Christmas Eve Dinner

I hope everyone had a wonderful and happy Christmas with friends and family!!!  From all of the beautiful tables, I'm sure that many Christmas memories were made!!

I am posting our Christmas eve dinner which is when my family gets together.  I wanted to use the actual table so I didn't post last Thursday.  Yes, this is the real Christmas eve!  I love getting to use my Christmas dishes. There is something so wonderful about setting a table with dishes that are for a specific and fleeting time.  I appreciate them BECAUSE of the short length of time I use them.  Fresh flowers have the same effect on me.

 Hope you aren't too "over" Christmas tables yet...

 

It seems that we always start with this view, but I think it's a good introduction!

 

Here is a closer view...we started with cream of spinach soup (I don't have "food" pics)

 

The tea cart is all ready for handling serving dishes that won't fit on our small dining room table

 

This is the "bird's eye" view

 

The evergreens in the arrangement are from our "wreath " trip and the flowers almost didn't make it...I had to wait at my favorite florist for the deliveryman.  Apparently, he was several hours late, but I came at the tail end of the panic at the florist and they were able to sell me the carnations and roses I wanted for my centerpiece

 

In keeping with the "holly and berry" theme, I made these placecards

 

 This is the silver that we bought when we first were married...and more holly and berries

 

I set out desserts on the sideboard...tempting us all through dinner!!

 

This is my Brit in his Christmas crown from his Christmas cracker!  He wears that Christmas tie every year.  He was enjoying dinner...pork roast and roasted potatoes

 

Meanwhile, while we were having dinner....two of our three kitties were guarding the Christmas tree while keeping toasty warm!

 

We no longer exchange gifts...we put names of our favorite charities in a hat, pool our "gifting cash" which makes a tidy sum; then we pull one name and donate all of the money to that charity.  We've been doing this for a few years now.

 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

 

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• My Christmas dishes are Gibson. I found them in the Winterthur catalog (when they had a bigger variety of wares)
• Cream soup bowls are Royal Albert "Val D'Or" from ebay
• The damask tablecloth...hmmmm...I can't remember
• The napkins were a sale purchase from LinensNThings...so you know it was a while ago
• Reed and Barton "Rathmore" silverplate from Marshall Field's in Chicago-now gone  :-( 
• Waterford "Marquis" crystal stemware-T.J. Maxx (still waiting for a Homegoods here!)
• The flowers are arranged in a three legged cut glass bowl which was my mother's
• The mercury glass votive holders are from Michael's...wish I had bought more
• Christmas ornament placecard holders were purchased on ebay last year
• The candle globe on the teacart is from T.J. Maxx...I just put "berries" and real boxwood with it set on a red toile plate
• Red and gold placemats on the teacard are from Big Lots and Walmart-great price for all
• Dessert service on the buffet is Old Country Roses that we received as wedding gifts from my husband's family

Thank you for stopping by and I love reading your comments...

Christmas Traditions

PART I

I love anything traditional...whether ages old or newer traditions of just a few years! 

One Christmastime my sister P. and I went to a local Christmas tree farm to get wreaths.  She is an Adirondack lover and I have an artificial tree, so we both wanted the smell of real pine.  We had breakfast at a favorite little place that is on the way to the farm.  Well, we have now been doing this breakfast and wreath outing for several years, so I guess it is a tradition...Yippee!! 

 This is part of their display of decorated wreaths that they make to sell.  Some are quite fancy!

This year our sister L. joined us for breakfast and I got a picture of them playing with the restaurant's decoration (can't take them anywhere!!!)

This is a view of the big barn filled with fresh pine trees.  It smells WONDERFUL in there!  We each brought home a wreath and I got some boughs to use on my tables

But this has nothing to do with tables...so Part II of this post is about a casual little Christmas table for two.

PART II

This is an unsparkly, non-golden, casual table for two...

This is in our small dining room at our "cozy" table

I love traditional red and green, but I never seem to have enough green!

We have to have Christmas crackers...that's an OLD British tradition

 Here are fir branches (from our wreath trip) and my folk art Santa..I just love him!

 Here he is, center stage, on the table

Well, actually, our Christmas eve dinner will be more formal, but I wanted the chance to use these wonderful pieces that I have.  I hope everyone's Christmas preparations are going smoothly!!

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• Toile plates from T.J.Maxx
• Red salad plates from Big Lots
• The beautiful red and green center cloth is from my sister  (Thanks L.!)
• The basket is from a co-worker
• Jim Shore Santa is from a friend
• Green "napkins" are fingertip towels from Dollar Tree
• Placemats from T.J.Maxx
• Glasses-Waterford Marquis (from T.J.Maxx)
• Silverplate flatware from Oneida (my mother's)
• Christmas crackers from T.J.Maxx-so glad they are carryng them...it was getting expensive ordering imported ones from England!!!!

So glad you stopped by even with all of your baking, shopping, wrapping, and decorating!!  Thank you! 

Please check out all of the beautiful tables at "Between Naps on the Porch" hosted by Susan (her link is up on the right of my blog)

I love to read your comments!

Tess

Winter White

We had snow today...it's so pretty and really puts me in the holiday mood (of course, working at home, I don't have to go out in it!).  My husband has to bring the Christmas dishes and decorations down from the attic soon so I don't have Christmas decorations at hand.  But in keeping with the snowy mood of today, I decided that an imaginary wintery dessert party would be a fun thing to do.  I have a " thing " for polar bears and, since they are white, I decided to invite them.

Since this is a fictional party, there are not real treats...but we can use our imaginations and THAT'S sugar and guilt free!!

This was the view out of my "office" window today...Isn't it pretty???

I'm sure you can see why I'm getting in the holiday spirit!  So away we go with a snowy white setting

Here is polar bear number one...he came as a surprise for a donation to National Wildlife Federation to help save these beautiful creatures from extinction in the wild

And this little guy was a gift from a friend.

How about some sparkly champagne in icey crystal flutes...

Some cool peppermint chocolates (Ghirardelli-yum!) in a shiny silver pedestal dish

I only wish there were a snowy white coconut cake on that glass pedestal...wouldn't that be perfect?

We could serve it on white plates 

And use sparkling silver to enjoy that imaginary coconut cake

Thank you for indulging my fantasy of a winter dessert party...hope you enjoyed it!

Now for the dish on the dishes:

• Champagne flutes are from ebay (where else??)
• White cotton undercloth is also from ebay
• White china plates are Royal Albert Val D'or
• Silverplate forks are Towle (unknown pattern) from an apartment sale
• Cut glass cake pedestal purchased on line at Tea with Grace
• Silverplate pedestal dish holding peppermint chocolate-don't know when or where
• The flameless candles from QVC

Hopefully next time will be more Christmas-y.  Be sure to visit all of the beautiful tables at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch (link is up on the right)...she's the wonderful hostess responsible for Tablescape Thursday.

I look forward to your visits!!