Christmas Dinner Table Decorating - HELP!

[cjm]

DH & I are having our family Chirstmas Dinner Dec.22. If everyone comes we will have 30 people. I'm needing some tips on how I should decorate my tables (preferably something simple & easy - I'm not too crafty!).

We will use large, long tables & have everyone around the outside (probably a U or rectangle shape), including children...NO CHILDREN'S TABLE. I will be using red tablecloths and green tablecloths, red napkins, white dishes & crystal. I have frosted votive candles I want to use...

TIA...everyone

Jean

[daner94]

How about some pinecones placed in the center of the table? If you are inclined, spray paint them gold. Then you can set the votives in and around them.

Also, winter vegetables and fruits in a bowl look great as a centerpiece. I also saw hurricanes filled halfway with fresh cranberries, and long candles set inside, very festive!

You might want to check out marthastewart.com for more ideas. She is the queen!

[Molli526]

I have seen a tiered stand ( I have a 3 tiered silver one I use for desserts) where there is candles on the levels and then other seasonal stuff around it. I could see holly leaves, may pinecones and candles.

[mandarin2j]

Last year, I laid out white snowflakes on a red cloth--simple, but striking. I didn't have space for centerpieces with all the serving dishes on the table, so it was a very Martha solution for me. Snowflakes don't take a whole lot of crafty-ness (you can put DH to work on them, too, which is nice!) & you can press them with a warm iron (only be careful not to scorch them!) once you unfold them.

-Amanda

[AndreaU]

How about little square mirrors with a votive candle on each? Or, like daner94's idea, put some pinecones on them or even some evergreen clippings?

[Melman]

Sort of along the same idea as daner94, use greenery you can find outside. Last year, I used small branches/twigs of magnolia, holly, and frazier fir (from where they cut the bottom branches off my Christmas tree). I sprayed some sort of accent pieces of the branches with that wonderful gold spray paint! I used just enough of the gold to make it interesting. I had a beautiful candle right in the middle of the table. Very pretty...EXTREMELY cheap. Other than the candle (it was a glass oil lamp), everything was unbreakable.