Our Christmas Dining Room and a Tablescape

Hi everyone!  Have you all been busy as bees?  I've been absent once again -- trying to get Christmas done here at Forest Manor.  Whew!  I still have so much left to do, but I wanted to share a bit of our home with you today.

I have several tablescapes in mind for Christmas this year, but this may be the only one I have time to do.  It's not a typical look for Christmas, but I really love it.  Last year, I saw two or three pretty blue and white Christmas tables, and I fell in love with the look.  I had honestly never thought of using blue and white for Christmas.  There was a really lovely one in my Southern Lady magazine last December.  That table featured blue and white Christmas dishes.  I don't have any blue and white Christmas dishes, but I decided I could use my Staffordshire "Liberty Blue" ironstone dishes.

I was pleased with the way this tablescape turned out.  The other tables I had seen used blue goblets, but I don't have any blue goblets.  I had originally planned to use white napkins, but when I tried these tartan plaid napkins, I really liked the contrast and the Christmas look they added.  From there, I decided to add the red, tartan goblets I purchased at Pier One a few years ago.  I tried to keep the red to a minimum on this table.  I was concerned that too much red, combined with blue and white, might make the table look like Fourth of July.  ;)

  

I started the table with this ivory table runner; it has holly leaf cutwork, and I love the gold stitching around the berries and in the veins of the leaves.  

Next I chose my cream-colored, dotted placemats.  They have a dressy look that I felt would look just right for a holiday table.

I love Christmas crackers, and I chose these to accent the gold in the table runner.

I don't normally use cut flowers on our Christmas table, but I wanted to try that this year.  I had considered red or white roses, but I like the look of this mixture.  This was a mixed bouquet from our local Fresh Market, and I cut and arranged these to use in the water pitcher that came with my Liberty Blue dishes.  Again, there's just a small touch of red in the arrangement.

I'm using the sterling flatware that my mother-in-law passed down to us recently.

My mother cross-stitched this bread cloth for me the first Christmas I was out on my own.  I just love it.

In the rest of the dining room, I didn't change things much from the way I normally decorate in here.  I did add my Moravian Star candlesticks and Moravian, hand-dipped beeswax candles.  My mom made these candlesticks for me many years ago in ceramics class.  The Moravians, a protestant denomination from eastern Europe, originally founded our town in the 18th century.

You can see many Moravian Stars, like this one on our porch, here in town during the Christmas season.  Traditionally, they should be hung on the first Sunday of Advent, and left up until Epiphany.

My mom also made this terra cotta Nativity set in ceramics class.  I'm really lucky to have so many special keepsakes that she has made over the years.

This small chest is arranged a little differently this year.  I found the Putz house at Michael's craft store.  I was happy to find it, as they were very picked over and had just a few left.

Such a darling house.  :)

My dear husband surprised me with this old-world Santa ornament one Christmas.

I found this pretty candle in the shape of a cranberry ball one year at one of my favorite gift shops.

My husband also gave me the tapers with gold music notes one Christmas.

I even added a few boxwood sprigs to our clock.

So that's our Christmas dining room.  I'll be back to share pictures of the foyer and living room soon.

I'll leave you with some final pictures of the table.

Thank you so very much for your visit today -- I'm grateful you take the time to read my little blog.  Wishing you a Blessed Advent season.

**A special Thank You to my husband, Hal, for taking all these pictures for me.**

On the Table:
Table Runner, Placemats, and Napkin Rings -- Bed, Bath & Beyond
Tartan Plaid Napkins -- ExpressionsCatalog.com
Blue and White Candlesticks -- Gift from a family member years ago
Dishes -- Staffordshire "Liberty Blue" --  Estate sale, eBay, and Habitat Re-store
Red Goblets -- Pier One two years ago
White Bread Basket -- HomeGoods
Flatware -- International Sterling "Grande Regency"
Christmas Crackers -- Bed, Bath & Beyond

Sharing this post at:

 "Tablescape Thursday" -- Between Naps on the Porch 

"Home Sweet Home" -- The Charm of Home

"Foodie Friday and Everything Else" -- Rattlebridge Farm

Denise