Decorating your Christmas Table can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want. If you are going to shop for items to use on your dinner table, be sure to set a budget. Even better, if you want to find bargains, either shop early or shop after Christmas for clearance sales.

To begin with, unless you have a really beautiful table top, you are going to want to find a table cloth. You can either purchase one already made to fit your table, or you can purchase fabric and make your own. It really is quite simple.

The next thing to do for building a valentine table is to fix the table with the best and finest china dishes. If you don't have any, then use whatever is available. Mixing the dishes that have matching patterns is a good option. Place some plates on top of the other and make a pair of goblets and wine glass. Use forks, spoon and knives that is silver and those which are matching while decorating the table.

If you are having a casual dinner, then consider using brightly colored tablecloths and napkins. They add festiveness to the table and can be complimented with floral arrangements that match the colors that you use. You can buy utensils that have colored stems and glasses in colors to match. There are many casual place mats that are attractive and affordable. They will not only add a since of style to your place setting but will protect your table cloth as well.

If your dishes are plain white, you might consider charger plates to add a splash of color. But again, if your tablecloth is adding plenty of color, you might forgo the extra busyness.

Assuming your not going completely formal, here are some general guidelines for placing cutlery. Forks to the left, knives to the right and dessert flatware above the plate. Salad and appetizer forks and knives should go on the outside. The cutlery for the main meal is placed closest to the plate.

Simple tip, right? If you're planning an elegant party, well, you shouldn't be serving take-aways in cardboard boxes. Ideally, you should cook the dinner, but if you don't have time, one option is to buy pre-made food from different restaurants.

Remember that with food, variety is the key. Keep in mind that some of your guests may be vegetarians, while others may be meat-lovers. Some may be on a diet, while others would expect a full and hearty meal from your party.

You will be able to find lots of different benches in many local furniture stores. Your best bet is to do research on these stores and look them up on the Internet so that you can have an idea of what your options are. After looking through their product catalogues, visit the stores where you have seen models you actually like. Bring a picture of your dinner table with you so that you can use it to visualize your new look - complete with the benches.

Thanksgiving requires a basic color of orange, brown or red. Use a basic solid color for your table cloth and decorate cloth napkins with each additional color. Add a Capricorn to the table for decoration as well as having the kids make table cards out of construction cards shaped as a turkey.