WebDecember2017

60 | www.westendermagazine.com
There is a list of things to think through for a
traditional Christmas dinner. You can also of course
just ditch it all and go out, go to someone else’s house,
or do something else entirely – all of which sometimes
becomes more appealing the later it gets in December.
However, if you’re the host on Christmas day and
you’re doing a full Christmas dinner, it’s worth
thinking about the look and feel of the whole occasion.
This means the focal point of the festivities, the dining
table.
It makes sense to start with the practicalities with this.
Do you have a big enough table to fit everyone around,
do you have enough chairs to go around, will you need
to have a kids’ table and an adults’ one to get everyone
seated? Depending on your numbers, this can be a fun
option anyway and means you can tailor the tables a bit
more. Keeping the candles and the wine bottles for the
‘big table’ and the streamers and apple juice for the wee
ones is an option to consider if you have a large group.
Once you get the tables and chairs sorted – then you
can get creative. Think of the room as a whole, and
decide on your theme to carry through to the table. If
you need to use a tablecloth, think of this as the colour
basis, do you want to make this a colourful statement
in bold red or green, or will you go for a crisp clean
white perhaps? Would you leave off the tablecloth and
use a festive runner up the middle of the table? You
can have a bit of fun with these in strong Christmassy
prints and patterns, or keep it really clean and simple
in whites and greys. Will you use placemats for each,
and is the best silver coming out?
The main areas for personalising and fun statements
are the centrepiece, the name places and the crackers.
Consider firstly making sure that everyone can see
each other across the table and you have space to
actually put the plates and serving dishes down. You
might benefit from an extra table at the side for drinks
and dishes so that you can keep the table as clear as
possible. Then the centrepiece comes into play. If you
have a circular table, you might be more inclined to go
for one chunky centrepiece, a rectangular table might
lend itself more to a long, thin display or a few small
focal points.
It’s helpful to think of all the parts of the table coming
together as a whole. So, for example, you could choose
a simple arrangement in the centre with big chunky
candles surrounded by holly, ivy and berries, topped
off with a bit of tartan ribbon for a great traditional
look.
Personalised crackers can double up as place holders
simply by adding name tags to shop-bought crackers.
Cut out green paper holly leaves with gold pen names
written on them, attached to red tartan crackers make
a lovely addition. Don’t forget to check what’s in the
crackers – the days of being impressed by a golf tee or
a mini pack of cards are long gone now and you can
get a wonderful array of options. Even better, make
your own, this is simple to do and you can match
your colour scheme easily and create an added layer
of surprise and delight by adding little special pieces
of jewellery as the gift, or make it personalised jokes.
You can add your festive games here too with dares
or charades as little notes inside. Or, you could add
in little memories from the year gone by – a funny
thing that person said, or a great thing they achieved
that year. The crackers are a lovely way to add other
elements to the meal and the group dynamic.
Or, you could go for something a little bit different, how
about a ‘deconstructed Christmas tree’? No-one would
miss a few branches snipped from the back of the
tree to make into a long, jaggy construction down the
centre of the table. Think a little bit abstract, envisage
it as a structure rather than an arrangement, ditch the
candles and use battery operated fairy lights to drape
around the needles, and sprinkle the whole thing with
glitter. Make the baubles into the name placers, use a
gel pen to write names and the date on some colourful
tree decorations and everyone can take theirs home for
their own tree when they leave.
The opportunities are endless but the key to it all is
remembering it’s the people that matter. Getting
loved-ones together is one blessing, then making them
feel special with personalisation and little surprises
is another, and adding in some laughs is even better,
think of your table that way and you have the ideal
starting place for a festive feast.