Ideas for Attractive Christmas Tables

Instead of just the usual red and green, consider combining a Christmas or winter color with a metallic for attractive Christmas tables this year.

Pull out the dominant theme color for your event, be it red, green, blue or white. Pair the dominant color with gold or silver as an accent color for your tables.

Using blue and silver as an example, start by covering tables in a couple of layers of blue gossamer and runners made of silver gossamer. If the tables are round, try criss-crossing two runners, which will frame four place settings and create a more opaque center square for your centerpiece, a really nice effect.

Tie bows around chair backs with the same two colors, making sure the top strip is folded to be half as wide as the bottom strip so both can be seen.

Start each place setting with a large silver plate from our solid color tableware collection, setting a smaller blue plate on top. Finish the place setting with blue tableware, except for mixing silver utensils or napkins into the setting.

Place a glitter snowflake centerpiece and dust the table top around it and the table settings randomly with silver sparkle powder and curled pieces of metallic ribbon. Finish with personalized snowflake votives at each place setting or tucked halfway into each niche of the 3D snowflake centerpiece; for safety, please consider using our LED flickering flame tea lights with this setup.

Your tables will still look like Christmas, but with that bit of extra elegance suggested by sparkling silver or gold.

Very Easy Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pint strawberries – cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1 pound seedless grapes, halved
• 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 1 (21 ounce) can peach pie filling

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, grapes, kiwis, and bananas. Gently mix in peaches. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
• 1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Berry Trifle

Ingredients:

• 1 (10.75 ounce) package prepared pound cake, cubed
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen blueberries
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen blackberries
• 2 tablespoons praline liqueur
• 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preparation:

1. Place cubed cake in bottom of large glass serving bowl. Layer the blueberries, raspberries and blackberries on top of the cake. Sprinkle with praline liqueur.

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, condensed milk and 1 cup of whipped topping, stir well. Pour mixture over frozen berries. Top custard with remaining cool whip. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, enough for the berries to thaw before serving.

Holiday Cheeseball

Ingredients:

• 2  8oz. pkgs. cream cheese
• 1  10oz pkg. mellow cheddar cheese – chopped coarse
• 1/2  pint sour cream
• 1  Tbls. mayo
• 1/2  envelope onion soup mix

Preparation:
 
Combine together. Roll in chopped beef or nuts. Serve with crackers.
Makes two Large cheese balls.