Christmas Dinner Table Decor
The Christmas countdown is on, we are almost there guys. Are you done your holiday shopping? Is your fridge stocked for your intimate holiday dinners? Have you thought about what your Christmas dinner table decor will look like? I know that this year looks so different than any year before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate. You may feel like “whats the point?” but for me I like to celebrate all holidays and occasions even if it’s only Matt and me.
This year we celebrated Christmas a couple weeks early. This was due to Matt’s mom’s work schedule (she is a nurse and works on Christmas Day) and works better for our family. However, with our community going into red tomorrow and tightening up restrictions, it was for the better.
We celebrated with our immediate family on Matt’s mom side since they are already in our bubble and we have contact with each other on a regular basis. In order to keep things more physically distanced, not everyone sat at the same table and we kept people grouped to their direct household.
Celebrating During Covid
Just a side note, our family has multiple houses on the same property so we regularly have contact with each other even though we don’t directly live in the same house, we treat it as one residence. Life sure would have been boring these past 9 months if Matt and I could only see each other. We still do social distance quite a bit around each other from the different houses but we go freely into each others homes if we need to. Our family members that work with the public are extremely careful and mother in law gets Covid tested regularly due to her job.
In saying all of that, we has an early Christmas dinner so we could celebrate together safely. I planned out of Christmas dinner table decor early on, but some things got changed on the day of. Sometimes you just have to adapt and pivot (understatement of the year!) and that is what we did. So I’m going to go through what we did and what I had planned so you can get an idea. Also keep in mind that this table was set for 9 people but you can do it with fewer. Even if it’s just you and one other person this year, or a small gathering. It’s still fun to set up a festive table for 2 or 4.
What Was on Our Christmas Dinner Table
We started with two plain white tablecloths. I already had these from other events I have hosted. Most people have tablecloths and they are easy to come by. Red or cream coloured would also work. I then purchased a red table-runner from Walmart. This table-runner actually has a glittery floral pattern on the one side but I wanted plain red so I used it upside down.
On top of the table-runner I took an old faux garland we have in the basement that plugged in to light up and placed it on top of the table-runner. It was a pretty long garland so I overlapped it to fill the space. At the end of the table that Matt and I sat, we plugged it in.
Improvise
Our original plan was to cut branches off of some of our pine trees and put these on top of the table-runner. Then we were going to use battery operated lights to weave through the branches. However our box of battery operated lights has been misplaced so we improvised. If you don’t have a spare garland, or if you are planning this on short notice. You can cut branches off some pine or cedar trees or buy some from your local florist. They are fairly easy to find and not expensive.
Throughout the garland and table-runner we scattered different sized red and gold ornaments. As well as, some red and gold bells. The ornaments were actually directly off of our Christmas trees and the bells were ornaments we didn’t use this year. There is no need to go out and spend more money, use what you have to decorate. You could even make a Popcorn Garland and weave it through the garland/branches.
My Inspiration
For the rest of the table we kept it simple. We used red cloth napkins that I picked up from Homesense. The napkin holders I purchased from Walmart. These were actually my first purchase for the table and what I used as inspiration for the entire thing. I took the colours and design and planned the table around them. These were fairly inexpensive $6 for 4 and I purchased 12 (to use in future years).
Lastly, and my favourite part of the entire Christmas dinner table decor were the custom place card sugar cookies. I am very lucky that my mom has a baking business and I was able to hire her to make these custom sugar cookies for everyone. I sent her a picture of the napkin ring holders and she was able to recreate the design on the cookies. My place card cookie was gluten free and the rest of them were regular sugar cookies. She is extremely careful while baking the gluten free cookies and made sure there was absolutely no cross contamination. I felt that the custom place card sugar cookies finished off the table perfectly and really brought everything together.
Other Ideas
Some other options for the table are adding in charger plates. I considered adding in red chargers but decided against it. For another holiday or occasion I may do this. You can also set out your cutlery on the table like we did for Easter. But for this situation it was better to allow people to get their own.
I am very happy with how everything turned out. Everyone was super excited about their sugar cookies and loved the table set up. Of course, going all out for holiday dinners isn’t necessary, but I do find that it adds a nice touch. It makes the dinner feel more special and we truly need those little special moments these days.
Try not to feel disheartened or upset if this year you won’t be with your family. Many people are experiencing the same situation. It’s okay to be upset, it’s valid. We have all had a hard year (some harder than others), but my only advice is to try and make the best of it.
Starting New Traditions
This year will just be, Matt, the dogs and me and while we are going to miss seeing our family so much. We are trying to look at it in a positive light. This will be the first year we don’t have to travel on Christmas Day and we are looking forward to getting to stay in our onesies and watch movies. Maybe this will be the year to start a new tradition.
I hope that our Christmas Dinner Table Decor inspires you. I had so much fun creating it and I love that it came together just as I envisioned. The best part is that I was able to reuse and repurpose some of the Christmas decor I already had. While only purchasing a few items that I can use year after year. It was also great being able to support my mom and her baking business Jac Bakes with Care. If you’re in the GTA or Southern Ontario you can place an order with her.
Let us know what you have planned for your holiday dinner tables this year. We love to see other peoples ideas and gain some inspiration. Also, keep an eye out for a few more recipes coming this week.
