How to Set a Christmas Dinner Table

Series Summary

One of the best things about Christmas is that you get to use all of those custom plates, glasses and other dining accessories that would be totally out of place during any other time of the year. Those butter dishes depicting Santa and his sled have been waiting all year for their moment to shine, and now their time has finally come. But a Christmas dinner party is much more than just putting your custom dinnerware on the table. Christmas etiquette dictates a certain way of setting the table, and you had better get up to speed or one of your guests might point out your mistakes after a few glasses of eggnog.

In this free series of holiday etiquette videos, our catering expert Stephanie Barnett demonstrates the right and proper way to set your table for Christmas dinner. She shows you how to choose a tablecloth to go along with your accessories and silverware. You will also learn how to create the perfect centerpiece for your party. Not sure where to place gifts for your dinner guests? Watch these informative videos and you will find out all you need to know about a Christmas dinner party.

Video Transcript

"Hi! I'm Stephanie Barnett. On behalf of Expert Village, I'm here to show you how to make this gorgeous Christmas table for your Christmas dinner. What are you going to need for your Christmas holiday table. There is a wide variety of things, but the first thing you need to decide on is what is your theme going to be. Is it going to be a winter wonderland? Is it going to be Santa Claus? Is it going to be red and white? Is it going to be green and white, blue and white, blue and silver? You need to think about what you have and what you need. Go through your table linens. If I want to have a red and white theme, you should have some red and white table linens. Check to see what you have. If you decide you're going to do a silver party and you have nothing silver, then it's going to be a big expensive and take that in your budget. I've collected a few things around my house to decide what my theme is going to be. I have plates, glasses, flowers, decorations, linens, and all the things that we're going to need to set the table. I want you to think about what your theme is going to be."