There is something about all the pre-emptive spirit of the Christmas season, for me this comes alive in a beautiful table setting shared with friends and family. Luckily these festivities offer us plenty of opportunities to play host. Whether it’s an intimate gathering, or a whole Christmas affair. Here is my guide to ensure a fabulous festive table that all your friends will be talking about!
First, set the scene, I always like to have that WOW factor … a centre piece or central focus of your table creates interest, keep it light and rustic and let the general table fare speak for itself. This season I am loving dried palms leaves they create a sense of warmth with just enough interest.
Simplicity is key, keep things modest but make sure you have all that you need, I like a table that combines decorative elements but is functional also.
Choose your colour palette – white is always my foundation colour. My home is a blank canvas, this allows me to add pops colours when decorating and entertaining. I can change the overall look and feel based on my mood or where I am drawing inspiration from.
A good host always has a great selection of practical and interesting glassware, make sure your bar cart is all stocked (and please avoid straws they are completely unnecessary!). To create attention, integrate vintage glassware and oversized wineglasses.
Decorations– for me Christmas doesn’t need to be over the top, a few carefully selected pieces will work on any table (decorations don’t just have to go on the tree!). Try accenting your Christmas table or each place setting with modern Christmas décor.
Now that you have your table looking fabulous, my final piece of advice to any host would be to greet your guests on arrival with a drink. For entertaining with friends and family, you can’t go past an Aperol Spritz. It’s easy to prepare, refreshingly delicious and for me, it compliments my style of decorating with that gorgeous pop of orange, helping to create my festive backdrop.
Preparing an Aperol Spritz is easy, fill a large wine glass with ice (the more the better), combine equal parts Prosecco and Aperol add a splash of soda then garnish with an orange wedge. Using the same equal parts recipe, you can pre-prepare carafes of Aperol spritz. Just add a half a cup of ice, pour and serve. Perfection!
Jason Grant
Drink Responsibly
