Setting Your Christmas Dinner Table (2/3)

Place settings can enhance the festive atmosphere, and add a decorative touch. Placemats, color-matched napkins (paper or linen), decorative folds and festive napkin rings, can all contribute here. Tips for Place Setting If you want your tableware to "look like Christmas" but don’t want to invest in Christmas china, try this. Purchase red and/or green paper doilies in two sizes - small coaster size & a size slightly larger than a bread or salad plate. Place a doily between the dinner plate and the bread or salad plate. This way there will be a green or red edge on plate. Use the small doily between the cup and saucer. Also, add red and/or green ribbon to the stems of your water glass and wine goblet. These touches will add a holiday color theme to a table setting without purchasing new dishes that will only be used once a year. Napkins Napkins and napkin rings represent the "icing on the cake" for the holiday table. Napkins can be folded into one of many festive folds. Tie napkins with gold ribbon, tiny garlands of flowers, or decorative rings to match the centerpiece. To save budget, disposable paper napkins can be inexpensive and versatile to tone with your desired theme. Tips for Festival Napkin Folds Candle Napkin -- Square Cloth Napkins 1. Open the napkin and place it on a flat surface. Fold the napkin corner-to-corner to create a triangle. 2. Fold up approximately one fourth of the napkin along the fold to form a cuff. 3. Turn the napkin over with the cuff to the underside. Roll the napkin evenly along the edge of the cuff. 4. Tuck the remaining fabric at the end of the roll into the cuff. Stand the napkin upright. Star-Topped Tree Napkin -- Square cloth napkins & Star napkin rings 1. Stabilize lightweight or soft fabrics with a light coat of spray starch or sizing to encourage the napkin to stand upright. Open the napkin and place it on a flat surface. Fold the napkin in half from left to right, creating a rectangle with the fold at the left and the hemmed edges even at the right 2. Fold down the upper corners to meet at the center; repeat for the lower corners. Lightly press the folds. 3. Fold the upper and lower points to meet in the center of the napkin, forming a square. Press lightly. 4. Carefully turn over the folded square. Fold down the upper edge of the napkin to meet the lower edge, forming a rectangle. Lightly press the folds. 5. Grasp the top layer of the rectangle at the lower right corner and bring it to the lower left corner, creating a triangle from the upper edge of the rectangle. 6. Bring the folded triangle edge at the lower left to meet the triangle edge at the lower right. 7. Grasp the top layer of the lower left corner to meet the opposite lower right corner, creating a triangle from the upper edge of the rectangle. Bring the folded triangle edge at the lower right to meet the triangle edge at the lower left. The napkin forms a triangle. 8. Fold the triangle in half, right to left, matching opposite sides. Press the napkin folds firmly. 9. Stand the napkin, with the final fold vertical to the top point. Place a star napkin ring at the top. Evenly spread the four folds to resemble pine boughs. Utensils For Chinese restaurants, consider use jade or ivory chopsticks to match the Christmas color schemes. Add matching chopsticks holders if you can. The following are some traditional place setting in the America’s homes for your reference: Table Covers: The first step in setting the table is deciding on the table covering, using a tablecloth or placemats. White tablecloths are traditional for formal meals. The cloth should be big enough to drape 6 inches over each side of the table. Placemats can be plain or patterned, woven or made of rush.