Easy Holiday Place Setting

The holidays are upon us once again. Bloggers and designers everywhere are buzzing like bees preparing for the festivities - cooking, decorating, shopping, fa la la la la.

In that spirit I, too, am busy planning ahead for our Christmas dinner table. Because we only sit down to a meal with extended family once or twice a year, I like to personalize the table settings as much as possible. Often, I add quotes that reflect each family member's personality. In past years, we've read our quotes aloud as a blessing before the meal.

This year, I'm starting with these simple balsa wood words that I picked up at Michael's. With a quick coat of spray paint, they now coordinate with our décor. These words, alone, make a sweet statement, but I may still find quotes that relate to each of the words to personalize each place setting even more (stay tuned as we get closer to Christmas.)

Snowflakes are my favorite holiday theme. These napkin rings were plain when I bought them, but the embellisher in me just had to bling them up a little! Craft store adornments gave them just the sparkle they needed. I mean, can you have too much glitz at Christmas?

Here are the words for each of the seven of us. These could be taken along as favors after our gathering and reused as gift ties, bookmarks, inspirational desk accessories, etc. It's such a simple and inexpensive way to spread a little extra joy and love, don't you think?

Julie