How to Set a Dining Table for the Holidays

Properly setting your table for a holiday dinner may seem a daunting task if you rarely use a formal place setting. A table that is properly set adds an elegant and festive look to the occasion. The rules that pertain to the placement of silverware, glasses and plates can be confusing and difficult to remember when you have the responsibility of hosting a party while preparing and serving the food. Learning the correct placement of each piece prevents you from making an etiquette faux pas. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Pick table linens with the dinnerware in mind. A tablecloth with a pattern looks fine as long as the plates and other accessories don't have a pattern. White, lace or solid-colored fabrics create an elegant-looking table for formal dinners. Using a table-runner and place mats is appropriate if you have an attractive dining room table.

2

Position the dinner plates approximately 1 inch from the edge of the table and in front of each chair. This prevents them from being knocked off when your guests are seating themselves.

3

Set salad plates or soup bowls to the left of the dinner plate. If the first course is a cold dish, you can place a plate or bowl directly in front of each chair and remove them before the next course.

4

Fold the napkin and place it to the left of the dinner plate. Napkins that are folded in a fancy manner may be placed on top of the dinner or salad plate.

5

Position the silverware in the correct manner on your dinner table. An uncomplicated way to remember the proper placement of the utensils is to note that the words "fork" and "left" each have four letters. Therefore, the forks go on the left side of the dinner plates and all others, such as spoons and knives, go on the right side. Place the silverware in the order it is needed for the courses. For instance, the salad fork goes to the outside of the dinner fork since it is used first. Also, the blade of the knife faces toward the plate.

6

Place a dessert fork at the top of the plate with the handle facing left. Dessert spoons go at the top of the plate with the handles facing right.

7

Set one single beverage or wine glass at the tip of the dinner knife. If more than one glass is used, position them like the silverware, with the one used first at the outermost position.

8

Position place cards -- if you are using them -- just beyond the edge of the dinner plate that is farthest away from you. Using place cards prevents an awkward moment when it is time to sit down to dinner, because they direct everyone where to sit.