Holiday dinner table

We take Christmas Eve very seriously over here. Growing up for me, Christmas Eve was just spent watching movies and going to church at night. But in Michaels family, Christmas Eve was when they celebrated. It worked out great because we spend eve with his family and day with mine. Since we moved into our apartment three years ago, we’ve been playing hosts. We spend the day preparing a big Italian meal, desserts and cleaning up. I’m always so stressed and trying to make the table look nice, too! (Something I really enjoy!) This year I decided to set it early so we could enjoy it longer and give us one less thing to worry about day of.

For the centerpiece, I bought these reindeer candle stick holders from Macy’s. How cute are they?! I also reused this old mason jar filled with vintage ornaments from the past few years. We picked some fresh holly from Michaels dads house and added some twinkle lights as well.

Each setting has gold charger plates and napkins from Target as well as china from Michaels childhood. Poppers are a big tradition for them too so I added one to each setting. I made the napkin rings with some wired leaves from the craft store.

We we had so many burlap table runners from our wedding that I pull out a fresh new one each year. I hot glued some ribbon from the craft store to edges.

Do you host for the holidays? Do you enjoy setting a dinner table?

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Merry and Bright

I always love our apartment so much during the holidays. It feels so cozy and we are surrounded by so many treasures that we’ve collected together or from our childhoods. This ice skating rink is from Michael’s childhood but we had the exact same style one in my house! All these things make me smile. We have another tree and the kitchen/ dining table is all decorated too. I’ll be sure to post those next week!

O Christmas Tree

And the holiday rush has begun! I can’t believe Christmas is just three weeks away. I’m happy to say that all of the decorating around our home is done. I have a tendency to overwhelm myself during this time of year. I want to do too much. Last year I insisted on making a gift for everyone and it was just too stressful. This year I have decided to only make 3 or 4 and not feel bad about it. I’ll be sure to post them once they have been made and given. Do you make your gifts?

Anyway, back to the tree! We live down the street from a tree farm so we cut down our tree yesterday for the third year in the row. It’s become one of my favorite traditions. It’s funny how different the tree always looks once you get it inside. Last year, there was a big empty space we somehow didn’t notice. This year, the tree we picked is huge! I laugh every time I walk into our living room. It’s beautiful, though. Normally I tease Michael for wanting to put every single ornament we own on it (we have all of his from childhood and lots that we collected over the years) but this year, I think we need more!

I wore my biggest Black Friday purchase- a new J Crew winter coat. I tried this style on a few years ago and I kept thinking about it. It’s now my third J Crew coat and I think I am set on coats. They are pricey but worth every penny in my opinion, especially if you catch a great sale.

Ta-da! The completed tree. I also have another rose gold tree in our bedroom that I decorated with just our vintage glass ornaments. I’ll be sure to share that soon. I’ll also be sharing my holiday dinner table and some upcoming sewing projects. Check back soon!