Simple Holiday Table Ideas

As we all know, the Christmas season can get quite hectic. It's hard to balance daily life with gift shopping, food prep, and festive decorating - figuring out how to set your holiday table can probably be last thing you have time for. With that in mind, I've put together three really quick table setting ideas that are so easy to replicate using things you probably already have around your home. But first, let's start with some basic tips.

Some Basic Tips

Start with What you Already Have

There's no need to go out and buy special plates or chargers for your holiday table. Keeping it simple will save you time, money, and energy. I used my basic white plates, silver chargers, and silver cutlery for all three name card variations - what makes the biggest impact is how you switch up the little accessories!

It's all About the Accessories

When brainstorming for new place setting ideas, I started by searching around my home looking for any little objects that could dress up the plate. What I found was fruit, contrasting napkins, Christmas cookies, and ribbon. Then, I thought up different ways to make a name card and it all just fell into place naturally.

A rule of thumb when styling any table is to use a variety of different textures - it brings in a sense of depth and quality. I find that the best fabric for napkins and tablecloths is linen because of its wonderfully organic feel, but it still looks elegant. Another great texture to add is something shiny. I used silver candlesticks to match my cutlery.

As for the centerpiece, I kept mine simple with assorted greenery and white tulips to keep the tablescape quite neutral, but still Christmas appropriate. Roses or carnations can replace the tulips.

Get Creative with Place Cards

There are so many possibilities for place cards, and it can get very elaborate with calligraphers and fancy paper, but again, I kept it all very simple using basic card stock. I used the website Canva to type out all my guests' names in unique fonts, then either cut out or tore around each name to create simple flat cards.

Three Easy Place Setting Ideas

Easy Holiday Table Ideas - Marisa Curatolo

1 - Seasonal Fruit

This is probably the simplest look. I kept everything white, including the napkin, which I folded softly in the middle of the plate. I then placed a pear on each napkin, then propped the printed and torn name cards on the pear! You could also use clementines or any other seasonal fruit, or switch up the napkin for a more rough, flax colored linen - don't be afraid to experiment or use what you have on hand.

2 - Christmas Cookie

This place setting makes a bit more of an impact. The contrasting linen napkin combined with the height of the dish and cookie combo makes for a little more drama, but it's still lighthearted and playful. For this one, I filled some silver dishes with sugar to support the homemade gingerbread stars and the cut out name cards. You could easily use store-bought cookies here to save some time.

3 - Bold Ribbon + Monogram

For this last look, I wanted to create something flat and graphic. I placed strips of black and white striped ribbon underneath the salad plates, then for the place cards, I used large block letter initials instead of full names. Lastly, I topped it all off with a sprig of greenery and voila!