Garden Friends Christmas, 2015

Thanks for bearing with me because I am determined to publish my 2015 Christmas tablescapes, so that I can get on with 2016. I'll try to keep them short and snappy! This week I entertained my dear Garden Friends Bible Study. I set a table for eight in the dining room. Come on in and find a seat!

Black and white toile for Christmas? Today it was the element that brought everything else together.

New to my collections: the Pottery Barn wrought iron hurricane lanterns.

This is but the first of a number of times that you will see them on my Christmas tables this year. I pretty much have a Christmas crush on them!

Traditional Christmas colors for a traditional design: The Waterford Simply Red and the AJKA Arabella green goblets.

The cause for all the mix and matching...the MacKenzie-Childs Christmas charger plate. This belongs to my friend Barb. She offered to bring them for our Garden Friends table, and I thoroughly enjoyed using them. Thank you, Barb!

Topping the charger was a white with gold rim 10" dinner plate, holding our Nana's wonderful crystal accent plate. Entertaining Tip: When it's important for a significant portion of a charger plate's design to be visible, choose a smaller 10" dinner plate. It's ample for any luncheon and doesn't provide unwanted coverage of the charger design. Tip: You can find this dinner plate made by a variety of companies, such as Theodore Havilland, Johnson Brothers, and Hutschenreuther. They all work perfectly well together! You should feel comfortable mixing any and all of the makers of these plates.

The Retroneau Holly gold tone flatware has been making its appearance on my Christmas tables. They are always a hit with my guests! The green luncheon napkins belonged to my mama.

The centerpiece rests on a red plaid runner that I have also used for decades...

The black tole jardinieres were an estate sale find years ago...$10.00 each. Today I visited La Grocery store to find the yellow roses and red tulips.

The greenery meandering down the length of the centerpiece is nothing more than an assortment of picks that I've bought at Hobby Lobby over the years.

Ready to go...the first course will be an Autumn Bisque, followed by a main course of King Ranch Chicken, green salad, hot rolls, and Brandy Ice for dessert. Hope you can stay for lunch with us!