Christmas Prep | Table Settings

Christmas is less than a week away!  Agh!!!  It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.  There's so much to do and not enough time to do it but you're still excited to spend this wonderful time of year with family and that might already be on their way!

We all love Christmas at TMID!  Getting festive is sort of in our blood--all the decorations, you know.  So we're right there with you!  And that little cold snap that we had this weekend in Florida was fun too.  It'll be 80 on Christmas Day but, I guess that's just the sacrifice we make...

Anyway, if you're hosting Christmas dinner, you know that there's so many things to worry about.  The food, the cleaning, the gift wrapping, the drinks, the games.  There's a lot that goes into being the hostess (or host) with the mostest...so setting your table and making it festive might be low on the priority list.  You've got the China and the silverware which is all clean an polished, but a centerpiece and other decor might fall into the "oops!  I totally forgot about that" pile.  If so, no worries!  Because today we're going to give you some quick and inexpensive table setting ideas that will help make your holiday table look like you were planning it for months!

What are some things that there might be extra of at this time of year?  Gift tags, cookies, christmas cards, ornaments?  Yes!  All of these, most likely.  What about cinnamon sticks or rosemary or fir?  These are all items that you can use to spruce up your table!

Find a festive guest towel that can be used as a napkin, or maybe you already have nice cloth napkins and place  it on the plate in your place setting.  Then consider adding one of the following:

A gift tag with each guests name on it either tied to the napkin or attached to sprig of rosemary is a fun and festive touch that will literally take minutes!  If you've got a little more time, it might be thoughtful to write a sweet note to each of your guests on the back of the tag welcoming them.

Maybe you'd prefer to have the napkin off to the side instead of laying in the center of the plate.  If so, you'll still want something to spice up your plate for guests.  How about a cute gingerbread cookie waiting to greet them when they sit down?!  If you've already made cookies, just set some of the fun ones aside for that and voila!  place setting decoration done!

Want something a little different that isn't food or plants?  How about an individual votive or tea light candle at each place setting.  Depending on the container, these can really at a lot to the overall look of the table.  Use a red container or gold container or even green, depending on the rest of the table decor.  And light it shortly before it's time to eat!  It was add a cozy ambiance to your table and fulfill the fil place setting conundrum.

Were you late on getting your Christmas cards out this year? If so, nows the perfect time to get them to your friends!  Lay a card on the plate or prop it up at each place setting!  Take a little extra time to write a sweet or funny note to each of your guests that they can read when they sit down to the table for dinner.  It'll be a great way to start conversation and might even serve as an easy icebreaker!

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday wherever you spend it!