How to Decorate Your Table for Christmas

Use evergreen branches for an easy way to create a woodland atmosphere for your table. Introduce weathered or natural wood in light or dark finishes to bowls, platters or birch candles. Classic white dinnerware is so versatile that it merges with any style, including casual farmhouse or urban chic. Punch it up with contrasting plates patterned with festive holiday designs or colored glassware.

Try natural linen for a more casual tablecloth. Pair it with napkin rings in rattan or grapevine, or tie satin ribbons with sprigs of berries around rolled napkins.

Dress it up with gold or copper accents. Frame plates with chargers, and use festive drinkware with metallic rims or decorations.

For a Christmas centerpiece, try a vintage trough or a modern wooden bowl planted with asparagus ferns. Add painted pinecones in varying sizes for dimension and interest.

Complement your red and green Christmas theme with evergreen branches that also look elegant when arranged in footed white bowls. Create a wintery terrarium in a glass cloche lined with moss. Add gold-dipped pine cones, stars, ornaments, or children’s artwork, including cutout snowflakes or angels. White flowers, especially tulips, lilies, roses and hydrangeas, all create elegant holiday arrangements in glass vases.

If you don’t want a centerpiece, create an evergreen “runner” with fresh pine boughs and pine cones. You can also use live miniature trees wrapped in burlap and held in place with raffia. For a rustic cottage look, tuck small cedar branches into a shallow tray, nestling in hurricanes and weaving in some metallic ornaments.

Go high and low with candles, from votives to pillars to taller candlesticks. The flickering of candlelight always adds warmth, and with the added holiday decorations, the glow is enchanting.

The Christmas table is special, so why not go full-out glam? Glitter is magical within any palette or style—just a few additions do the trick. A little sparkle goes a long way.

A beaded sari or a jeweled scarf is an eye-catching alternative to a more traditional table runner. Use this in place of a runner and layer it over a crisp white tablecloth. For a more subtle look, choose a tablecloth in a complementary color. Try gathering the fabric into elegant ruffles to create a soft nest for other decor. Alternatively, metallic placemats provide sparkle and interest under classic white dinnerware.

Think of your napkin rings as jewelry for each place setting. Choose bracelet-like napkin rings in a sleek style, such as golden entwined bands.

Add metallic decor elements, including trees, reindeer or nutcrackers, to lend seasonal luxury to the table. Mix gold, copper and silver metals, or stick to a monochromatic color theme. Silver platters and bowls mix well with cobalt or turquoise plates and glasses. Prefer warmer hues? Mix cranberry colored table decor with gold flatware and dinnerware.

Fill a large footed bowl (or three smaller glass containers) with glittery ornaments. Consider using platinum or gold patterned barware as small vases for flowers. Cluster these items down the length of the table. For added dimension, place them inside a shallow mirrored tray, and add hurricane candle holders of different sizes and heights. Lots of candles reflect the gloriousness of it all.