Christmas Plate Ideas

Festive place settings at a Christmas banquet or dinner can help set a beautiful holiday scene. Use Christmas plates to create a dinner setting your guests will love to linger over. Add some candles to your table, and you've got an atmosphere for holiday memories.

Sizes

Christmas plates come in a variety of sizes. While the majority are traditional round standard-eight plates, there are significantly more options for Christmas plates. Chargers are larger than the dinner plates and rest underneath them. There are smaller Christmas plates that are used for salads, desserts, soups and bread. Use many different sizes of Christmas plates on your dinner table for an elegant, rich look.

Patterns

There are many different patterns for Christmas plates, usually employing Christmas symbols as the motif. Christmas trees, snowflakes and even snowmen can decorate a plate. Plates may have a festive picture in the center, or there can be decorative work around the edges. The plates can be textured or have raised edges. Some companies produce glassware to match the patterns on their Christmas plates. You can also mix and match two plate patterns for a more jovial look.

Colors

Christmas plate colors are pretty varied too. Red and green plates offer a traditional look. You could use some white plates with frosted edges instead. These winter white plates look gorgeous resting on gold or ruby-red chargers. Blue and white are also popular colors for Christmas plates, such as blue and white plates with white snowflakes painted on the rims. Use different colored plates for a great party look. Or go monochromatic with an all-white setting to add a feeling of opulence to your Christmas table.

Shapes

Most dinner plates are round. However, that doesn't mean you can't use a variety of shapes for your Christmas place settings. Top off round dinner plates with a small rectangular or square plate for the bread serving. Use small triangular or round plates to place butter molds on. Christmas plates can come in unusual shapes like snowmen or Christmas trees.

Embellishments

It's not always the plate that makes your Christmas place setting special. Plate embellishments are a special way to get your guests into the holiday spirit. Add a lacy place mat to your place setting to really show off the beauty of your Christmas plates. Then stack the place settings in order, tucking a different Christmas-themed napkin between each one. This little embellishment will come in handy when serving several courses to your guests. Soiled napkins won't be a problem when a new one is available for each course. Top off the top plate with a small Christmas ornament or bit of Christmas greenery.

References

• All Things Christmas