Magnolia Table for Christmas!

I'm repurposing this post as # 8 in the Slice of Pie Tablescapes Series!  This was really a photoshoot for a quarterly lifestyling magazine I used to publish.  I've added a couple pictures to the very end that I found in my files.  This is a beautiful table for any season, but especially at Christmastime!

I'm a Southern Girl ... Yes I am!

I love to set a Christmas Table with my old Magnola china!  Magnolia trees are prolific in Southern Illinois and I probably need to remind my readers that I live just 2.5 hours from Nashville and Memphis ... and 5.5 hours from Chicagoland!  Folks generally think "Chicago" when they hear Illinois!  We are the northern tip of the Mississippi River Delta ... and the history of our population is that folks migrated here from the Upland South.   So ... many of our foodways and other customs are southern-based!

Our annual Christmas Open House has a "Bayou" theme this year ... so my followers will eventually see a few mudbugs and at least one little alligator in my Christmas decor ... and my buffet meal will include Crawfish Pie, Jambalaya, Sweet Potato Pie and Pralines!  ... and Hurricanes and Chicory Coffee Punch! 

The pattern of this Monarch China is called "Brenda" and it is 1960s ... the stemmed glassware is a combination of a couple patterns from the 1940s ... and the silverplate is Oneida Community "Evening Star" from the 1950s.  I've amassed a collection of it over the years .. including "afternoon teaspoons" ... "grille forks and knives" ... individual butter knives ... and gumbo spoons!  Love it!

Holiday Decor Party! Front Porch Buddies

I'm linking to the Share the Decor Party, so make sure you click thru the icon on the left to visit the other posts ... and special thanks to our hostess. This is her first Linky party, so leave her a note to thank her! We sure love our parties.
Here's a quick view of what our friends and family see when they come to our front porch right now! I have a faux wreath on each shutter ... and a real one centered on the dining room windows ... that I bought from a Boy Scout ... Not just any Boy Scout ... my young friend, John, who works hard for his community.

My snow buddies, Billy and Bobby, have a little special meaning that I'll post about in January!  Right now their job is to say "Welcome" in snowman language!  Right after I set this up, we got a bit of snow in the Midwest!

 If you ever think that all our decorating and tablescaping efforts are unimportant ... think again!  Miss Phoebe is pictured here, spontaneously hosting a Christmas Tea Party with Pablo and Uniqua ... you might know the BackYardigan characters!  I'm sure there is a Splenda packet someplace on the scene ... because she won't take a sip of tea without it! ... even pretend tea.