Traditional Christmas Dinner Garland

by Frances
(UK)

We always decorate our Christmas dinner table with a long evergreen garland that has fairy lights woven through it and a few Christmas ornaments sprinkled here and there.

We change the ornaments and place cards every year (more about the place cards below!), but otherwise the look has remained pretty much the same throughout the years. We all love it!

Once the garland comes out, it really IS Christmas.


Setting it up is a piece of cake - you just have to make sure you securely tape the light cord, first under the table, then down a table leg and then across the floor to the nearest socket.

I don't even want to contemplate what would happen if someone walked into the loose cord and pulled the entire table decoration down!

Now, about those place cards.

We did these cute little Christmas tree thingies last year, they are very easy to make and were very well received!

Per person, you need:
1 toothpick;
2 'Christmassy' card shapes that are exact mirror images of each other (e.g. a tree, star or similar - coloured card is nice for this);
1 soft cookie (not too flat or fragile), and
a bit of glue.

Step 1: Write the person's name on one of the card shapes. (My daughter actually photoshopped the shapes, including the names, so nobody had to suffer my handwriting!)


Step 2: Spread glue on the back of the card, lay the toothpick down on it so about 1/2 sticks out, and glue the 'mirror image' card on top. Press together neatly, making sure the toothpick points where you want it to.

Step 3: Once it's dry, stab the toothpick into the cookie 'base', and you're done.

Unlimited possibilities!