My table decorated for Christmas
What a great night. At my church each year, at least 40 or more ladies get together and host a Candlelight and Coffee holiday kick off party. I have participated in four of the five years that we have been doing this. Each hostess sets her table for 8-10 people in an Autumn, Winter, Thanksgiving or Christmas theme. It gives us the chance to use our china and crystal. Then during the party, each hostess serves her table, Russian tea, coffee, hot chocolate, baklava, and wonderful desserts. We have door prizes and each year a different speaker. This year Dr. Jennifer Thomas, co-author of The Five Languages of Apology, spoke. Jennifer was my next door neighbor for the past 9 1/2 yrs. It was great seeing her and catching up.
The best thing I love about the party is seeing every one's table. You can get some really great ideas to use on your own holiday table. I love seeing the different patterns of dishes and the creative ways each one is used. I would never of thought of using pink dishes for Christmas but several ladies did and they were great. One was even a pink breast cancer awareness table, with a pink Christmas tree and ribbons.
My table didn't quite go as I had planned. I used my set of Christmas dishes by two different manufacturers that blend very well together. I alternate the patterns between dinner plate and dessert plate and then alternate that between guests. Every other guests at my table for 8 had a charger plate I made from cardboard and feather trim. I had planned on sewing a velvet tablecloth out of some fabric I had been saving for upholstering some chairs one of these days. After five hours, I gave up. I went out to Linens n Things, which is closing, and was lucky enough to purchase a 90" rd. tablecloth in the same color green as the velvet I had planned to use. Ok, that was not that bad but my center piece was the disaster. I had purchased a 27" tall glass column back in April at the furniture market. The day I was bringing it home I was in a car wreck. I was ok, the car and the glass column were not. I bought a new van and glued the broken column. The broken end of the column was to be the base for a fresh floral arrangement. The night of the party, I arrived back at church to add the floral arrangement to my table. It was going to be spectacular. It is very important to our guests to be able to see the lady sitting across from them. My arrangment was going to be the solution. However, I broke the other end of the column when I sat it on the floor beside my table and accidently hit the metal rim of the chair. It was just not meant to be.
Despite my crazyness and perceived disasters, the party was a smashing hit. We hosted 405 ladies, not all members of the church. It is a great outreach in the community as well as a kick off for the holidays.
