Are you setting your tabletops for Christmas yet?
I love pulling out some of the same items year after year but changing things up just a bit. I have 3 of my past year’s tabletops to share today in 3 different color schemes.
Red and White Christmas Tabletop
Green and Gold Christmas Tabletop
Fuschia, White and Gold Christmas Tabletop
I hope these can inspire you to mix things up a bit this year and get you in the mood to set your table for Christmas.
Red and White Christmas Tabletop
With this table, I started with some plain linen I had leftover from years ago, that I had covered my office tackboards with.
I almost always use my pewter chargers at Christmas that I bought in Norway when I lived there almost 25 years ago. Norway has a lot of home decor items made out of pewter and I have utensils, candlesticks, some Christmas ornaments and a few other items that I purchased there from local makers. The great thing about pewter is that it doesn’t tarnish!
I also usually use my creamware that I bought through eBay when I did a butler’s pantry in a showhouse back in 2009. I have white china from when we got married, but I really prefer the soft white of the creamware if I’m adding a bit of a rustic look to the table like I did here.
The silverplate flatware was inherited from my husband’s grandmother some years ago and has an “A” engraved on each piece. :-)
Red and white rustic Christmas tabletop - Vintage creamware and inherited silverplate flatware pair with antlers, pine cones and poinsettias for a festive, rustic look. | carlaaston.com
I love the antlers I bought from the Cash and Carry section at Dallas market about 5 years ago. They add a rustic quality and make a nice “runner” down the table.
A berry garland works to twine some of the red color and a few large ball ornaments in red and gold add a festive look. Both are Christmas decorations I’ve had for many years.
Red and white rustic Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
The tall aspen trees, the small concrete pots and small pinecones came from At Home, from when I did posting for them back in 2016. A collection of dark metal candlesticks add the candlelight.
The newest items to the table are the off-white linen napkins from Crate and Barrel and the vintage smoke glasses found at Round Top. I got a deal at $20 for twelve of them, bought at the last show before Covid hit.
Red and white rustic Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
Green and Gold Christmas Tabletop
I really loved doing a green and gold table the year before, getting some hunter green candles from Amazon and using my green glassware.
I was digging around in my sideboard and found these green plaid napkin rings I had from the 80’s. All those old stashed things can be great, if you pull them out and use them once in awhile. (Otherwise, donate, sell or give them away to someone who wants them. :-)
As I’m getting older, I’m making a real effort to use what I have that I love and then culling through to thin out the cabinets a bit. I do think there is a happy medium of keeping what you have and downsizing, without just dumping everything you’ve collected over the years. This “slow downsizing” works for me now.
You can see with this table that I used the same pewter chargers, creamware, silverplate flatware and linen napkins. I did use a new, inexpensive tablecloth that would work for a New Year’s celebration we were going to have too.
Green and gold Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
The small green wine glasses were some we bought on the Rhine river when we drove through Europe with our kids one summer while we lived in Norway.
The gold chiffon runner and the gold ball wire garland were things I picked up at Tuesday Morning years ago. They made a nice base for my collection of pewter and brass candlesticks.
Green and gold Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
Some gold and silver ornaments add some sparkle along with my gold dipped pinecones (something I did in the 90’s while in my Martha Stewart disciple phase).
The flowering kale, hydrangea and lamb’s ear bring the green and white to the table with flowers.
Green and gold Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
Fuschia, white and Gold Christmas Tabletop
One year I found peonies at Christmas in the market, and decided to just do gold and white and let the fuschia make a color statement. It worked so well with my suzani there on the wall.
I used my white china with some gold napkins that I’ve had for years, and a white tablecloth, inherited from my mother-in-law. The brass and wood flatware was passed down through her from her mother-in-law, years ago.
Fuschia, white and gold Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
A silver mesh table runner, the gold ornaments and my colorful wine glasses from a glassblower in Norway, finish off this table.
Fuschia, white and gold Christmas tabletop | carlaaston.com
Looking back on this now, I can see a pretty addition would have been a thin fuschia satin ribbon tied in a bow with long strands onto the ornament on the napkin. Darn, wish I’d done that! Don’t know when I’ll ever see fuschia peonies again at Christmas.
You can see from these tables that the easiest way to change the color of the table is with flowers, candles and maybe a runner. It can change the whole look while still using the same place settings.
I hope this helps you see how you can change your table to create a different look each year while still using some of the same items. A mix of old and new also make for an interesting table.
I know many of you do beautiful table settings and love entertaining at home. I’d love to see some of your tables too! You can upload a pic in the comments or send me one via Instagram messages if you are following me there. I’d love to see your Christmas tables!
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