Setting Your Holiday Table

Halloween has come and gone, we’ve made it through another big election, and Thanksgiving is now just weeks away. Now is a good time to begin planning what you’ll be serving, who you’ll be entertaining, and evaluating your kitchenware and tableware situation.

Some people have quite an extravagant dinner, setting their table with fine linens and their best silver, crystal, and dinnerware. Others have a more casual affair with a lot of potluck dinner dishes and simple festive touches. Whatever category or style you might be planning for dinner, here are some basic tips to help any holiday event go a little smoother.

There are a lot of different versions when it comes to setting the table. For instance, if you’re serving both red and white wines, it’s nice to have different glasses but not necessary, especially if space is a consideration. It’s also recommended that you include a water glass for each guest as well. Place the wineglass just above the knife with the water glass just above the wineglass on a diagonal towards the center of the plate.

With the plate denoting the center of each place setting, try to allow for about 20 inches of space for each guest if you can. You’ll want to put the spoons and knives on the right-hand side of the plate, sharp edge turned towards the plate, with the forks placed on the left side. If you’re planning on adding bread plates, these are generally situated above and to the left of the fork.

While tradition seems to recommend seating your guests in a “boy-girl-boy-girl” style, you’ll find this rule is not always easy to follow. You can keep it in mind for the fun of it, especially if you’re creating place cards or unique decorations at each setting – it will surely liven up the dinner party atmosphere.

Remember most of all that your holiday dinner will be more enjoyable for you and your guests when you get some of the small items handled early. As soon as you have a pretty accurate head count, why not begin writing up the menu and see if you can’t take care of some of the purchases early before the holiday rush. Allow for extra servings in case of a few last minute guests or just for some yummy leftovers. Browse through your kitchenware and glassware to make sure you have a complete set of everything you need to create that perfect holiday table for you and your guests to celebrate in style.