This Is Your Ultimate Guide to Christmas Hosting

Before you think about styling, make sure the foundations are in place. For each guest, you'll need a dinner plate, a side plate and a dessert plate or bowl; a full set of cutlery; a water glass and a wine/spirit glass; and a napkin. If you're serving a starter, add a smaller plate or bowl for that course too.

For the table itself, you'll need a tablecloth or placemats, a few serving platters and bowls, candlesticks and a jug or carafe for water. That's it. Everything else is a lovely extra.

Count everything a month before the big day, including spares for unexpected guests and broken glasses, and you'll avoid the last-minute dash to borrow from your guests. Our tableware collection covers every essential, from everyday basics to statement pieces.

If you're short on matching pieces, don't panic. We encourage mixing two sets that share a colour or a finish creates a beautifully eclectic, collected look, and borrowing from friends is part of the spirit of the season.

Layering is what makes a Christmas table look abundant, considered and luxurious. Start with the base, a tablecloth or placemats, then add a charger, the larger decorative plate that sits beneath everything else. On top, place the dinner plate, then a smaller starter plate or bowl, and finish with a folded napkin.

Mix textures and finishes as you go: linen with ceramic, rattan with gold, velvet with glass. The contrast between materials is what gives a table depth. Repeat each colour or finish at least three times across the table, so the look feels deliberate rather than accidental.

Don't forget height. Layering isn't just about stacking plates; it's about creating different levels across the whole table, with tall candlesticks, low bowls, glasses and greenery all working together.

The best Christmas tables appeal to every sense. Candlelight is essential: dim the overhead lights, light every candle and watch the room transform. Choose unscented candles for the table itself, so they don't compete with the food, and save scented candles for the hallway, living room and bathroom.

Scent sets the tone the moment guests walk through the door. Simmer a pan of orange peel, cinnamon and cloves on the hob, or tuck sprigs of rosemary and eucalyptus into the centrepiece for a fresh, green fragrance.

Finally, think about sound. A carefully chosen playlist, low enough to talk over, fills the quiet moments and keeps the mood festive from the first drink to the last mince pie.