Page 16   By Christina Surrano By Christina Surrano Holiday Table for the S  S 1 Bring the indoors out or the outdoors in. We are lucky to be able to enjoy moderate weather during the holiday season. Open up doors and bring potted plants inside or move the dining outdoors. This creates a relaxed atmosphere. Make sprigs of shrubbery or fresh herbs – tied with ribbon, twine or raffia – to place at each setting. Use succulents as centerpieces to include a southwestern element with elegance. 2 Clear the table clutter. Set up a buff et rather than placing serving dishes on the table. Relocate the water pitchers, wine bottles, nonalcoholic beverages, extra napkins and other table accoutrements to a separate bar so guests can help themselves. This display is warm and inviting. Also, no one is neglected and the hosts are free to enjoy themselves while dining. 3 To dress the table, think simple elegance. A row of small pieces versus one, large centerpiece helps people connect better across a large table. A runner of gourds, twigs and leaves can temper formality. Better still, a bold, printed tablecloth or runner can add visual interest and drama without the clutter. Go to a fabric store to find fabrics that have a dramatic but simple print. Stay away from the turkeys, fruit and predictable plaid and go for something diff erent that matches your color scheme. Use iron-on hem tape to create your no-sew, custom tablecloth. You can also make runners, but lay them perpendicularly, like long place mats across each two place settings. These can be used alone or layered over a tablecloth. 4 Use what you have. Use unneeded glasses as vessels to hold your centerpiece materials or candle votives for serving desserts. Using what you have in a diff erent way creates interest. It also saves you money, frees up cabinet space and is better for the environment. 5 Change up the colors. Use nontraditional colors or give the traditional colors a twist. Think red and white, red and turquoise, green and black, or hot pink and green. Or take inspiration from what you love. Look around your home and bring your home’s color palette onto the holiday dining table. Design decor & N eed fresh inspiration this year, but you don’t want to spend a lot of time or money? We asked visual merchandising, production and photography stylist, Abby Ripes, for her expertise. As a stylist, she often needs to create designs in a hurry that will please, excite and resonate. She also assembles arrangements for large-scale charity fundraisers. This is where time and money for each setting can add up quickly, so after 25 years in the industry, she has some useful ideas to share. Ripes notes that most families today have taken a more casual turn on entertaining. That doesn’t mean you can’t continue to use grandma’s china and silver or your best crystal. You just need to do something a little different to keep it fresh and inviting. Here are five tips to spice up the holiday table. K

Page 17   I have mixed emotions about the proverbial “kids’ table.” I love having my kids with me all the time. I think being part of the holiday dinner conversation is a great way for the entire family to share stories, reminisce, solve the world's problems and get caught up on each other’s busy lives. And hey, the kids often share some awesome little nugget of wisdom we all still remember when the day ends. However, the family holiday dinner can often come with logistical challenges. There just may not be enough room to spread out the table to accommodate the 30 or so relatives that are sharing and being thankful together. When the meal is finished and the kids are tired of sitting but the adults want to digest and continue to visit, excusing the kids leaves holes in the gorgeous, dynamic table you've spent hours creating. Not to mention the din in the room must rise so all can hear beyond the empty spaces. Then again, do you ever get the whine, “Aw, mom, I’m still at the kids table?” I have found “like is drawn to like” and even though they may whine about it, the kids and cousins really do want to be together. Kicking up the kids’ table could be the answer to keeping everybody happy. Start by jazzing up the decor by what appeals to the little people. Use giant felt fall leaves or pumpkins as placemats. The kids’ table can have candles, too! Those clever little LED ones had to have been created just for this moment. Adding whimsy by using pumpkin mugs or just a smidge of candy will always appeal to the kids. Cover the table with brown craft paper and provide cute containers of markers or crayons. Have the kids write what they are thankful for – or play games like tic-tac-toe. Buckets of beads and lengths of twine, with the ends dipped in white school glue so they don’t fray, make wonderful “thankfulness beads.” Each bead symbolizes one thing for which the child is thankful. If you can pull it off, and decide to keep the kids and adults all together, I still say set up the little craft table. There is nothing better than keeping little hands busy while the turkey bastes. Encourage the kids to make place cards for the big table. Stringing artificial fall leaves on embroidery twine makes an incredibly lovely garland for the front window or door. After you’ve layered on the fun, let the crafty folks be warned. You may find a few adults begging to sit at the kids’ table! Kids’ Table Kickin’ Up  By Lisa Weisenburger