A Cranberry Orange Christmas Tablescape

 

We have had an absolutely wonderful Christmas season, full of family, friends, and good food! Jewell and Colby went back to campus last night, Gerald went back to work this morning, and Brack and I are back at homeschooling today! I hope to carve out some time over the next few days to catch you up on some of what I have been up to the past few months.

I'm starting with a tablescape that speaks Christmas, but in a subtle way. I was so happy with it! Since this brunch was a few days after Christmas, I wanted it to reflect the season, but without the overt Holiday symbols like Santa and Christmas trees. It was just what I envisioned! Here are the details...

Jewell and I hosted our two closest friends for a fun "Girls' Day In" over the holidays. We began with brunch, then watched a movie while we all worked on various embroidery projects. We had the fire going and had a lovely tea near the end of the day. Absolutely perfect!

I gathered my reds and greens and began to build my tablescape. I went back and forth over whether to start with a white tablecloth or allow the wood of my table to serve as the base. In the end, the tablecloth won out. I think it helps everything to pop.

I placed my long woven runner down the middle to add some natural color to balance the red and green. Next I placed a charcuterie board to serve as a base for my tablescape. I bought the red lanterns years ago for a camping themed birthday party for Brack. I've never even added kerosene to them. Oh, well! They're easier to store this way and not nearly as messy as burning kerosene.

You know how I love a good thrift store. I found these napkins and placemats at my favorite one back in the fall. Fifty cents each! I try not to wash my placemats, but I do wash them once when they come from a thrift store. Remember to always wash all of a certain napkin or placemat at the same time, even if you only used a few of them. This helps them to "age" at the same rate. I found the vintage teak handled flatware at a thrift store several years ago. There were only four place settings, but they were all complete. This past fall, I found a full set of eight more place settings at the thrift store! I was so excited! Now I can set two tables of six. I hand wash these to protect the wood.

These white votive candle holders came from Dollar Tree a long time ago. I used to find great candle holders there. They seem to by moving more toward crafts now. Anyway, I don't put my candles directly into the votive holder. It's too messy and hard to get out in the end. I place a tealight inside a tealight holder and drop that in. No mess to clean up!

I love good, artificial greenery, and it is getting easier to find. I like to shop for it after Christmas when it is deeply discounted. I went to Hobby Lobby the week after Christmas and they had absolutely NONE left this year! I'm not sure if they put it away for next year, or what. I love to mix it with fresh fruit and live flowers when I can. I love the contrast of colors. The tangerines and oranges are real, although you can find beautiful artificial fruit as well.

The pine branches with holly and orange slices came from Hobby Lobby last year. The pine with holly and cotton boles actually came from Dollar Tree several years ago.

I love to mix and match patterns. I have several shades and patterns of green glassware, but I chose to go with this lighter color. These were a gift to me from my sister-in-law many years ago. She got them at Cracker Barrel, but didn't use them much. She thought I would enjoy them, and I do! I only have eleven, and I've never been able to find out the pattern or find a replacement. If you know what it is or where I can find them, please let me know! The red hobnail glasses are vintage. I got them many, many years ago. The red transferware cup and saucer is "Pink Grapevine" by Clayton.

Oh, how I love a good plate stack! I started with the new-to-me green placemats, then added my "woodgrain" chargers from Dollar Tree. Next is the dinner plate, "Double Phoenix" in pink by Nikko. I added a dessert plate in the "Pink Grapevine" pattern to match the cup and saucer, then got lucky and was able to add another salad plate from the Nikko pattern since the salad plates were different sizes. Lastly, I served sugared oranges with fresh cranberries in some tiny little sherbet cups that belonged to my grandmother.

I think the colors all came together very nicely, and they definitely reflect the season!

Here's a peek at our meal. We had cranberry and apple baked French toast, Biltmore bacon, and something I invented and am still perfecting...cranberry pecan goat cheese grits. I can't share the recipe for the French toast yet, but trust me...it was delicious! I am testing some recipes for my friends, Beth and David, at Smith-Byrd Tea House in Prattville. They're working on a cookbook, so I don't want to give away the recipe! But this is absolutely delicious. I think this will become our Christmas morning meal in the future.

I served "Nutcracker Sweet" tea from Smith-Byrd for our afternoon tea.

I also tested their recipe for cranberry orange scones. They were delicious! I can't wait for them to finish up the cookbook. I have test several other recipes for them, and I'll give you a preview of them soon. If you haven't been to tea at Smith-Byrd yet, you should. Call me, and we can go together! Beth and David are so sweet and very knowledgeable. David has helped me pick teas for several events I have hosted. I love getting to work with them!   

Here's a parting look at my festive, but subtle Christmas table! I hope you took some time to share a meal and some time with those you love during this past month. Check back soon for a look at another of my Christmas parties!