However beautifully the rest of the house is decorated, the Christmas table is where the day actually happens. It is where everyone gathers, where the photographs are taken and where people linger long after the food is finished. It also has a job to do: guests need room to eat, pass dishes and see each other across it.
This guide covers Christmas table setting ideas from the cloth up: how to build a place setting, how to lay the table correctly, how to choose a centrepiece people can talk over, and how to bring in red, gold and candlelight without crowding the plates. For the rest of the house, see our guide to elegant Christmas decorating, room by room.
Start with a calm base
An elegant Christmas table is built in layers, and the bottom layer should be the quietest. A white, cream or natural linen tablecloth, or a bare wooden table with a runner down the centre, gives everything placed on top room to stand out.
This is also where you decide how much red the table will carry. A red runner on a cream cloth makes red the theme. A plain cream cloth with red napkins lets red come in as an accent. Both work; what does not is red cloth, red napkins and red plates together, which leaves nothing for the eye to rest on. As with the rest of a festive home, aim for roughly one part red to three parts cream and neutral, with gold tying the two together.
Build the place setting
White porcelain is the most useful choice for a Christmas table, because it lets the food, the napkins and the decorations carry the colour. Within that, a little detail on the plate itself goes a long way:
- A gold rim picks up candlelight and the gold in the rest of the room. The Kensington Dinner Plate has an embossed rim finished in gold, and the 20cm Kensington Side Plate matches it for starters, bread or dessert.
- Embossed white brings texture without colour. The Camellia dinner and side plates suit a quieter, all-white table, where the pattern only shows as the light catches it.
- One festive layer. If you want something unmistakably Christmas on the table, add it in a single layer rather than throughout. A Gingerbread House Christmas Plate stacked on a white dinner plate, or used for dessert, says Christmas clearly without turning the whole setting into a theme.
Stack the place setting from the largest piece upwards: dinner plate, then side or starter plate, then napkin if it sits on top. Keep every setting identical. A long table of matching places looks far more considered than a mix, even if each individual piece is simple.
How to lay a Christmas table correctly
The traditional British layout works from the outside in, in the order the courses are served:
- Forks on the left, knives on the right, blades facing the plate. The cutlery for the first course sits furthest from the plate.
- Dessert spoon and fork above the plate, the spoon handle pointing right and the fork handle pointing left.
- Side plate to the left, with the butter knife resting across it.
- Glasses above the knives, top right of the setting, usually water glass first, then red wine, then white.
- Napkin on the dinner plate or to the left of the forks. A simple fold or a napkin ring looks smarter than an elaborate shape.
Allow around 60cm of table width per person so guests are not bumping elbows, and lay one setting first to check the spacing before doing the rest.
Christmas centrepiece ideas
The centrepiece is the most common place a Christmas table goes wrong, usually because it is too tall or too wide. Two rules keep it right:
- Keep it low, or keep it slim. Anything solid in the centre should stay below about 30cm so guests can see each other. Slim pieces such as taper candles can go higher, because people can see around them.
- Keep it narrow. Leave enough room either side for serving dishes. A centrepiece that runs down the middle of the table works better than one that spreads across it.
A single statement piece is often all a table needs. The Gold Deer Candelabra is 27cm tall, with sweeping antlers holding slim taper candles on a marble-effect base, and it suits a cream and gold table; the silver version suits a cooler white and silver one. On a longer table, run a low line of greenery down the centre and place a set of three gold crystal taper candlesticks, at 22cm, 27cm and 32cm, along it for height and rhythm.
Save larger pieces, such as a tall vase or a pair of ginger jars, for the sideboard behind the table, where they frame the scene without getting in anyone's way. Our guide to how to style a vase covers sizing for both.
Bringing in red
Red is what makes a table feel unmistakably like Christmas, and it is most effective in small, repeated touches rather than large blocks:
- Napkins. The simplest way to add red to every setting at once.
- Candle holders. A pair of red and white bow candle holders either side of the centrepiece, or one at each end of a long table.
- Natural accents. A sprig of red berries or a small bauble on each napkin.
- Festive serving pieces. The gingerbread plates for mince pies and dessert bring warm red and gold to the table at the end of the meal.
Repeat the red three or four times along the table and stop. The cream, white and gold around it are what make it look rich rather than loud.
Candlelight on the table
Nothing makes a Christmas table look more beautiful than candlelight, especially as the afternoon darkens. Light the candles before guests sit down, and dim or switch off the overhead light so the table glows.
Real taper candles are lovely on a dining table where they can be watched, but keep them well away from greenery, paper crackers and napkins, and never leave them burning in an empty room. Where the table is dressed with garlands or foliage, or there are children at the table, LED candles are the sensible choice. A set of six bow LED taper candles with fairy lights gives the glow of real flame and can stay lit all evening. More holders are in the candle holders collection.
Serving dishes
At Christmas the serving dishes are part of the table setting, because so much is brought to the table at once. Choose them to match the plates, so the whole table reads as one set. A white porcelain soup tureen with a lid, such as the Kensington Soup Tureen, works for soup as a starter and for vegetables or sauces during the main course, and keeps food warm for longer than an open bowl. Keep serving dishes to the sideboard if the table is narrow, and bring them to the table one course at a time.
After dinner: dessert, coffee and drinks
The best part of Christmas dinner is often what happens after it, when the plates are cleared and everyone stays at the table. Reset it lightly rather than leaving it bare: clear the dinner plates, keep the centrepiece and candles, and bring out dessert plates and the coffee or tea.
A matching tea set makes this moment feel as considered as the meal. The white and gold porcelain tea sets for six, such as the Bow-Detail Tea Set, come with a teapot and a rotating tray, so the whole set can sit in the centre of the table and be turned for guests to help themselves. See the full range of tea and coffee sets.
For after-dinner drinks, a decanter on a tray turns a bottle of port or brandy into something to linger over. The Globe Decanter Set with Four Glasses sits on its own tray, so it can be carried from the table to the sofa as the evening moves on.
Christmas morning and afternoon tea
Not every festive table is the big dinner. A tea for one set on a tray makes Christmas morning or a quiet afternoon feel like an occasion, and it is one of the simplest ways to bring red into the season. The Red Snowflake Tea for One Set, with its matching teapot and cup, sits beside the Santa, Christmas cottage and gingerbread house designs, and every one of them also makes an easy gift. A red and white bow mug next to the kettle completes the scene.
Small, round and extended tables
- Narrow tables. Skip a wide centrepiece altogether and run a slim line of candles and greenery down the middle instead. Keep serving dishes on a sideboard.
- Round tables. Use a single centrepiece in the middle, such as the candelabra, and keep it low, since every guest is looking across it.
- Extended tables with a second table added. Cover both with one long cloth to hide the join, and repeat the same centrepiece arrangement on each so the whole run looks like one table.
Set the table the day before
Christmas Day is busy enough without laying the table at the last minute. Set it the evening before, with everything but the candles lit and the food, then sit in a couple of the chairs to check you can see across the centrepiece. If anything blocks the view or crowds a place setting, move it to the sideboard.
Afterwards, wash gold-rimmed and decorated porcelain by hand in warm soapy water with a soft cloth, and avoid abrasive cleaners or scourers, which can wear away gold detailing. Always check the care instructions for each piece.
Frequently asked questions
How do you set a Christmas table?
Start with a calm base cloth or runner, then lay identical place settings with forks on the left, knives on the right, the dessert spoon and fork above the plate and glasses at the top right. Add a low centrepiece, candles and a few touches of red, and keep larger decorations on the sideboard.
What do you put in the middle of a Christmas table?
A single low centrepiece, such as a candelabra, or a slim run of greenery with candles along it. Keep anything solid below about 30cm so guests can see each other, and leave space either side for serving dishes.
Where do glasses go on a dinner table?
Above the knives at the top right of each place setting, usually with the water glass nearest, then the red wine glass and the white wine glass.
What colours look best on a Christmas table?
Red, cream and gold is a classic, elegant combination. Keep a cream or white base, use red in accents such as napkins and candle holders, and tie them together with gold rims, gold candlesticks and warm candlelight.
Can you put gold-rimmed plates in the dishwasher?
It depends on the plate, so always check the care instructions. Gold detailing generally lasts longest when washed by hand in warm soapy water with a soft cloth, avoiding abrasive cleaners and scourers.
How far apart should place settings be?
Allow around 60cm of table width per person. Lay one setting first and check the spacing before setting the rest of the table.
Where can I buy Christmas tableware in the UK?
Mikolia offers a curated collection of porcelain tableware, tea sets, tea for one sets, festive plates, candelabras and candle holders, online at mikolia.com with fast, fully tracked UK delivery.
Mikolia is a UK based home décor brand. Alongside tableware and the Christmas collection, the range includes vases, soft furnishings, wall art and decorative accessories, all at mikolia.com.
