My Christmas Table

My Christmas table setting was composed rather quickly this year.  I was originally going to use reds and whites on the table, but pieces from my jadeite collection beckoned me to use greens for our dinner.  As much as I love using my mid-century jadeite on a weekly basis, I had never thought of elevating this glassware to a more formal meal.  After going through my inventory of glassware, linens and silverware, I did not hesitate to compose a table fit for this joyous holiday in my usual modest way.  For the tablecloth, I chose a pale green, hemstitched linen.

It’s nice mixing a place setting with different china, so this year it was no different.  For the table, I used a mix of jadeite from the 1950s as well as some that was produced for Martha by Mail over a decade ago.  That the pieces don’t match exactly is what’s so charming about doing this type of arrangement, and if you must know, I added some porcelain plates just to make it fun.  Those too were from Martha by Mail.

My centerpieces are always simple affairs, with items taken from nature being my go-to choices.  I have a pair of beautiful boxwood topiaries which rest on rustic pots and thought they would be wonderful set on my table tucked inside some large jadeite flower pots.  With this in mind, I gathered other beautiful jadeite pieces and began composing our Christmas table.  It’s actually quite effortless when you think about it.

 These are the boxwood topiaries I was telling you about.  

Set inside rustic pots, rather than digging them out, 

I left them undisturbed.  

I walked around the property toward some of the holly trees

and trimmed off a few branches so that I could use the leaves.

I began placing holly leaves around the tops of the pots in

order to hide the soil.

The rustic pots were gently lowered into the larger jadeite 

flower pots from Martha by Mail.  A perfect fit!

I then gathered my other pieces of jadeite and began arranging.

You can see the mix of patterns and those 

beautiful Antique Star Dessert Plates.

They're such a nice pattern.

Do you remember these from a decade ago?  Small reproduction

jadeite flower pots were just the thing to use as salt cellars for

our Christmas table.

Here is another photo of that Japanese porcelain plate. 

It has a beautiful gilded border with a green rim

and a gilded star in the middle.  

It's exquisite for the holidays.

Filled with freshly ground pepper and coarse kosher salt,

my little flower pots were ready to be

placed in the center of the table.

A few months ago, my friend Kenn sent me these 

jadeite buckets as a gift.  Because I love them so much

I filled the small vessels with bright red, dried cranberries. 

They're tasty sprinkled on a salad, but they're also good to 

snack on.  Don't they look enticing set against the green

buckets?  They were placed on top of a

Martha by Mail jadeite cake stand.

You can see how well the antique star plate fits with 

the green tones of the mid century jadeite.

The silverware is French.

With an original salad plate from the 1950s set on top of the 

antique star plate, it's ready to be used for hors d'oeuvres.  

 Here is a small overview of my Christmas table.

The glassware is simple, the linens are pressed,

the salt & pepper cellars are within easy reach,

and the silverware is gleaming!

Thankfully it is bright and sunny today.

I just love how the topiaries look on the table.

Not too big and not too loud.

My Christmas Table

Wherever you may be today, 

I want to wish you and your loved ones a 

Joyous & Merry Christmas.

❆ David  ❆