(CLICK PHOTO to enlarge and then the back arrow to return to original size).

Hi Everyone,

Well the holidays are approaching and I am at my usual point of being backed up and in a panic that I won’t be ready for Christmas. Somehow it all comes together, but this year I wanted to try a little experiment to help myself.

I don’t mind gift shopping (because most of it is online), I don’t mind food shopping, because I love to cook and I especially look forward to the Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner each Christmas Eve, but I hate wrapping gifts. I even like baking better than wrapping gifts and we all know that I am not the baker.

I usually wait until the afternoon of December 24th to wrap all my gifts and then I am exhausted.

So this year, I invited a few friends over for brunch early in December and had a gift wrapping get together.

I had Christmas music on and we shared wrapping paper, bows and helped each other wrap all of our gifts. With all the talking and laughing going on, it was the first time I had a pleasant experience gift wrapping.

For all our hard work, I made brunch, and I used a new purchase for the 2017 holiday season that I just added to my collection (and just love). 

 Yes, new dishes of course.

I have been drawn to a very trendy theme for the holidays this year – the ” vintage red truck with a Christmas tree”.

I love vintage looking plates for Christmas and this new plate fits the bill – too cute.

I am sure you have seen the red truck & tree all over the place. I was in Homegoods, Target, Pottery Barn & Pier 1 and red trucks were everywhere.

I received various holiday catalogs in the mail the past few months with red trucks featured as well. Even Stonewall Kitchen had a red truck basket filled with jam. (BTW, Pottery Barn has the red truck as a shower curtain, if you’re interested).

I saw a red truck doormat that was very cute, but I forgot what catalog that was from. (I wish I remembered, I would have made that purchase).

Being the marketers dream that I am, I bought the salad plates, mugs, glasses, platter, salt and pepper shakers and a cookie jar from various stores and put my collection together to mix and match with items I already owned.

So let’s start the “Red truck” tablescape of 2017…

I am using a plaid holiday tablecloth in shades of green, cream and burgundy from my Christmas linens that I have collected over the years. I think the colors match the rim of both the dinner and salad plates perfectly.

Napkins are dark green to pick up one of the colors in the tablecloth. I don’t know why I never purchased the matching napkins when I bought the tablecloth back in the day.

I am using wooden napkin rings to bring in that outdoor feel.

Flatware is red to match the truck.

I decided on NO placemat and only an off white charger. I felt a placemat on the plaid might be one layer too many so I chose a neutral charger instead. I really wanted your eye to be drawn to the salad plate.

The dinner plates are from 222 Fifth, the “Mount Holly” pattern. It is an off-white porcelain dish with dark red and white plaid (I love plaid) and pine tree sprigs along with a few pine cones around the rim. I bought them in Homegoods last year.

The colors on this dinner plate can really blend in with so many other Christmas dinnerware patterns, so you can change your tablescape with little effort.

The salad plates are my NEW purchase. They are off-white ironstone and made for Pier 1 Imports as part of their Winter Wonders collection this year.

This plate also has pine tree sprigs, holly and pine cones around the rim and the cutest design of the vintage red truck surrounded by pups playing in the snow. I just fell in love with this plate.

The complete set of old and new plates.

My mugs match the plates and then I added acrylic juice glasses with the red truck design found in Target.

I bought the cookie jar from Pier 1 and when it’s not being used as a centerpiece it is proudly displayed on my kitchen counter.

The truck looked a little lonely as the centerpiece so I placed it on an acacia tray to bring in a woodsy element.

I wanted the smell of fresh pine in the house so I went outside and cut a few sprigs of my pine tree. The sprig I chose had mini pine cones attached (along with a few bugs we had to immediately get rid of) and then I added a full pine cone. Now the house smells wonderful.

I received a 24 inch pine tree as an early Christmas gift so I set that up on my buffet along with a cute plaque that I found in Homegoods with the red truck design.

Santa watches over everything! I have had this particular Santa for many, many years since my son was a child and I just have to have him displayed every year.

I have continued my love of salt and pepper shakers and added the cutest “red truck and tree” set found in Target, as a table accent.

Salt and pepper shakers are the easiest accent to a tablescape to enhance a theme.

My menu for the red truck brunch was as follows…

French toast – served on a red truck platter that I found in Target.

Spinach quiche – an old standby

Granola – very simple

Fresh fruit– always welcome

BIG pot of coffee -enough said

Apple cider spiced tea– cheated and used a mix

and Cookies & Biscotti

I made biscotti and a few other Christmas cookies, (saving that for another post).

The fun continued and when we ladies get together with food, we forget the time.

This was a successful experiment and a great morning and I know I will be doing this next year. Give it a try.

I am now ready for some serious baking.

All of the Holiday Cookies recipes for 2017 will be posted shortly.

**********

Place Setting

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

*******************

Thank you for visiting my blog.

If you enjoy the posts, please spread the word and ask your family and friends to subscribe to DishingwithDiane.com

Once you subscribe, you’ll never miss a post…

Also, continue to send me your comments, I Love hearing from you.