The holidays are upon us + what better time to infuse a little happy into your home. This year has been unlike any other and with everything currently going on, it’s still unclear if we will even be able to see our extended families for Christmas.

This will be one of the first years’ where there won’t be any parties, gatherings or crowded gift exchanges. Obviously, it sucks! But what can you do? Home for the holidays has never rang so true, but I don’t believe that means it has to be dull.

Decorating your home, or even just your dinning table for the holidays doesn’t have to get costly or complicated. Take my home, for example. We’ve kept things pretty minimal and only added touches of holiday on the tree (obviously) and one book shelf. Other than that, this time of year allows me to refresh our space by infusing a more seasonal feel using lots of marble, winter whites + pine scented candles.

When it comes to hosting, I’m not letting anything stop me from making this holiday special, even if that’s only for my husband, Xavi and I. We’ve planned an intimate dinner just us, at home to enjoy to make sure we’re not missing out on holiday traditions just because of the health restrictions. At the end of the day, Christmas is all about making memories and that’s exactly what we’re planning to do.

This might look like a lot, but I assure you it’s actually simpler than it appears. Sharing my checklist of what you need to decorate your table below!

TIPS ON HOW TO DECORATE YOUR TABLE FOR HOLIDAY

Table cloth and/or runner: the white tablecloth I used I had already from Ikea and the checkered runner I found at Michaels.

Candle sticks: a classic staple that’s suddenly become all the rage this year. There are so many pretty + unique options available. These white ones I used in the photo are from Michaels, but I’m obsessed with these extra long ones from The Cross. I’m also very much into interesting candle stick holders like this brass set I found on Amazon. You can also visit your local thrift store to find some vintage looking ones that are super cost effective.

Florals + greenery: I love using lots of greenery like eucalyptus in the winter time. I go to my local grocery store, pretty much every other week to grab some inexpensive greenery. Not only does it smell AMAZING but it looks really pretty and lasts forever. If I wanted to create something a little extra, I’d splurge on one bouquet of white roses and make my own arrangements like you see above.

Tableware: nothing fancy needed! Use what you have and arrange it a little fancier than you would from M-F. I used our everyday white plates to set the table. I keep one “special” set of brass utensils for special occasions, so I bust those out, too.

Fancy glassware: I like to take out my vintage glassware for special occasions. These ones I think I found at Homesense a few years ago.

Custom name cards: I love a custom name card. Something about it just feels special. This year I thought it would be cute to make my own, using sprigs of rosemary and a little name card cut out. All I did was tie the rosemary together using twine and wrote out our names. I think they turned out pretty dang cute.

Cloth napkins: again, another item we rarely use in our day-to-day. For special occasions I would steam them and either fold them a certain way or tie them up with twine or ribbon for an added detail.

I guess it’s just little touches like cloth napkins, fancy glasses, how you arrange your place settings and custom name cards that make a table setting feel special – It’s not necessarily how extravagant or expensive we can make it. Besides the florals, I had these items already in my pantry! Just to show you how you can use what you have to make the most of any holiday roadblocks we come across this treacherous year!