holiday - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

CHRISTMAS
TABLETOP DÉCOR
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
2012
You have already prepared the perfect meal, poured delicious wine and shaken up some seriously
tasty cocktails, but there’s one more thing to ensure that your guests are in high holiday spirits—
Christmas decorations. Colleen Mullaney, New York-based lifestyle expert and author of Fairy
Parties: Recipes, Crafts, and Games for Enchanting Celebrations (Chronicle Books, 2010), among
other books, suggests a simple, yet stylish tabletop setup with a splash of color.
STEMWARE ADDS A SPLASH
OF COLOR
Festive stemware at a Christmas dinner is
a must, according to Mullaney. Instead of
your everyday glassware, pour libations
and wine into goblets made from pewter,
silver, mercury glass or ruby-stained crystal.
Don’t hesitate to serve beer in the goblets,
too; their wide rims will allow aromatic
Christmas beers to fill the room with scents
of sugar, spice and everything nice.
“I bought my red wine goblets in Ireland
while visiting one of my dear friends,” Mullaney
says, and she uses them on Christmas
every year.
TURN TO YOUR STASH
Mullaney is a big fan of “using what you
have.” There’s no need to dish out cash
for new holiday decorations if you already
own some. Make the old look new by arranging
the tabletop slightly differently,
with a new, simple centerpiece: a crystal
vase filled with fresh red and white flowers.
PLAYLIST
RED AND WHITE ALL OVER
“Finish your table with mats in vibrant
hues and linen napkins in coordinating
tones,” suggests Mullaney. Shiny white
plates can provide a crisp accent to the
mats’ and napkins’ lush colors. Ornamental
napkin holders that match elements of
your centerpiece will tie the look of your
entire tabletop together. “Chargers, china
and glassware in bright colors all make for
a holiday table to remember.”
ORNAMENTS, NOT EVERGREENS
Evergreen branches and wreaths may be
classic Christmas pieces, but who wants
to clean up all of those needles? Use your
Christmas tree beads to decorate the tabletop
by bunching them up around the centerpiece,
or fill a bowl with ornaments in
red, gold and green, and place them on
either side of the table for an extra touch
of color. You’ll have all of the evergreen’s
merriness with none of its messiness.
“Deck the Halls,” Vic Damone; “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Frank Sinatra; “O Holy
Night,” Al Martino; “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” James Taylor featuring Natalie Cole; “Christmas
Time is Here,” Diana Krall. Get Wine Enthusiast’s Ultimate Holiday Entertaining Guide playlist
on Spotify.
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