22 Table Decor Hacks for a Festive Friendsgiving

Creative Table Runners And Tablecloths

Etsy Gauze Table Runner

Anthropologie Plaid Tablecloth

Greenrow Narcissus Ruffle Tablecloth

Williams Sonoma Linen Table Runner

Bed Threads Oatmeal, Olive & Sage Table Bundle

Etsy Thankful Table Runner

Get Creative With Your Centerpiece

Etsy Dried Citrus

Terrain Frosted Glass Pumpkins

Wayfair Faux Bay Laurel Garland

Etsy Twisted Candles

Etsy Eucalyptus Garland

Use Seasonal Tableware

Benedita Bow Stoneware Side Plates

Bed Threads French Flax Linen Scalloped Napkins

Meri Meri Earthy Reusable Bamboo Plates

Simply Eco Compostable Table Setting

Pomelo Casa Mini Plates

Food52 Cambridge Gaze Flatware

Perigold La Rochere Glassware

Terrain Harvest Place Setting Bunches

Terracotta Ribbon

Etsy Mushroom Decor

Meri Meri Fall Flower Crackers

Personalized Fabric Holiday Cracker

DIY Ideas

Use mini pumpkins at your place cards. (via Brit + Co)

Or gourds as your serving dish and save on washing dishes! (via Brit + Co)

Plan out your tablescape ahead of time

Whether you shop for decorations a few weeks beforehand or even brainstorm ideas with a quick sketch, it’s wise to have a clear idea about the contents and layout of your table before the big day. If you’re not sure where to start, it often helps to decide on a color scheme or an overall theme and build from there. For instance, you might opt for a traditional look with red, green, and gold accents that remind you of Christmases gone by. Or, you may want to try out a more minimalist look this year and experiment with rising trends like eco-friendly decorations.

It's easy to get a little carried away when you’re being creative, but try to make sure that your table is still practical and comfortable for your guests, as well as looking beautiful. In between the decorations, centerpieces, and place settings, be sure to leave enough space for plates, glasses, serving dishes, and any other essential items you’ll need to use. This way, no one will feel cramped or short of space enjoying their meal! To save time, you may also want to lay your dining table the night before — this means you can focus on opening presents and preparing dinner on the day, knowing that you’ve got a beautiful tablescape ready and waiting.

Choose the right homeware

Even though they serve a practical function, your plates, bowls, and serving dishes play a large part in the overall aesthetic of your table too. You may have a dedicated set of ceramics that you use for Christmas, but if you don’t, it can be just as effective to use some of your favorite neutral staples. Especially if you’re using décor like a patterned tablecloth or bright centerpiece, you can balance this out by using classic pieces in understated colors. This is why investing in durable ceramics that last is always worthwhile: you can make use of them all year round.

Other essential pieces like cast-iron cookware, serving platters, and mugs are all perfect for the festive season, as they allow you to serve everything from appetizers and main meals to comforting hot drinks easily. As well as ceramics, don’t forget to add some of your best glassware to serve up the wine, Champagne, or festive cocktails you’ll toast with during dinner.

Using versatile or more neutral pieces like these also allows you to be more flexible. For example, if you need to add an extra seat at the table, using more understated homeware means you won’t have to use plates in drastically different colors or patterns. This will help you maintain a coherent theme for the table, even if your plans change to accommodate friends, family, or neighbors. After all, the more the merrier!

Forage for a natural centerpiece

With the popularity of eco-friendly Christmas decorations on the rise, why not make your own centerpiece with natural foliage? Not only is this a more sustainable way to decorate, but foraging in your local woodland area is a fun, festive activity you can do with the whole family. So, wrap up warm and look out for classic Christmas plants like holly, mistletoe, berries, and evergreen branches like fir or pine. Just be sure to only take what you need and never trespass onto private land when foraging.

When making your own centerpiece, you might take a more relaxed approach and simply lay out your plants across the middle of your table, interspersing this with candle holders, baubles, and any other accessories you have on hand. However, if you’re a little short on space you might make a smaller, more contained piece like a wreath or display them in a ceramic milk jug for a rustic, farmhouse look.

Add some personal touches

You may want to keep your theme more traditional and opt for a classic Christmas look, but if you want to add a little something different, then it’s always fun to include some personal touches — whether they’re for you or your guests. One way of doing this is with your place settings, as you can often make these yourself and have full creative freedom. You might leave a small gift box with a little personalized gift inside, adding a handwritten name tag for each guest. Or, keep it classic with simple name cards and add a few sprigs of the holly or mistletoe you foraged earlier.

Once your place settings are laid, you can also add a personal touch with the glassware you pick out for each guest. For example, if one of your family members loves to toast with a glass of Champagne, make sure to provide them with a nice crystal flute. Whether they like a glass of wine, whiskey, or a hot toddy, giving your guests the right glassware for their favorite drink is a little gesture that shows how much thought you’ve put in to make the perfect Christmas table for you and your loved ones.

What is the Oh Canada movie about?

Oh, Canada Plot

Oh, Canada follows the life of legendary (albeit fictional) filmmaker Leonard Fife. This story probably approaches Leo's career the way we think about Steven Spielberg's. AKA, he's very important. Leonard decides to tell his life story before he runs out of time. And even though he's got an impressive resumé, he also has to decide if he wants his Vietnam draft dodge and sticky relationships to become public knowledge.

"Leonard sits for an extended interview with his former student Malcolm (Michael Imperioli), relating candid stories about his younger self (Jacob Elordi) in the tumultuous 1960s and beyond," the synopsis says, adding that "at Leonard’s insistence, his wife and indispensable artistic partner, Emma (Uma Thurman), bears witness to it all."

How to watch Oh Canada?

Oh, Canada Release Date

Jacob Elordi's new movie is coming to theaters December 6, 2024 — the same day as Rachel Zegler's Y2K and Amy Adams' Nightb—ch!

Who's in the movie?

Oh, Canada Cast

The cast of Oh, Canada includes Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Michael Imperioli, and Victoria Hill, while the movie is written and directed by Paul Schrader (who also worked with Richard on 1980's American Gigolo!

What has the cast said about the movie?

Uma Thurman has been vocal about how excited she is to be a part of the project and told Deadline the movie feels like a "reverie" and has a "lyrical, sort of loosely knit, poetic" quality about it.

"The cinematic hand of Paul, of course, carried the day, as far as bringing this sort of illusionary dream together into something that you walk away from with the strong impression of a story," she says. "Just the presence of a master like Paul Schrader on a set of any size, is as distinct as, I don’t know, a warm wind. It’s like the wind that hits you when you get off a plane in the tropics. There’s only one thing of its ilk, and he’s kind of a master like that. You could really be anywhere; you can’t miss it."

That sounds like my kind of movie.

Director Paul Schrader revealed he fell in love with Jacob's performance the moment he saw him — which was before he took the world by storm in Priscilla. “I saw his performance on Zoom and, if this was 40 years ago, this is the guy I would have cast for American Gigolo,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.