Cover Astrie Sunindar-Ratner

The founder of A-The Etiquette Consultancy and tablescaping guru gives us her top decorating tips for setting a beautiful and memorable table for the holidays

In just over a month, Christmas celebrations will be in full swing and—with the newly relaxed Covid-19 measures in Singapore—it’s time to party responsibly.

With intimate dinner parties on the cards for the foreseeable future, it’s never been more important to make an impression on your close friends with an exquisite dining experience. You’ll be forgiven if food is topmost of mind, but a stunningly decorated table definitely never fails to get the right ambience in place for the holiday season.

We turned to Astrie Sunindar-Ratner, the founder of A-The Etiquette Consultancy and a seasoned hostess with an impeccable eye for decorating, to get her top tips for styling the perfect table for those upcoming festive fetes.

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Tip #1: Create a mood board

Start by taking stock of your Christmas tableware collections and work around this to achieve the look and feel you want for this Christmas! For example, you can use your existing Christmas plates, but change the details like the linens, candle colours, and centrepiece according to your theme. This year, I’m feeling a ‘White Christmas’ theme, but I plan on reusing my green holly-themed plates, which I absolutely love. 

Tip #2: Pick your table linen

Once you have chosen the colours and theme in your mood board, I suggest picking a linen that drapes down the sides of your table to create a dramatic feel. Remember to pick napkins that have a complementary colour scheme or design to the table cloth. I love using plaid taffeta table cloth as my base!

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Tip #3: Decide on the centrepiece

This will create the wow factor and help pull together the whole look. It can be a garland, flowers, or a big wreath with a candle in the middle. The options are endless! Get creative and have fun! Remember, some of the best centrepieces are home-made!

Tip #4: The finishing touch

I always love adding personalised touches to leave a lasting impression and make everyone feel welcome! This includes handwritten menu and place cards, little notes tied to ribbons on the napkins and unexpected little gifts for all the guests. It’s Christmas dinner after all.

Read more: How the Perfect Tableware Helps Create a Dream Dinner Setting

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Tip #5: Set up in advance

Polish your silverware, glasses and plates. Set the whole table with all the décor so on Christmas day you can focus on the food and drinks. I always love welcoming my guests with festive cocktails to get everyone in the mood with fun colour drinks or glasses! One of my favourites is our family version of a Brandy Alexander (refer to the recipe below). And last but not least don’t forget to put on your favourite Christmas album! Mine is The Tony Bennett Christmas Album.

The Ratners’ Christmas Alexander

Ingredients

  • 1 part Cognac
  • 1 part Crème de cacao
  • 1 part Eggnog

Method

Shake, strain into a chilled classic champagne coupe and sprinkle with fresh nutmeg or cinnamon on top. Served straight up with no ice!

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