Double Duty Christmas Luncheons, 2015

Every year, I host two small luncheons for close friends who exchange gifts with each other.  Part of my gift is a special luncheon that provides us the opportunity to "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off!" We share a meal and we visit and visit and visit.  It's a time to walk away from the hectic routines that  we create for ourselves each year.  Today I want to share both of the luncheons with you.  They are pretty much the same, but I like to tweak the second one for my pleasure, and hopefully for yours.

 All the citizens of the village were ready for Christmas, 2015, and so was I.

 This day I played with a slightly different seating arrangement at the games table.  Can you see what I've done?  The place settings are still equally distributed around the table, but I've let my runner and centerpiece run the entire diameter of the table.  For some reason, it made for a more intimate setting.  My guests at both luncheons really liked the settings, and I think that I'll adapt this for future tables for four.  Oh!  Can you find the napkins?  They have been put to use as gift wrap for party favors.

 You can tell that I am still enamored with the Pottery Barn hurricanes.  I liked them so much that I used a Christmas gift certificate to buy another quartet of different hurricanes from Pottery Barn.  I can hardly wait for them to arrive.


The red heavy acrylic charger was the very first charger that I ever owned.  It was a generous gift from a friend, probably 20 years ago.  They are still beautiful, and I love to use them.

 The mug was used for a delicious tomato based soup that one of my friends contributed for the day.  If I can locate the recipe that she shared with me, I'll share it at some point.  It was soooo good!

 The Johnson Brothers Great Britain Pink Castles Christmas seemed to be quite comfortable with the green checked tablecloth that I found on eBay several years ago.  At first I viewed the cloth as a "summer cloth", but it has proven itself to be a cloth for all seasons.

Still two of my "go-to" goblets, I used the Vietri red and the AJKA Arabella green for today's festivities.

 The Retroneau Hollydays gold flatware continues to get its once a year workout.

 Color me happy, happy, happy!

 I enjoy dining tree side...

 ...with a view of our Christmas living room.

Ready to share good food and good fun with very good friends!

 Same story, second verse...

 Just a few changes...Can you find them?

 Oh, okay...one hint...

 Royal Crown Derby Brittany

Hint, hint, hint...look closely!

These two parties are always such a blessing for me.  We're all grandmothers now, with one awaiting her first precious grand baby in just a few months, and as such, we find ourselves busier and busier.  We love it so much, and still, it is wonderful to be able to sit face to face and catch up with each other...and share lots and lots of pictures of little ones.  At both luncheons, we stayed, and laughed till our sides hurt, and enjoyed each others' company until late in the afternoon.  I sent leftovers home with everyone, so they didn't have to be concerned about what to fix for dinner.  Merry Christmas!

My Christmas wish for you is that you have a circle of precious friends with whom you enjoy special moments like these.  I'll share that the common denominator for each of us is an abiding love of our precious master, Jesus Christ, the lover of each of our ragged souls.  Some of us are part of the same church family, and some of us attend other churches.  It doesn't matter...it is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost that binds us together.  I pray that you have found a church family for yourself.  Sometimes people ask me, "What is a church family?"  I answer, "Oh, it is so much.  It is a group of people with whom I worship and who lift their arms to cerebrate and give praise to God with me when things are good in my life...and who lift their arms to hold me up to God when I am in pain, or grieving, or suffering.  It is my church family.

This week I'm joining:

Worthwhile Wednesday @ Crafty Allie

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Rennaisance

It's been so very long, but here I sit with my new computer...a pocket of time...and so many things and tablescapes to share with you.  I've longed to join my circle of blogging friends for just about a year, and I'm thrilled to renew our friendships.  I've missed staying up with you.  So many of  you have touched base periodically, and you can't imagine how your notes have encouraged me.  Our little family is doing well, and we've enjoyed pretty much a normal and traditional Christmas this year.  I've decided that I'll try to begin again where I left off...Christmas of 2014.  If you have followed me you will remember that I had my first knee replacement on October 27, 2014.  KC and David were so generous to host us for Thanksgiving that year, and indeed, her beautiful tablescape was my last post for quite a while.  Although I was hobbled with a walker and then a cane, and I definitely didn't have the agility or stamina to do much at all, I did have a secret weapon...Cindy, my home care giver and I became friends, and she came back to help make sure that I was able to get Christmas decorations displayed and tables cape designs assembled for a variety of entertaining opportunities that I was determined would indeed take place.  And take place they did!  First up:  a Christmas luncheon for my dear Garden Friends, my Bible study group of about 30 years.  Come on in, we're in the dining room...

Traditional colors set the mood for our luncheon...

 Now, I still wasn't allowed to drive when I designed this table, so motoring to the market for fresh flowers was definitely not an option.  My storage closests yielded an assortment of ruby glass bells and hurricanes, a pair of AJKA green crystal pedestal bowls holding glass raspberries.  and one of my tureens...

 ...the Copeland Spode Camilla Pink tureen.

 My anchor...a 50⍧ acrylic charger from WalMart

 An additional charger, just because I could, the Maryland China Company "Minuet" charger.  Check out their website.  They sell mostly to china painters, and their "blanks" are superbly priced.  They also offer pretty nice price breaks for quantities that we could consider purchasing.

 Just because I couldn't blog didn't mean that I couldn't continue to collect.  Offered at very good prices from Replacements,  I've grown quite fond of the Johnson Brothers, "Great Britain Pink Castles Christmas dinner plate.  I chose to buy it with a plain white center because I knew that I could use it beyond the Christmas season.

 I picked up the coordinating luncheon plate with the Christmas tree for when I wanted to make it scream Christmas.  Tidbit:  These puppies are dishwasher safe, and my family is now eternally grateful that I bought them.  Silly family...they think that I'm going to use them every time.

 Do we still do the close up of the stack?  I'm sure that I'll learn that now that I'll be able to peruse more of your blogs.

It's been a year, but I'm fairly certain that it was the Williams Sonoma Holly Damask that was my inspiration for this table. The sterling flatware is Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance.  The Madeira napkins were an estate sale find....very inexpensive!

 Thought you might enjoy seeing the drop of the tablecloth.  I really like this piece!

 For most of the last year, there were times that I was pretty certain that I was going to spend the rest of my life in physical therapy...more on that later.  Anyway, I made certain to always have my trusty iPad or iPhone with me, and during the incessant time spent icing (not griping...ice was a life saver on many occasions), I completed my collections of AJKA Arabella goblets and Waterford Simply goblets through eBay.

This luncheon for 10 turned out to be the first of 6 opportunities to entertain during the Christmas holidays!  I'm going to try to post the additional parties as quickly as possible.  I'm going to lean heavily on the knowledge that there are really 12 Days of Christmas...after all I have two years worth of tablescapes to share with you.  Hang on...it's going to be a holly good ride!  I've added some more posts this week for Christmas, 2014.  If you're interested, check out:  Christmas Two Fer and Simply Plaid for Christmas

This week I'm joining:
Inspire Me Tuesday #298 @ A Stroll Through Life

Foodie Friday & Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

The Scoop #203 with Debbi @ Confessions of a Plate Addict

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

I am so out of touch that I'm not certain who is hosting memes, old or new.  If you host a meme, or know of one that will be appropriate for Entertaining Women's content, please, let me know in a comment?!  Thanks for helping me.