Christmas tables have a habit of becoming more complicated than Christmas dinner itself. The matching glasses. The decorations that have to move before anyone can put down a serving dish. The napkins that look lovely but somehow never get used.

Our approach is simpler: choose one colour direction, give people a proper napkin, and leave room for the food. You don't need a red-and-green theme to make a table feel festive. Olive, cream, terracotta and a good food illustration can be just as welcoming - and useful long after Christmas Day.

Here are three Christmas table ideas built around WOLDS designs currently on the site, plus a realistic way to plan for the new designs shown for December 2026.

1. Olive and cream: the long Christmas lunch

The feeling: relaxed, a little rustic, and very good at surviving a second helping of roast potatoes.

Start with cream plates, natural wood and clear glasses. Add a sprig of greenery if you have some; it doesn't need to be a centrepiece. An olive or sage-toned napkin gives the table colour without demanding that everything else match.

For a neat border, try the Olive Frame Napkin, with its hand-drawn scalloped edge on cream. If you want more pattern, Fennel Check brings an earthy olive grid on warm cream. Both work with plain tableware, and neither looks out of place at an ordinary Sunday lunch in January.

Set it like this: put the napkin on or just beside each plate, keep the middle of the table clear for sharing dishes, and repeat the green only once elsewhere - perhaps in a small bowl of olives or simple foliage. That's enough.

2. Burnt orange and candlelight: the evening table

The feeling: warmer, moodier and made for a dinner that goes on longer than planned.

You can build a festive table without a single bauble. Burnt orange looks especially good with off-white crockery, darker wood, candlelight and the slightly untidy abundance of a table people are actually eating around.

The Terracotta Check Napkin makes a confident base with its all-over burnt-orange pattern. For something lighter on the plate, choose the Autumn Wave Napkin, a hand-drawn orange border on cream. The botanical Autumn Reed sits comfortably in the same palette.

Set it like this: pick one pattern as the main napkin. If you want to mix designs, alternate place settings rather than piling multiple prints at each place. Choose plain plates and let the food provide the rest of the colour. You can see the current options together in our Autumn Collection.

3. A kitchen-garden Christmas: food on the table, food in the illustration

The feeling: playful without looking like a novelty Christmas aisle.

When the menu is doing most of the talking, a recognisable ingredient is an easy way to give the table a bit of personality. Baguette, with its forest-green illustration, makes sense beside bread, cheese and a long lunch. Mushroom takes a softer direction in muted blue-grey, lovely against warm ceramics and wood.

For a December table, WOLDS is also showing new kitchen-garden designs: Walnut in deep chocolate brown with soft-blue illustration, and Red Cabbage with a red botanical drawing on soft grey. These are currently marked coming soon, rather than available to add to a basket now.

Set it like this: keep the rest of the setting plain, and let one illustrated napkin become the small surprise when guests sit down. A bowl of real fruit, nuts or vegetables can echo the print without turning the table into a theme.

Don't forget the drinks table

The drinks happen before anyone sits down. They also tend to happen in the kitchen, by the sofa or wherever the first guest puts down a glass. A small stack of napkins next to the drinks is much more useful than a carefully folded one that nobody wants to touch.

WOLDS full-size paper napkins measure 40 x 33 cm unfolded and are suited to seated meals. Our smaller cocktail format is 25 x 25 cm unfolded, intended for drinks and small bites. The upcoming Oat Check and Espresso Check designs are both listed for delivery availability from 1 December 2026, but are currently marked coming soon. If you're hosting before then, don't count on those designs being available.

For more detail on when the two sizes make sense, read Cocktail Napkins vs Dinner Napkins.

A practical way to set the table without buying everything twice

Choose napkins you'd happily put out at a supper in November or a brunch in January. That's where checks, borders and illustrated ingredients earn their place: they feel seasonal without being tied to one date.

• Choose one main design. One napkin at each seat usually gives a clearer look than trying to display every pattern together.
• Lay the essentials first. Plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins; then add candles or foliage only if they leave space for serving.
• Keep a spare stack nearby. Especially if dinner involves gravy, sauces or people returning for seconds.
• Plan by pack, not by place setting alone. WOLDS paper napkins come in packs of 24. Allow for the meal and whatever happens around it rather than buying exactly one per person.

For a more detailed quantity calculation, see How Many Napkins Do I Need for a Party?. And if you like this looser approach to entertaining, there's more in How to Set a Table That Feels Considered, Not Formal.

Which WOLDS designs are coming for December 2026?

As at 10 October 2026, the Coming to the Table collection shows six designs with product listings stating delivery availability from 1 December 2026: Walnut, Asparagus, Lettuce, Red Cabbage, Espresso Check Cocktail and Oat Check Cocktail. They are previewable on the website, but the current listings are not yet available to purchase. Please check each product page nearer the date for the latest availability before planning an event around a particular design.

For a Christmas table you can plan with what's available now, start with the Autumn Collection, Olive Check or Olive Frame. There's no need to wait for December to make an inviting table.

Christmas table questions, answered

What colour paper napkins work for Christmas without traditional red and green?

Try olive and cream for a calm lunch, burnt orange for a warmer evening table, or chocolate brown and soft grey for a more understated look. Let the napkin repeat one colour already in your plates, glassware or food.

Are paper napkins suitable for Christmas dinner?

Yes - choose a full-size, substantial napkin for a seated meal. WOLDS full-size designs are premium 3-ply paper, measure 40 x 33 cm unfolded, and come with 24 napkins per pack. Put extras within reach for a longer meal.

Do I need separate napkins for Christmas drinks?

Not necessarily, but smaller cocktail napkins are convenient for a drinks tray or canapes. Use full-size napkins for the seated meal and smaller ones where people are standing with a glass or a bite to eat.