Chic & Cheap Holiday Tables
Do you love to make a colorful splash with your holiday tables but feel a bit stymied by a modest holiday budget? You don’t have to spend a lot to dress up your holiday table. In fact, a few inexpensive items from the dollar store combined with what you already have on hand might be all you need to create the warm and festive ambience you’re looking for.
Linens
• Start with a basic tablecloth and decorate with chargers or placemats made from foil paper from the craft store.
• Check the remnants bin at your local fabric store for holiday fabric to make your own placemats or napkins.
• Get an inexpensive roll of wire ribbon and make chair ties or napkin rings.
• Make napkin rings out of SCOTT® Tissue cores. Cut each roll in four circles, and decoupage or tape on holiday paper.
China and glassware
• If your china or glassware doesn’t match your holiday theme, consider the beautiful disposables available to suit any color scheme or décor.
• Tie together your color scheme with colorful ribbons tied around the stems of your glassware. Different colored ribbons can help your guests identify their glasses before they get to the table.
• If you need decorative serving bowls and platters, don’t forget your local thrift store. You can find something that matches your motif at a fraction of the original cost.
Centerpieces and Decorations
• An inexpensive round mirror covered with tea candles makes a lovely centerpiece. You can get inexpensive candleholders in lots of colors at a dollar store. Sprinkle the table with foil confetti to reflect the candlelight.
• Take your prettiest crystal bowl and fill it with colorful ornaments or pinecones from your yard to make a quick and easy centerpiece
• Make your own place card holders out of pinecones or ornaments – or write each guest’s name on small felt Christmas stockings with a glitter glue pen.
Food
• Don’t feel like you have to make 12 different dishes to make everyone happy. Healthy portions of a few tasty favorites should be enough for everyone. Remember at the holidays, get-togethers shouldn’t be about the food; they should be about the people.
• Do consider the visual appeal of your dishes. Garnish foods with fresh parsley or decoratively cut vegetables. Make sure your tossed salad has plenty of different colors in it. Not only is a colorful salad attractive, but it also means you’re getting a good balance of vitamins and minerals.
Question: How do you dress up your holiday table without blowing your budget?
