Whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s, the holidays are a time to gather with family and friends to spread the joy of the season. If you’re hosting, this could mean more than doubling — or even tripling — the usual number of people in your home. How do you transform your living space to accommodate all of your holiday guests when it is already set up for you and your immediate family?

The dining room is the heart of holiday entertaining, where guests gather not only to eat but also to converse and spend quality time together. Because your dining room should enhance the experience rather than detract from it, we’ve compiled the best dining room Christmas décor to elevate your space. Even if you don’t have a dining room, these holiday hosting tips can be applied to any space where you plan to serve a holiday meal.

Tips and Ideas for Holiday Entertaining

Begin by clearing out your space

When your dining room isn’t in use for the entire year, it can become a dumping ground for clutter. Whether you use your dining room as an office, homework center, game room, or storage space, it can quickly become cluttered. It can be difficult to decide what to get rid of and how to do it before company arrives. Begin by getting rid of any old papers or magazines that are lying around. Place homework and office supplies in the bedrooms. Reorganize the attic or basement to accommodate larger items. If you require the services of a dumpster company, you can contact dumpster rentals miami, who will gladly assist you.

Determine whether you need to make larger changes

After you’ve decluttered your space, spruce up the essentials in your dining room. Perhaps your dog prefers to nap beneath the dining room table, and you need to replace the flooring. Perhaps a family member drew a portrait on the wall that never quite came off, and you need a new coat of paint. What better time of year to update the dining room than the holidays? Because these projects require advance planning, it’s best to tackle them only if you have time before your guests arrive.

Examine Your Furniture

After you’ve refreshed the space, it’s time to begin decorating the dining room for Christmas with new furniture. We’ve highlighted a few items that will make holiday entertaining a breeze.

Table for Dining Room

The most difficult task in holiday hosting is finding a place for all of your guests to sit for dinner without being crammed. One suggestion for a holiday dining table is to replace your current model with an extendable one. You can add a leaf or two to an extendable table to accommodate all of your guests. When your holiday entertaining is done, simply remove the leaves and shorten the table for everyday use by your family.

Buffet

How do you make room for all of the tasty dishes you’re serving, as well as holiday table settings, now that all of your guests are seated around the table? Use a buffet as an elegant and simple solution to your dish dilemma. A buffet not only has enough counter space to display your feast (with enough room for dishes catering to all dietary needs), but it also has storage underneath for your holiday dishware and silverware. It also provides another surface for additional dining room Christmas décor.

The Bar Cart

The drinks are the most important aspect of holiday entertaining after the food. Consider getting a bar cart instead of a permanent location for the bar. It’s small, but just big enough to hold all your drink necessities — and it’s portable. During dinner, place the cart in a corner of the dining room, and when the party moves to the living room, simply push the cart with you.

Set the Tone

Creating the right ambiance for your dining room is an important holiday entertaining tip. Lighting, scents, and music set the tone for the occasion, transforming your home into a winter wonderland.

Lighting from Above

With new overhead lighting, you can give your dining room a modern makeover. An updated lighting fixture above your table illuminates your Christmas décor and draws attention to your holiday table settings and centerpieces.

Fairy lights and candles

Looking for a more cost-effective lighting solution? Candles are another way to add warmth to your table while also lighting up your dining room and providing a holiday scent. Place a few candles in the center of your dining table or on your buffet for extra decoration that draws attention to the food you’re serving.

Fairy lights are another great Christmas dining room idea for setting the mood and adding sparkle to your décor. Fill a clear vase with pinecones and spruce sprigs and wrap them in fairy lights for a centerpiece. You can also add a little light to each table setting by laying fairy lights down in the center of the table. Alternatively, drape them over your curtains for a starry night effect in your holiday wonderland.

Scents for the Holidays

Aside from festive candle scents, a simmer pot is a surefire way to get your home smelling like a holiday haven. Boil a few apple peels, a cinnamon stick, and a few cloves to get the aroma of apple cider wafting through your home.

Add cedar, spruce, and eucalyptus sprigs to your pot of water for a more earthy aroma. Add apple cider, pumpkin spice seasoning, cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, vanilla extract, and whole cloves for the classic fall holiday pumpkin spice aroma. Reduce the heat to a simmer after adding the ingredients for your favorite holiday aroma. Check in on your pot from time to time to top it off with water. Learn more!