Christmas Dinner Table Setting Ideas You May Not Have Thought of Doing

Did you know you can set a beautiful and cozy round Christmas dining table or any shape table filled with the glow from candlelight? It can be done by repurposing items and even doing a few things that you never thought of doing before that will make your Christmas dinner table look new and different without buying anything new?

If you are having Christmas dinner at your home or hosting a Christmas party, it’s time to start planning how you want to set your Christmas dining table and what type of Christmas centerpiece you want to use.

I have a few budget-friendly and festive holiday table setting ideas that will change up the look of your dining table that won’t cost you a cent.

These ideas to set an inviting dinner table for Christmas reuse items like bottles and old Christmas cards. You may be thinking, what? But wait to you see just how festive they can look.

You know I am all about “use what you have” to come up with new ideas to make the decor you own look new and different.

I have been quite content using my versatile all-white china and my white basket weave dinnerware to set my table every Christmas, but this year I was craving a new look and wanted to use something different for my holiday dining table.

But at the same time, I challenged myself that I had to create the festive table while not buying anything new. How was I going find a way to make the tablescape look different from previous years using the all white china plates I always use.

I got an idea and went with it – an idea where I didn’t have to buy new china, but am using red and white china that you see in the photo above to set my table for Christmas this year.

Of course having a little DIY involved helped me with my challenge. I have found it is the best way to not only to see your creativity shine, but a way to make your holiday dinner table unique for you and your family.

What Did I Do To Set My Christmas Table Differently?

To set my table and stay true to my “not buy anything challenge”, I asked a friend if I could borrow some of her beautiful red and white china for Christmas.

She is a collector and has large walk-in closet devoted to her collection. She is a home lover and enjoys decorating and making her house a home. She gets it and was more than happy to lend me some that she knew she wouldn’t be using herself this year. Thank you Alison 🙂

Swapping China to Set Your Table for Christmas

Borrowing or swapping china with a friend at the holidays is a great way to:

1. Get a new look for your Christmas dinner table.
2. Save money by not having to buy anything new.
3. Have nothing new to find storage space for once the holidays are over.

To keep the china swapping process simple, I loaded up a large laundry basket I filled with bubble wrap, but you could use a box and newspaper.

I went to Alison’s house and chose the items I would need – dinner and dessert plates. It was hard not to want to use everything, it was all so dreamy to stand in front of and not look at price tags.

After I packed up, Alison thought the pink glasses she had would look great and offered them for me to use also.

I wrapped the Transferware in the bubble wrap so I could safely transport it to my house. Once Christmas is over, I will wrap the pieces up again and return them to her.

To complete the rest of my Christmas dinner table setting, I did rely on a few creative DIY ideas using items I already had to make the borrowed china look just right for my personal style.

I celebrate Christmas and used red, green and white colors to set my table. If you celebrate Hanukkah consider using Hanukkah cards, blue, white, gold and silver accents to create a festive table setting.

How to Make a Candelabra Style Holiday Table Centerpiece

I wanted a candelabra style centerpiece to provide some needed height for my round table, I made one using glass bottles and candles.

Festive Accent for a Votive Candle

To add holiday color and vintage style that I like to see at Christmas to the table, I repurposed Christmas cards I saved from past years and made them into a way to accent a battery-operated votive candle on each guest’s plate.

You can find the how-to directions to make them in the post, How to Make Votive Candle Accents Using Christmas Cards.

Just like you would do for a napkin ring, once dinner is started, the candle and card wrap can be easily moved to the table above the plate so the candles still create a cozy table ambiance.

Make Round Placemats or Plate Chargers

I wanted to add an old-fashioned Christmas appeal to the table that would accent the vintage red and white china. You can find out how I made these pretty placemats in this post – Round Paper Placemats or Plate Chargers Using Paper Doilies.

Using a plate charger or place mat under each place setting adds interest to the table by framing the plates.

Use one or the other or use both like I did. There is no right or wrong way as long as you like the way it looks. I like the way the doily placemats and plate looked in woven chargers I bought for my Thanksgiving table setting. The chargers added a nice layering effect.

How to Make Simple Fabric Napkins

I have used the same cloth napkins for years at Christmas and they didn’t look right for the table. I was even going to break my “no buying challenge”, but couldn’t find napkins I liked or that didn’t cost $35 for a set. So instead, I used a mix of leftover red plaid fabric I had to make very simple cloth napkins.

Next, I washed all the cut fabric using warm water. Before placing in the dryer, I used sharp scissors to remove any strands of fabric along the cut edges. I then placed them in the dryer on high heat to give the cut edges on the fabric a smoother look. Once they were dry, I snipped any remaining strands and ironed and folded them to place on the table.

Add a Surprise Gift Element

Since it is the holidays, a small wrapped gift for each guest is a nice way to make your guests feel special.

The gift doesn’t have to be anything grand. It could be a scratch-off lottery ticket. Whatever it is, gift wrapping it and adding a few jingle bells to the package that will bring a sound of Christmas to the table that will raise the excitement of holiday gathering.

Find out How to Add Jingle Bells to a Gift Box or How to Embellish a Christmas Gift with Store Bought Confetti Bow and Jingle Bells.

A Few More Christmas Table Setting Tips

• If serving courses – layer a smaller plate on top of dinner plate. This can be from the same style of china or mix the colors and styles to coordinate with your holiday theme or color scheme.
• If your table is small and there is not enough room for all the plates and platters of food you will be serving, have a card table or a few TV tray style tables set up around the table to place them for easy reach.
• Consider adding a dimmer function to the ceiling light over your dining table so you can add just the right intensity of light to create a cozy gathering.

More Christmas Table Setting Ideas

To see all my Christmas ideas from decorating to cookies to gift wrapping ideas, don’t miss my All Christmas Projects Page.