Creative Ideas For Festive Tablescapes
December is one long run of tables. There’s the friends’ dinner, the drinks that turn into supper, Christmas Day itself and the slow leftovers lunch after. At Glassette, we think every one of them deserves more than a red runner and a box of shop-bought crackers. Think personal touches, a little theatre overhead and a centrepiece you can eat. Whether you’re hosting twelve or keeping it to four, here are five creative ideas for hosting this Christmas.
Make Your Own Crackers
A shop-bought cracker is a paper hat, a bad joke and a plastic comb. Make your own and you decide what goes inside. Think good wrapping paper, a proper snap and something small worth keeping: a nice chocolate, a vintage brooch, a handwritten fortune. It’s one evening’s work, and they’ll outshine anything in a box.
Creative Place Settings
A place setting is the easiest way to make a table feel planned. Think names in gold pen on bay leaves, luggage tags knotted around napkins, or written straight onto a clementine. It’s personal and tactile, and it settles the seating plan before anyone has to ask.
Ribbon From the Ceiling
This year, the tablescape starts above the table. Lengths of velvet ribbon hung from the ceiling at staggered heights frame the whole setting without taking up an inch of it. Stick to one or two colours, deep red or forest green, and let them fall to just above head height, well clear of the candles.
Glass Charms
Twelve matching wine glasses and a long lunch rarely end well. Glass charms solve it. Think beads, tiny bells or an initial each. They add a flash of colour, keep everyone on their own glass and go home as a small gift.
An Edible Centrepiece
Skip the flowers and let the food do the work. Think sprouts still on the stalk, standing tall in a vase, clementines piled high on a cake stand, or a wedge of Stilton under a glass cloche. It’s seasonal and sculptural, and it all ends up eaten.
