is too big or too small for me. Not everyone has an eye for decor and that’s what I’m here to share- how to “pull it all together”and not break the bank in the meantime.

One of my first decorating tips is to pick ONE single item that will carry your theme. That item can be big or small. It can be a special glass. A photo. A chair. Or something as large as a painting, a decorative wall. This year, I am really drawn to buffalo print. What I love about buffalo print is it can be dressed up or down and can serve as a good backdrop to almost any decor. The key is to NOT overdo any theme (particularly buffalo print, lol) because otherwise it’s overdone and ventures into tacky territory. This year for the holidays, I was grilling (yes in the cold in Chicago, lol) so I didn’t want to have a full on a fancy dinner setting but I also still wanted to decorate.

I have 1 buffalo print table cloth I decided that was the ONE item that I would draw from to decorate my holiday table.  

The wonderful thing about decorating is you can make anything blend. I also purchased (at the end of the season) some Better Homes and Garden holiday dinner plates and salad plates. The holly theme is perfect with almost anything Christmas themed. Funny enough those plates did not come from the same set but I mixed and matched it and it worked. I also have some gold rimmed Lenox glasses that have holly on them, so I was able to pull that glass into that theme- A sub theme if you will.

It wasn’t always necessarily my goal to go in that direction but as I began to lay everything out it really seemed to go together. I pulled some of my other “random” holiday items and happened to have a piece with the buffalo print on there. And of course I added my “J-O-Y” light up letters. And a photo of my husband and me. I realized when I was setting up that I did not have buffalo print napkins so I ordered them which they should (FINGERS CROSSED) be here before the holiday arrives. 

Hopefully, you’re out looking at this and thinking I purchased it all at one time. I didn’t not. I am frugal Fran and know how to find a good deal. One of my most favorite things to do AFTER any holiday is purchase holidays decorations. I hit up all of the main stores, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Target and even Wal-Mart in the days after Christmas. You’ll be surprised what you can get for half of the price (and more sometimes). 

I hope this inspires you for your own holiday table. What is your theme this year? Any colors you’re focusing on as a pallet? Let me know in the comments below. And check out my detailed video of my table decorations.