A Whimsical Holiday Table

I set the dinner table most nights. It doesn’t always look like this, but the basics are always presents. Along with the obvious (plates, flatware, glassware and napkins), salt and pepper shakers, grocery store flowers, and often a tablecloth or placemat to frame the plate are usually present. At least once a week, I take it up a notch by adding some SIPP layers. SIPP is my goofy acronym for Sensory, Indulgent, Personal and Practical. These add the “wow factor”, and they magically turn mundane Tuesdays into special memories.

For this holiday table, the balsam fir candle, crackling fire in the fireplace and Michael Buble Holiday album created a warm, inviting SENSORY layer. Ordinary candies in glass ramekins contributed to the INDULGENT, “dessert first” layer. (Don’t be fooled. The candies were indulgent for me - not my littles. Seeing their eyes light up at the idea of “dessert before dinner” always makes me smile.) Next, the PERSONAL layer was a little gift. In this case, it was a Bauble Stocking with a handwritten note tucked inside. Often, the gift is simpler or sillier, but the intentions behind it is the same. I try to read what my family is needing that night (whimsy or connection, for example) and find a trinket that cultivates that emotion. And finally, the PRACTICAL layers include the wipeable linen placemats (my obsession!), $3 Target plaid salad plates, chic and kid-proof acrylic tumblers and linen-like paper napkins that cut down on laundry but still feel a little lux. The whole table takes less than 15 mins to set, and it’s worth every second. But don’t take my word for it, I challenge you to SET and SIPP your table one night this week… and DM me how it goes! XO, L