Last Christmas morning, I woke up to a DM of a video showing water pooling onto our office floor. “It looks like your office may have flooded?” it read. It was so cold that a pipe had burst during the night, creating a waterfall into our entry. By morning, it had frozen solid, creating a spectacle for those who happened to walk by (make sure audio is on for the video). In the end, it took months to repair, and our office space resembled a mix of scenes from E.T. and The Abyss.
There wasn’t much I could do but snap a few pics for my landlord and insurance agent and head back home, where we would soon be hosting Christmas Dinner. My favorite part about hosting is setting (more like decorating) the table. I wasn’t going to let a burst pipe ruin that for me.
To quote from a recent article I wrote for The Fold:
"As a person who delights in visuals, the setting of a table brings just as much joy as picking out what I am going to wear. The holidays provide an outlet to be just the right amount of outlandish. Since having my daughter, we started the tradition of hosting Christmas dinner at our house. The setting changes slightly year to year depending on what I have acquired or how many guests will join, but a few key elements have remained the same. In a way, it’s a recipe consisting of some core ingredients that leave a lot of room to adjust and dabble. After all, one must leave space for spontaneous creativity!
One of my recent table explorations was with a tub of white Crayola air dry clay, a leftover from one of our daughter's craft projects. Upon her next moment of boredom, I quickly assigned her the task of making me a clay display for these tiny Japanese rice candles I didn’t have a stand for. Her piece came out better than I could have imagined [see said article], and it’s something I plan to do again this year.”
The dinner ended up being a success, and the office still stands. Who knows what the 25th will bring this year, but as long as I have a table to fill in my house, surrounded by the warmth of loved ones, I am prepared for whatever surprises may come my way. Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges, much like that burst pipe on Christmas morning. Yet, in the face of adversity, we find resilience, creativity, and the ability to turn a potential disaster into a cherished memory.
Happy Holiday! See you next year!
Kate
If you want more tablescape ideas, I nerded out and wrote a recipe card including my go-to table props.
