Home for the Holidays from shorelines

shorelines ◦ interiors by gregory ◦

"Home for the Holidays"

Setting your holiday table should be an exercise in personal expression. Why not try expressing your own South Shore Style? Most any theme that represents your personal connection with our land and sea can be expressed in a decorative table theme. The key is the centrepiece.

Folk art is a perfect South Shore table display. Last year, I achieved great success with a folk art table at the Mahone Bay Holiday House Tour. I had been hired to arrange all of the ground floor rooms of an old cape house around a large collection of folk art sculptures, paintings, and needlework. Although all of the rooms were appreciated, the dining table received the most attention. The reason? I had placed a model fishing boat as the centrepiece. The little fishing boat celebrated the South Shore Holiday Lobster Feast. Because it was unexpected, yet so obviously appropriate for the South Shore, it was a hit!

The decoration began with the homeowner’s antique tablecloth--a beautiful reminder of meals shared in the past. After placing the model boat in the table centre, strands of gold bead garland were splayed around the boat, looking like golden floats on the tablecloth sea. Christmas-themed dishes were set out, surrounded by all of the tableware that is usually hidden in the cupboards—crystal glasses, silverware, antique serving bowls, and cloth napkins. Crystal bowls were placed on the table corners, alternately filled with floating candles and fine chocolates in golden foil wrappers. Finally, the holiday crackers were placed at each setting. Once the candles were lit, the table sparkled. If you have a collection of folk art, start with one large piece or several smaller ones. Surround with glass beads, ornaments, and candles. Your table will be a hit!

One of the easiest themes to assemble is the seashore. Once you have placed your tablecloth, set out the seashells and driftwood. Surround them with glass beads, candles, and voila—you’ll have instant South Shore atmosphere. Continue the theme with candy shells in small bowls around the table. After the table has been completely set, any extra spaces can be filled with extra shells. Just avoid the area around glasses. You might have a mishap when a glass is placed on unexpected shell.

For a woodland centrepiece, venture along the country roads around the county with pruning clippers. For greenery prune small branches of spruce and pine. For colour and texture, collect the rosehips, winterberries, and pinecones. If you have a garden, clip sprigs of boxwood and dogwood branches. Arrange these in old vases and pitchers of ceramic, silver, and brass. Start your arrangement with the large branches first, filling in the extra spaces with all of the colourful smaller sprigs. Use your woodland centrepiece alone or in tandem with the other ideas above.

Whatever your choice of centrepiece, surround the feature object with candles. Use antique silver candlesticks, old brass, or just lots of small votives. Remember that the purpose of candlelight is to enhance the centrepiece with a subtle glow, so try to avoid using coloured candles—they draw too much attention to themselves. Instead, use natural beeswax, white, or ivory candles in votives or candlesticks.

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