Have you ever just been at a standstill when trying to do a unique Christmas tabletop for your family and friends at Christmas time? Here are some tips from Roxanne Hughes Packham, co-author (with her daughter, Hannah) of Inspired Design that should make it much easier! Check out her blog if you’d like to see more pictures to go with the ideas.
A Classic Christmas Tabletop -The Inspired Way...
By Roxanne Hughes Packham
Before you get started remember: Do not underestimate the power of your home, nor its ability to change lives. Do not underestimate the power of one tiny, seemingly insignificant, act of kindness. A welcoming smile, a cup of hot tea and an hour in a cozy nook spent listening to a friend can be life-altering. Your home is a significant part of the way people will be touched, by God, through you this Christmas season. God uses us as his hands! Your table is the means through which you can touch others by setting the stage for memories to be made.
A classic Christmas tabletop has to have red and green, plaid and sparkle, inspiration and encouragement. The red and green is an obvious choice, however sometimes it is easier than we make it. Collect red and/or green fruits and keep a glass bowl of them in a prominent place in the kitchen. You can add a few springs of ivy or pine to get really festive. Candies, such as M&Ms, come in red and green packages and in silver bowls makes any setting looks seasonal. Add red plates and greenery from your yard to complete the look.
Since Christmas is the one time we’re all into plaid, use it on your tabletop! You can tie it onto a pretty cross (see more pictures on her blog) onto the top of a candlestick and make a beautiful statement about the meaning of Christmas while pleasing the eye with the sparkle of the candles! Tall candles in the center looks perfect, adding shorter candles towards the two ends allow guests to be able to see over the candles for conversation. Small votives add sparkle and a feeling of warmth and coziness. You can use a plaid scarf, runner or piece of fabric draped diagonally across the table for an overall Christmas look, while allowing the beauty of the wood tabletop (or glass) to show through.
Lastly, and most importantly, the "Inspired" part of the table top design. Warming the souls of those within your home is perhaps the most important part of hospitality and the reason in Romans 12:13 we are told to Practice Hospitality. The easiest way to do this is keep a couple of framed quotes on the central part of the table, one towards either end. Not only can you do place cards with just names but think of an encouraging scripture or quote that reminds you of your guest or something that might encourage or inspire them. Praying over whatever is going on in a person’s life, not only releases the power of prayer, but lets them know you have been thinking of them and remembering their needs. In this time in our culture, what could be more inspiring!
God bless and be encouraged! Hospitality can change our world one life at a time!
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