Christmas Dinner

As Christmas gets a little closer, I'm starting to think about my menu for Christmas dinner.  What should I serve?  How should I best set the table and serve 13 people, including five small children?  Should I try to accomodate everyone in a more formal sit down style?  Would it be better and easier to serve more of an Open House buffet style?  I'm leaning toward the buffet style and I know the menu will include ham and scalloped potatoes.  The details from there aren't quite clear yet.  Whatever I decide, my dining room will play the leading role.  The dining room is decorated and ready for the big day!

I use a lot of gold and crystal or glass in my dining room decorations.  I have several crystal Lennox coin pieces that were passed down from my Grandma, and that sort of sets the stage for everything else.
I layer crystal cake plates and then cover them with white and gold poinsettas.  The little tree is decorated with blown glass ornaments, gold boots, gold and white poinsettas and gold ribbon.

In front of the little tree is a miniature glass nativity scene.

The center table cloth is from Vienna, Austria, and given to me from my mother.  The candles are clear with gold flecks (for looks only).

I have a few Christmas plates that I put in the bottom of my china cupboard.  Sitting on top is my antique chocolate set that I found at the flea market this past summer.  I have yet to use it and now that I reminded myself of it, I need to do so.  Hot chocolate with marshmallows while sitting in front of the fire!

Sitting atop my wine cabinet is my Thomas Kincaid Christmas village.  

I made the quilt that hangs next to the wine cabinet.  It's a fan pattern, made from a wine theme fabric.  I hand appliqued each fan to the quilt and fussy cut each blade of the fan so that each blade was the same pattern. Here's a close up of what I'm trying to explain.  

 This is probably one of my favorite quilts that I've ever done.  

I have a bench that sits in front of the bay window.  The dogs love to sit on this bench and look out the window, waiting to bark at anyone or anything they see.  Or if I leave the house, they will sit there patiently and faithfully waiting for my return.  

I need to find a gold Christmas pillow in place of the floral one.  I didn't think about that until I looked at this picture! 

I'm also linking this post to Cielo's "Show Off Your Cottage Monday"
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/2010/12/show-off-your-cottage-monday.html