Red Stripes For 8

Originally posted in December 2009

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Merry Christmas to all and to all a great meal with family and friends.
This is one of two tables for our Christmas Day dinner , the other one appeared on

Wednesday December 23rd here on The Little Round Table entitled
"Fiesta Holly and Ribbons."

New Red Stripe Fiesta dinner plates exclusive to the Homer Laughlin

China Collectors Association and available on their website www.hlcca.org . This recently released Red Stripe has also been seen in the header here on The Little Round Table for the month of December.  Another post with additional images of Red Stripes can be seen on

an earlier post : Wow - Retro Red Stripe Fiesta!  Vintage Vera napkins, flatware from Macy's,

Ivory spiral candle holders are vintage Metlox, crystal is Vera Wang "Infinity."

The tablecloth is "Baroque Poinsettia" from Home Goods that I purchased several years ago in an "extra-wide" size to fit this antique pine drop leaf table made from 200 year old planks. At 70" wide it still barely covers the width of the table.

Vintage Ivory Fiesta chop plate topped with the vintage ivory footed salad

bowl decorated with the Red Stripe decoration.

Vintage Homer Laughlin hand painted milk pitcher and a vintage

Saint Nicholas plate from "The Angelus" line along side a vintage

individual salad bowl with the Red Stripe decoration.

Vintage Fiesta ring-handled "Tom and Jerry" mugs that have a matching ivory

footed salad bowl, also marked "Tom and Jerry", which serves as a punch bowl for this set.

Vintage Ice Lip Pitcher on a vintage Red Stripe luncheon plate.

Vintage Red Stripe cream soup bowl.

Vintage Ivory sweets comport (aka compote).  Check out the pertpetual perfect piece of chocolate confection, which was a gift from a special dish friend who shared her Hanukkah celebration with us here on The Little Round  Table.

Vintage Ivory comport (aka compote) and a vintage Ivory cake lifter from the Oven Serve line.

Vintage Ivory carafe on a vintage Red Stripe luncheon plate.

Vintage Ivory covered casserole with a vintage Red Stripe chop plate.
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No food as yet, but I promise pictures of food tomorrow.
The Menu
Appetizers & Champagne
Several dips with chips, crackers, bread rounds Brie with Fig jam baked in puff pastry, my daughter's new find from Thanksgiving that was such a hit!
Roast Turkey
Giblet Gravy
Herb Stuffing (out of the bird)
Mashed Potatoes (both garlic and plain)
And this year for the first time the family is doing the rest!
Some surprises to come I'm sure, but so far I know there will be:
Sweet potatoes
Green Salad
Fruit Salad
Rolls
And insert a kids' menu here that includes Tube Steaks (read that as hot dogs!)
and French Fries.  A couple of the grandkids begged for this menu a couple of years ago and now it is a tradition!  Grandma indulges them and they do EAT instead of pushing the real food around their plates.

Pumpkin Pies from one of the boys!
Candy's Cheesecake - always requested
Ice Cream Sundaes and Cupcakes for the kids

Have the Merriest Christmas, kiss under the mistletoe and hug your family!

Christmas Geese by Vera

This vintage tablecloth seems out of character for Vera's tablecloths, but it is indeed a Vera with the typical Christmas geese so popular in the '80s.  I've never made a Christmas goose, perhaps this is the year to give it a try!

Hunter green chargers, White Post 86 Fiesta dinner plates, Scarlet Fiesta salad plates.  Candy cane glassware is from Pfaltzgraff, flatware from Home Goods, salt and pepper and peppermint bowl from Pier 1.  The cake stand is Fitz and Floyd, napkins from Tuesday Morning.

How To Cook My Goose - A Recipe For Disaster In The Making

After doing some research on the roasting of a goose, I think I will wait for a less visible dinner party to make my first goose.  It would take 4 geese to feed our Christmas dinner crowd! Apparently the bigger the goose the less likely you will end up with a tender result.  Small 8-12 pound geese are the recommended size to roast. So I will have to wait to "cook my goose" ....have you ever wondered where that expression came from? I will admit that at this early hour of the morning I can just about taste the wonderful dark full flavored goose that is in my future.  And apple plus plum stuffing or sausage stuffing ..... sounds like heaven! There is a goose in my future, just not for Christmas dinner this year.  Have a merry old time whatever you serve up on your table.

Carollers and Poinsettias Tablescape

These little carollers have been around for our Christmas celebrations for about 40 years.  Bought them on sale at a place on Watt Avenue in Sacramento for our first Christmas in California. The deer have been around almost as long and are made from hemp type rope over some sort of wire frame.

Vintage tablecloth with gold chargers, Scarlet Post 86 Fiesta dinner plates and White Fiesta luncheon plates with the green Christmas tree decal and Scarlet berry bowls.  The sterling is American Directoire.

Fiesta Candy Cane Tablescape

I'm joining Chari at Happy To Design for her weekly party

Sunday Favorites.  This tablescape originally appeared on

The Little Round Table in December of 2009.

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The Peppermint Fiesta plates just plain make me smile!  They create their own holiday atmosphere and inspired the other elements in this tablescape.  Shown here with White Fiesta dinner and salad plates, Scarlet Fiesta berry bowls.  The flatware is Deauville, the glassware, candy cane bowls and placemats are from Pier 1.  Napkin rings and place card holders are from Michael's.  The crystal candle holders came from Home Goods and the napkins from Tuesday morning.  The centerpiece Crate and Barrel signature ornament holder can be used with any ornaments depending on the colorway you are using.  The $10 tablecloth from Home Goods is a mainstay in my linen closet, here it is shown with some peppermint ribbons.

Thanks for stopping by The Little Round Table!

Happy Holidays!!

Sunday Favorites: Toyland

Happy Holidays!

I'm joining Sunday Favorites with Chari over at Happy To Design,

come over and share a favorite post from the past that deserves

a repeat performance.

This post was originally published in December 2009.

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This vintage "Toyland" tablecloth is shown with Lemongrass Post 86 Fiesta and decorative salad plates.  The glassware is from Home Goods, flatware from Macy's, napkins from Tuesday Morning. The toys enjoying a ringside seat for this informal gathering are from my childhood.  There are also a few contemporary ornaments that fit right in with the older pieces.

These cute little vintage mushroom salt and pepper shakers look like

they were made for this tablecloth!

The candle holders are all from Home Goods.

The wonderful graphics on this cloth reminded me of some of my toys the first time I saw it.

And then there are the toys.

Thanks so much for stopping by again this week, I do hope you'll check out some of my other holiday post in the next couple of weeks.  If you missed any of this month's tablescapes, you can check them out below.