It's that time of year when family will be coming for the holidays and we are decorating our homes to celebrate this festive time of year. Do you ever find yourself trying to remember how to set a formal dining table or you simply didn't really know the "Formal" way of setting a table? For those who never went to finishing school to learn how to set a formal table or who don’t set a formal table on a regular basis, let’s start with a quick overview on how to set the table:
- Forks should go on the left and spoons and knives to the right of the plate.
- An easy way to remember the correct order to place utensils is that they go in the order in which you use them; so the salad fork goes on the outside left while the larger fork used to eat the main course goes on the inside left. Turn the blade of all knifes so they face toward the plate.
- Place the side plate to the left of your place setting; if you are serving a cold first course such as a salad, the side plate should be set ahead of time, while warm dishes such as soup should be delivered to the table when that course is served.
- Place the wineglass at the tip of the main-course knife. The water glass and any other glasses should be arranged in the order they will be used with the first one on the outside.
- The napkins can go under the knife and spoon or on the side plate. Alternatively, if you choose to use napkin holders or fancy folds, the napkin can go on top of the main plate for a more decorative place setting.
- A nice touch will be to create decorative name cards so that you can strategically decide ahead of time who sits where. Place cards can go at the head of each place setting or on the main serving plate. You can make your own holiday name plates by downloading a free template and use a calligraphy font or hand write the names yourself if you’re good at calligraphy.
- Finally, for an extra special touch your guests will be sure to remember, you could leave a small gift at each place setting. If you shop around in stores you can find all kinds of small gift items such as jewelry boxes, Christmas tree ornaments, etc. Wrap them and use ribbon to give them a holiday look. Opening the gifts will make a great conversation starter when everyone sits down at the table.
Happy Holidays
