Fa-la-la: Fabulously festive ways to deck your holiday table

5D4B3821 - Tablescapes - Christmas-featured-photo

When choosing your Christmas table decorations this holiday season, don’t settle for the expected heavy green bough and red ball ornament centerpiece.

Instead, create a fresh and modern Christmas tablescape in crisp white, glittering metallics, cream flowers, and soft greenery. Here are a few easy Christmas table decorating ideas you can use to get this look!

Layer your linens

If you want to try the layered look, start with a crisp white tablecloth. Next, we added a runner in cream with a metallic design woven in. Place a single wide runner down the length of the table, or several long ones across the width — essentially connecting two place settings on opposite sides of the table.

5D4B3931 - Tablescapes - Christmas-layer-linens

For example, if you have eight place settings, three on either side and one on each end, you would lay three runners across the width of the table.

For each Christmas table placesetting, fold a metallic linen napkin longways, as shown, and lay it down the middle of the dinner plates. Place a salad plate on top.

5D4B3936 - Tablescapes - Christmas-layer-linens-salad-plate

Keep the Christmas dinnerware simple

A beautiful Christmas table setting begins with lovely dishes, and there’s no better time to break out your fine china. Gold, silver, or platinum-rimmed plates and bowls bring subtle glamour to this look.

MORE: Picking the perfect wine pairings for the holidays

5D4B3868 - Tablescapes - Christmas-china-simple

Mix your metals

You can keep your metals in the same tone (warm or cool), or you can mix them together by following a few easy guidelines.

The look has the most impact when your flatware is the same tone as the rims on your china ,and your napkin the opposite — so gold-rimmed dishes are paired with gold flatware and silver napkins, or silver flatware with silver dishes and champagne gold napkins.

Thin, geometric gold candleholders are delicate and pretty and very on-trend when paired with mercury glass votives.

5D4B3865 - Tablescapes - Christmas-mix-your-metals

5D4B3916 - Tablescapes - Christmas-candles

Utilize a calm and classic floral design

Your Christmas table decorations are not complete without a beautiful floral arrangement. You can be both nontraditional and classic — the two are not mutually exclusive!

Instead of boughs from fir trees and red ornament balls, choose softer greenery with juniper mixed in sparingly, and flowers like white roses and ranunculus.

Ask your florist for a dozen loose stems and chop the heads off to drop among the candles and crystal, along with small gold or silver metallic ball ornaments.

5D4B3786 - Tablescapes - Christmas-floral-arrangement

5D4B3951 - Tablescapes - Christmas-floral-arrangement-ornaments

Give each plate a special touch

Each Christmas place setting can be made even more special by giving it an individual flourish.

You could lay one soft green leaf in the center and top it with a pine cone and a small cluster of snowberries.

MORE: Celebrate the holidays with this delicious, classic prime rib with horseradish cream

Add a little extra glow by lightly painting the outermost edges of the pine cones the same metallic tone as your napkins.

These Christmas table decorating ideas may not be completely traditional, but they will still give your meal an elegant and classic backdrop.

5D4B3854 - Tablescapes - Christmas-special-touch

5D4B3835 - Tablescapes - Christmas-last-image

Floral arrangements courtesy of Katherine McCravey and Samantha Ramirez from Love In Bloom: AZ Wedding Floral & Design