How Can I Use a French Theme for Holiday Decorating?

Q. I am responsible for decorating a luncheon we are having for our head of school. She is from France and so the theme is French. We are using luncheon tables and parents are making French foods. Since it is the holiday, how can I decorate each table to give it a French flair while incorporating the holiday season? Any suggestions would be most appreciated! (Tami in Newport Beach, CA)

A. Tami, many thanks for sending in your question! Here are a few suggestions for your luncheon.

Take the red, white, and blue colors from the French flag as the color scheme foundation. Use a combination of red and blue tablecloths as the base cloth for each luncheon table. On top of each base cloth, place a white paper cloth (available at any party store).

Decorate each paper cloth just with French words and phrases relating to the season, like Joyeux Noël, Pere Noel, Pre Fouettard. The school's students could do this as a class project, looking up words and phrases and using crayons or colored markers to write them in very ornate, decorative script. It would be stylish and meaningful to have the words touch one another with flowers and ornaments curling out of them to create the look of a fabric design.

In France, Christmas trees are sometimes decorated in the old way with red ribbons and real white wax candles. Pick up on these traditional themes at your table settings.

Tie a red ribbon lengthwise (top to bottom) around each person's folded paper or cloth napkin at each place setting. Slip-knot the ribbon at the bottom and and pull it taut, snipping the ends at an angle.

On some tables, group three or more white pillar candles (unscented, of course) in various heights in the center of each table surrounded by evergreen accents. Small boughs of evergreens can be tied with red ribbons. Add clusters of chestnuts around the evergreens, a tradition in the Burgundy region.

An alternative centerpiece suggestion is to use clear glass bowls and/or tall glass cylinders. Put one large or three smaller pillar candles in each one, surrounded by chestnuts or cranberries to hold them upright. Add small evergreen bough clusters tied up with red ribbons.

For a splurge, avoid evergreens and purchase miniature toy fir trees of different heights to group around the candle pillars.

Use Marzipan, typically employed for decorative purposes, dating to the Medieval Ages in France and other European countries. Purchase Marzipan treats (little fruits are fun along with the more traditional mushrooms) and radiate them out from the centerpieces to add a festive, colorful, appetizing touch to the tables.

If you're not plating the meal and bringing out served food to each diner, set up a buffet table for festive serve-yourself fun. Add sparkle with a larger, taller, more significant centerpiece than on the luncheon tables.

The French dishes brought by your school's parents can be displayed around the centerpiece, with diners serving themselves in a buffet line that flows around the table. Use a longer rectangular table or a larger round table to distinguish it from the luncheon tables.

Traditionally, ending a French Christmas meal with a Buche de Noel is always fun and appreciated. Epicurious has some recipes if one or two parents would like to tackle making something homemade; otherwise, a good bakery might have these available (you will probably need to order in advance).

You can get large Buche de Noels or smaller miniature ones, which would be quite charming and add to your table decor. Tartes, gateaux, and petit pains add to the French-themed holiday festivities.

We're sure your party will be a big hit. Good luck to you and that lucky head of school. Happy holidays to you and your family, Tami!

Photo credits: Moussey Moose, Folk Nation, Ephemeral Isle, Food Network

Update on November 10, 2009 by Design2Share

Visit Design2Share's Holiday Decorating Special throughout the months of November and December to keep picking up helping tips for home gifts, holiday decorating ideas, and groovy yuletide decor tips.

And check out our New Design2Share Shop for unique home decor and gifts. We're adding new products all the time, each a hand-picked favorite from the D2S team. Keep coming back!

Update on November 10, 2009 by Design2Share

We received this follow-up message from Tami: Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas! I hadn't heard back before I went shopping on Friday and I purchased the items below. I think I may have to go back and regroup.

I have purchased a deep burgundy/gold toile fabric that I thought I would cut to make squares and place diagonally on each table.

I bought gold pillar candles of different heights to place in groups on the table along with pre-lit trees, three to a table that are in gorgeous urns; they are about 10.5 inches tall. I had also purchased real trees to see which I liked better but the pre-lit ones looked so pretty that I thought I would use them instead.

The fabric is going to be placed over white paper tablecloths -- we can change that; the person buying the paper goods had just bought the standard color we use for the base at some of our luncheons. And for napkins, I made something similar to gift tags with French words on the them to tie around each one.

I have been looking into the cakes you mentioned and Williams Sonoma has a beautiful one. I would like to buy one for each table; might be a little much though.

Perhaps I could tie pretty wine-colored ribbons on each tree for the look you mentioned.

Do you think toile fabric is okay? Or should I really go with the red, white, and blue theme?

I love the idea about getting the kids involved but I am not sure we have enough time -- the luncheon is on Thursday of this week. I am going to check on that; I love that idea.

Thank you so much for all of your help. I feel very honored that you made time to give me your creative ideas. They are wonderful and so appreciated.

And we responded: Hi, Tami. Actually, the toile sounds great. We're sorry we hadn't thought of it!

You sound as if you've already put much thought and effort into your luncheon, and we're sure it'll be absolutely wonderful. Most imprortantly, promise us that you'll enjoy it.

Let us know how it turns out and email us a picture. We'd love to see it.

Holiday Cheers to you and your school, Tami, from Design2Share!