How to lay the perfect Christmas dining table - an elegant, traditional and inviting set up for the big day!

Every year I so look forward to setting the dining table and getting it ready for our Christmas lunch.

We collect up all of our special pieces; tableware, cutlery, and other items gathered or gifted over the years, to really make the whole occasion feel extra meaningful.

Start with planning out the seating location of your diners by laying your placemats. I found the most wonderfully fun festive themed ones and adore using them. You can pick similar up in most good homeware stores during the run-up to Christmas. 

Next pop your coasters with each placemat. Coasters go top right of your placemat. 

Now for the cutlery - my most special and nostalgic part of the table laying.  I was given a beautiful cutlery set by my Grandparents. Every year they would gift me with a knife, fork and spoon - back then I wasn’t overly thrilled! But now, every time I use them and see my family enjoying them, it puts a real smile on my face.

As you are getting the silverware out, do check them over for any marks and keep a silver cleaning cloth handy for if you spot any. A quick wipe should have them shining in no time.

Cutlery Placement

We start our Christmas lunch with smoked salmon and prawns. Since you work from the outside in, this means our fish knife and fork for this course are the first to be laid on the outer edge of the cutlery. 

Next up is turkey, so we have a large knife and fork. These are each placed one in from the edge.

Then we move to Christmas pudding, so we have a spoon and a fork.

We finish up with cheese - so a cheese knife goes on the very inner edge on the right.

Now for the napkins. I made my run-up a couple of days ago, and you can do the same! Take a look at my blog post by clicking here! There is something totally satisfying about creating as much of your Christmas bits & pieces at home - take a look through my Seasonal catergory in the main menu if you’re more interested in going down the DIY route.

Now for glasses. Water glasses go straight onto the coasters, I let the children use the same as the rest of the table as a little Christmas treat!

The smaller of the two wine glasses is for white wine. We have white with our starter, so this is placed nearest to the placemat. The larger of the two glasses is for red wine. This is enjoyed with the main, so goes slightly back from the white.

Pop a salt and pepper mill set onto each end of the table.

I like to have a couple of non-alcoholic beverages placed onto the table, and always go for ginger beer as it is Gus’s absolute favourite! Alongside a nice chilled bottle of sparkling water. These sit with a jug of my own elderflower cordial which I love - blog post on how to create your own coming next year!

It's time for the wines! Place your bottle of red at one end of the table, and the bottle of white at the other. 

The Decorative Pieces

Now that you have the foundation of the tableware all set and ready to go, you can start to place your decorative props. A friend of ours gave us a great dish featuring a reindeer being driven by an angel as an anniversary present, and I love using it on the table - I fill it with chocolate!

Don’t forget your crackers! These go at the top of everybody’s placemat, ready for the silly jokes and hilarious hat wearing!

I do love to have one of my handmade centrepieces in the middle of the table too. I created this advent ring in a similar style to my homemade wreathes, with candles and even small battery powered fairy lights in the middle. They're beautiful when the dusk starts to set in.

Do you have any questions regarding your Christmas table? Do ask me below!

Love,