AN ALL-NATURAL TABLE SETTING FOR CHRISTMAS

This week on Instagram, I joined a fabulously talented group of ladies to share some entertaining and decorating tips for the holidays with everything from a Christmas-inspired cocktail to mantle decor, cookie recipes, a beautiful floral arrangement and, of course, a table setting by yours truly! (You can find all the photos and videos in my “Holiday Tips” highlight on my instagram here)

I don’t ever pass up an excuse to set a beautiful table but when it comes to the holidays, I love to really go all out with fresh greenery and lots of texture. So, when it was my turn to share a Christmas-inspired table setting, I turned to my old standbys: tortoiseshell, water hyacinth and bamboo mixed in with some white pine and, for an extra special touch, some citrus!

I’m a firm believer that beautiful serving / entertaining basics can be used year round with seasonal touches here and there and this is a perfect example. I did not buy a single thing for this table setting; the white pine garland snippet was left over from decorating the house, the snippets of green giant arborvitae are from my yard and a handful of leftover dried oranges are from when the littles and I made a garland last weekend. I thought they would look beautiful and add a little color and interest and it turned out to be just what it needed!

I don’t think there’s a better time to bring out all the tortoiseshell than the holidays and these gold rimmed old fashioneds (similar here) are a beautiful compliment to my all-time favorite water hyacinth placemats and Ina-inspired French wine glasses. The bamboo flatware was a Christmas gift I gave myself a few years back (similar set here).

I’ve only ever made one other garland for my table and that was for Christmas last year. I’m used to doing a floral centerpiece or a bunch of candles, but since it’s the holidays, I thought something different would be fun and even more special! For the garland, I laid the white pine (which was already wired together) down the center of the table in an “S” and then clipped some arborvitae and stuck them in between the pine boughs as well as laid them underneath to really beef it up. I laid the orange slices in between. Too easy!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!