Christmas Table Decor Ideas

Beautiful Christmas table decor table takes your dinner from ordinary to exceptional. A beautiful table scape adds a little magic to your meal and makes everyone at the table feel like they are part of something special. 

Tablescape. Noun. An artistic arrangement of articles on a table.

I always love using my grandmothers china over the holidays. Noah, our middle son, while helping me get the china down from the upper cabinet recently said,”I don’t get china. Why have dishes you only use a couple times a year?”

At one point in time in was the “proper” way to set a table. To know us, is to know we aren’t proper. What we are though, is nostalgic. That’s what china is to me. Every time my fingers touch her silver, or I sip from a wine glass or I place her plate on the table, I am transported back to Christmas or Thanksgiving as a child with my mimi. 

Those holidays are some of my most cherished memories. It was the only time my family gathered around a table. And, for the most part, they were trying to be on their best behavior. At least for a couple of hours. The events almost always ended with a door slam and tears but isn’t that what holiday family time is all about?

Thanks to The List for having me on to discuss holiday table scapes. You can check out some of my additional tips in this video!

Table Setting Ideas That Won’t Break The Budget

A table scape doesn’t have to be expensive to be special. Your Christmas table decor can be simple white plates . Spruce them up with pretty cloth napkins and a centerpiece of candles, greenery and fruit.

If you want to elevate the table with decorative plates, don’t buy the whole set. Buy salad plates and place them on top of your basic white plates.

If you don’t have brass candlesticks, you can use different colored lid tops like these below. I save most of my glass jars from pickles, olives, mustard and everything else. I use them all the time for homemade salad dressing and spice mixes. Use these tops during the holidays to add a pop of color and protect your table from wax. I am all about reusing and repurposing.

Below are three of my favorite Christmas table decor ideas this season.

Nostalgic Christmas Table Decor

I am a lover of all things nostalgic. These salad plates are a new set this year from Pottery Barn but the scenes make me feel like I’m in an old Christmas movie. I used black chargers and my mimi’s china to add depth and paired them with navy napkins.

I am all for mixing metals. My china is silver lined, the flatware is gold and the candlesticks are brass and silver. I also used green glass candlesticks to add a different texture.

The centerpiece contains one long piece of thin garland, pine cones, and pomegranates.

Farmhouse Christmas Table Decor

The green and red plaid runner adds a farmhouse feel to this table setting. I used my mimi’s china to give an elevated contrast to the casualness of the runner and added these colorful ski lift salad plates from West Elm (unfortunately these are no longer available). The red napkins pop the reds from the runner and these champagne glasses are my most favorite.

I wanted to bring an outdoorsy farmhouse feel to the plates so they weren’t too fancy so I stacked these small wood pieces and tide the name cards to them with twine. I had these old school ski poles so I ran them down the center of the runner to tie the plates and centerpiece together.

Silver and Gold Christmas Table Decor

Sometimes you just want to keep it simple. Silver, gold, brass and bronze are all players in this table scape. I used several pieces of artificial eucalyptus down the center of the table. Green tapers that match the eucalyptus stems keep the centerpiece quiet so that the only pop on this table are the oranges in my favorite black bowl from McGee and Co. and the fresh pomegranates.

I love these antler napkin rings that I purchased at one of my favorite local shops last year, The Barn Redefined, and kept a more masculine vibe with these gray napkins. Everything about this table setting is calming and simple.

Wishing you and yours a fabulous holiday season spent around a table laughing over old memories and creating new ones.