Christmas is a few days away and I imagine everyone is doing their final preparations. Most of the Christmas trees are in place, there’s some last minute shopping to be done and the final gifts to be found.
This year we are lending our home to friends. The four of us will celebrate Christmas in a lovely AirBnB in Ullà, Spain. This is not the first time we’ve rented a holiday home for the december holidays. And the question is always, how do you decorate away from home, to still create a Christmas ambiance and enjoy it to the fullest? Two years ago, I already wrote an article with ideas for what to put in your suitcase for a Christmas away from home.
This year, I decided to test ideas for a nice Christmas table settings, with only the ‘means at hand’. So I’d like to share some very simple ideas. I decorated two different tables, I leave it up to you to choose your favorite.
I hope I can inspire those of you who are also away for Christmas and maybe even those who will celebrate at home.
Idea #1
Go into the woods, the parc, the beach or into your own garden to do some ‘nature shopping‘. With leaves, branches, pine cones, glands, shells or even rocks, you can already embellish your party table a lot!
Here are my two ‘tested’ table settings. One with colors and a vintage/seventies vibe. And the second more classic table, in white and green, with a near Spring feeling.
TABLE 1
Idea #2
Instead of using placemats or a classic table cloth, why not think of an alternative! Here I used a bed cover (a plaid) as a table cloth. I took it from my daughters bedroom cause I love this pink color that enforces the vintage feeling I was looking for.
If I decide to take this plaid with us to our holiday home, I’ll also use it for comfort on the sofa, tha days after Christmas!
Idea #3
As place cards, I took out some of our Christmas tree decorations, used my ‘nature shopping‘ and some paper labels (found at the bottom of a box of DIY stuff). The colors of these Christmas ornaments also make me think of the 1970s. As we will put them next to the plate when we start the meal, they will continue to decorate the table.
Because of plans to go away this Christmas, I didn’t buy a tree, so these Christmas ornaments weren’t going to be used anyway.
It’s very simple, but effective.
Idea #4
With what I found in my ‘nature shopping‘ in our garden, Icreated a center piece.
But instead of just placing this greeneries on the table, I got out a variation of crockery items and I found differents color candles, I already had, all over the house. I made this composition.
This center piece is indeed a little chaotic, but I like it. You could almost think it’s an improvised party at my grandmothers’ house in the 70ties.
TABLE 1
Idea #5
For the second tested table setting, which is more classic, I started out with these huge leaves.
I admit that they’re most likely bad weeds in our garden. But I liked their size and shape and so I flattened them by laying them under the pouf in front of our woodburner, for 2 days.
They’re not big enough to really be a placemat for the plates, but by putting them slightly to the side, we still see them enough for it to be pretty.
Idea #6
Who hasn’t bought the cork trivets from the big swedish store?
I think I’ve had mine for over 3 years now. I bought them then already with the idea of doing a DIY with them.
I made cardboard templates of a christmas tree and a star and I used a sharp cutter to cut them out of the cork trivets. The result is probably not worthy of a decorating magazine, bt for my Christmas table I like it enough and on top of that, they’ll be usefull!
Idea #7
You can make such lovely things with paper, right? I had some sturdy black paper left over from a bloggers event 4 years ago (Eat with the Blogger red.) So I used that to make simple napkin rings.
With a paper ornament for the christmas tree as a template, I cut out the shape in the photo. Withthe scissors you cut thetop of the tree on one end and the bottom on the other so as you can put them together. And voilà; there’s your napkin ring.
It’s just so easy to make, also with children by the way. And of course, you can make them in any shape you want!
Idea #8
Even though there are only four of us this Christmas, I really like the idea of place cards. So for this second table too, I tinkered some place cards in a really simple way.
The cards are cut from kraft paper and folded in half. And with a white felt pen I drew 3 christmas trees, that’s all. Of course, you have to open up the card to find out where you have to sit.
Idea #9
As for the first tested table setting, I didn’t just want to put naturel shopping finds as a center piece on the table. I have a thing for cake stands. They’re not pieces I use very often but I have several.
For this table I took out 3 of them, a glass one, a ceramic one and another ceramic but antic one.
Here, I put decorations and candlesticks on them, but it goes without saying that during the meal you can use them for the gourmet Christmas dishes, of course.
So my centerpiece is decorative, quite original AND also useful at the same time (and during the whole meal).
Idea #10
On the occasion of an afternoon tea party to celebrate a girlfriends birthday not long ago, I found this glass candy dome.
I simply placed a few of my nature shopping finds and some mini Christmas ornaments in it and voilà, a nice addition to my Christmas table.
A led candle could also do the trick!
So there you go as to my little tips to create an easy table setting to inspire those who travel for Christmas (or not).
It’s also a way to reiterate the fact that we don’t need to spend a lot to create nice Christmas decorations. They are budget tips of course, but also a way to reduce mass consumption and be more ecological. We can find plenty of other easy and DIY ideas to decorate ecologically this way.
And on that somewhat philosophical note I bring this last 2021. blog article to an end
Wishing you very happy Holidays. Take care of yourself, enjoy the little pleasures of life and have fun in 2022!
Photos: Interior Crisp/Nannette Glorie
