It’s hard to imagine that Christmas is a little over one week away (which also means Naomi is almost 2 years old…I went into labor Christmas evening 2 years ago)!  The holiday season has been flying by so incredibly fast, I really want to cherish the next couple of weeks! This year, we’ll be gathering with Joe’s family on Christmas Eve, and then celebrating at home on Christmas Day. Do you have a large dinner on or around Christmas? Or is your major holiday meal centered around Thanksgiving? When we’re with Joe’s family for Christmas, we typically eat brunch Christmas morning (this year we’re each making a quiche, and I’m bringing my go-to German apple pancake) and then supper around 5 PM. All 30 of us (and that’s just the immediate family). This year we’re still debating between beef stew or ham and sides. My vote is for ham. Always ham. 😉

My family is thinking about joining us in Virginia in the days following Christmas… I hope they’re all able to visit! I just adore having family in our home around the holidays, especially since my family lives so far away, and it’s extra special to welcome them in our home at this time of year. As you are well aware (if you’re regular around here), besides being together with others, my absolute favorite part of gathering together is creating a cozy and welcoming space through an intentionally set table. So today I’m sharing some holiday table inspiration. These stunning photos are by Sweet Root Village and they’re from last month’s An Intentional Autumn retreat in the Catskills. This was our “fancy” Saturday evening dinner, and what a memorable time we had!

I used primarily Anthropologie items for the tabletop. I love the versatility of these pieces. You can use them all year long, for every day and for every holiday. They can look elegant and moody, and simple and modern, by merely switching out a few surrounding pieces and details. I almost always leave my napkins un-ironed (I call it dryer-wrinkled…take them out of the dryer as soon as it finishes, and lay them flat…perfection)! In my opinion, leaving napkins un-pressed makes the table more welcoming and casual, and is a great way to add delicious texture. I always incorporate a variety of texture in my tabletops.