I have been absent this past week and I missed you!  Last week, everyone in my house came down with a stomach bug and it all started with my youngest.  We thought it was an isolated incident and then a day later my other son started with the same symptoms, then my husband and last but not least – moi.  I was already feeling like I was falling behind on so many things, but the flu doesn’t care about to-do lists and Christmas.  The flu is heartless.

I didn’t want this week to end without wishing you all the best holidays ever!  In a few days we will have our home full of family and friends and we will be hosting our usual Christmas breakfast.  I already went grocery shopping and the table is set.  I just have to pace myself with the cooking and the prep work, and of course I have to clean the house.  I never give the house a thorough cleaning before Christmas, I just keep it relatively clean and I focus on the bathrooms and the areas that guests will be using.  After Christmas, when the tree comes down, that’s when I will break out the cleaning gloves.

I did want to share with you one more thing before I take a little Christmas break, and that is my table setting for the breakfast.  Below is a picture taken from my living room, which leads to the dining room.  I do enjoy having a formal dining room, although our daily meals are always around our kitchen table.

The living room is always decorated in a pretty neutral palette and I like to use the same colors in the dining room.  This year it was gold, green and white.  The little deer are from Target and I purchased them last year.

I collect napkin rings and napkins but I rarely buy any holiday-specific ones so that I can use them year-round.  Plus, all these items take up space and it’s not worth it to me if I can only use them once a year.

As always, I like to bring in another texture and this really casual, woven placemat does the trick.

The centerpiece was not really a centerpiece at all.  I placed little trees (none truly matched the other) along the center of the table, the deer as if walking through the table and finally, a set of ball ornaments in rose gold scattered throughout.

This year I had an extra garland (the one I usually use in the buffet) and I placed it on the lamp.  I didn’t have to secure it, as the curves hug the garland in place.  It’s funny because I was walking around the house looking for a place to use the garland so that I wouldn’t have to store it back in the garage.  #ResourcefulAndLazy   I liked how it turned out so much that I may do this every year.

I hope you enjoyed all the tablescapes that I shared this year.  I really enjoyed putting them together and sharing them with you.

I hope that we all feel well in time for Christmas day!  Enjoy every minute, my friends!