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...