Set a Beautiful Holiday Table for a Crowd with These Tips

If you are hosting a Holiday dinner for a large crowd of family and friends, chances are you don't have enough 'good' china or cutlery and probably not enough cloth napkins to go around. That's perfectly fine and you don't have to go out and blow your Holiday budget on additional china and so forth. Use these cost cutting tips to set a beautiful table for a hungry crowd.

Mix and Match China and Silverware

No where in the dinner rule book does it state that all china must match, so have some fun and mix it up. Mix formal and casual pieces of china to create fun place settings. If you only have one set of china, borrow some more from family or friends. And don't forget to scour around local thrift shops for some lovely retro pieces of china that will compliment your set perfectly. Try the same tricks with silverware and stemware - mix the old with the new, the borrowed with the used to create a your own unique Holiday table look.

Paper and Plastic Tableware

Yes, you can use paper and plastic tableware (plates, forks, spoons, etc.) on your Holiday dinner table right along side of the china and silver. Choose high quality paper and plastic products in a coordinating color of Holiday themed color or design and it will work beautifully with the rest of the tableware. Most hostesses use this trick for their dessert service, guests won't notice the difference and it will save on after dinner cleanup. If being eco-friendly is a concern and paper or plastic is not desirable, look for eco-friendly tableware at retailers who sell green party supplies.

Salt, Pepper and Candles

When setting a Holiday dinner table for a crowd, use several sets of salt and pepper shakers scattered around the table. The shakers don't have to match and can be an eclectic group of old, new, borrowed and plastic.

Keep table decorations to a minimum so there'll be plenty of room for the massive quantities of food needed to feed a crowd. Stick with neutral colored, unscented candles so neither the color nor the smell will clash with the Holiday foods, and choose candles in various heights and place them all around the table for interest.