From the Table to the Food: The Ultimate Guide to a Glamorous Singaporean Christmas Dinner

There is just something about a home-cooked meal that no fine-dining restaurant can compete with. Instead of going out this Christmas Eve, why not take the festivities to the comfort of your own home. From the theme to the table setup and food preparation, the following are some tips and tricks to guide you in becoming the ultimate Christmas dinner host.

1. The theme

Ikea Tampines interior design manager Ping Ng advises everyone to think outside the red box this Christmas and go for different colors for the theme of your Christmas dinners. It doesn’t have to be red and it doesn’t have to be loud. Muted colours such as dark green with a little gold or silver accents can look just as festive. Her tip: Less is more. [caption id="attachment_110882" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: YouTube screengrab - Christmas dinner plates[/caption]

2. Check Instagram worthiness

To check if your final setup is Instagram-worthy, you can take photos during the process. Inspect if the table setting looks good from afar, and if it does, then it will be ready to be posted online.

3. It’s all about the details

Details such as polishing cutlery and glasses, the spacing and setup of the tableware, and other small details in presentation are important to ensure that your guests will be comfortable during the evening.

4. Mood lighting

This step is a subtle but equally essential one. Lighting is crucial in creating a cosier vibe plus the right shade can make any kind of food look appetising. Some candles, real or battery-operated depending on safety concerns, would boost your dinner’s ambiance as well as make those pictures look better.

5. A beautiful centerpiece

To impress your guests and to quickly fill tabletop space, put a centerpiece. Christmas decorations or vases and baskets filled with pine cones, holly, fruits or berries are great centerpiece ideas. [caption id="attachment_110887" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: YouTube screengrab - Christmas dinner table setup[/caption]

6. Uniformity

Don’t forget the rest of the kitchen or surrounding spaces. If you’re going for the theme of muted colours, then those rainbow couch pillows must disappear. Matching the table with the rest of the house will give a flow and sense of uniformity that not only makes guests more comfortable but also flaunts your interior design skills.

7. Next level with big and small

It’s time to take out the china. To portray a classy vibe with the table setting, go for big and small. A dinner plate on top of a charger plate and a large plain napkin under a smaller printed one are ways to instantly add some luxury to the look of the table.

8. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Everyday items can be repurposed to become embellishments. Old Christmas decorations can be reused for another purpose like crown ornaments turning into napkin holders. With a little imagination, purchasing new items to accent your theme can be avoided.

9. The Meal

Now for the meal. Preparation is key in order to avoid unnecessary stress. Chop, peel, marinate in advance. Write a complete grocery list and go to the supermarket a day or two before the event in order to give you ample time for last minute trips. For the turkey, try different stuffing combinations like onion and sage or apricot and ginger depending on preferences. Feel free to mix and match herbs to create a scrumptious addition to your turkey. [caption id="attachment_110886" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Photo: YouTube screengrab - Christmas turkey[/caption] To those that are not into cooking, fret not, because there are many restaurants that offer takeaways or delivery services for a Christmas dinner. With the food in check, you can focus your energies on something a little more interesting like the decorations. Adding a personal touch to a meal, whether through the ambiance or food, definitely makes everything more intimate, cosy and memorable.