Shimmery, sparkling silver and clear, icy glass to ring in the New Year.

This table came together from several different directions. First was the bespoke tablecloth from The Enchanted Home. briefly on offer last fall, following the receipt of a shipment of some truly magical, extra-wide fabric in several colours. Here is a link to the blog describing them.

As you can see, I went with the Smoke option, thinking I’d put together a table with Juliska’s Emerson plates and some silver chargers I’ve had for donkey’s years.

In the spring,  Vagabond House’s songbird lidded porcelain soups had floated into view but were (and remain) sadly out of stock. Luckily, Addison Gift Home and Accessories could supply them within a couple of months, so I tucked that idea away in the back of my mind and looked forward to their arrival.

They didn’t disappoint. Generously sized for an individual soup tureen, the porcelain bowl is dishwasher safe (I’m not taking any chances with pewter-handled lids, though–handwashing for them). Each set comes with a small porcelain saucer, which aids greatly in serving hot soup.

Lastly, during the summer, I discovered The Gilded Thistle, who also supplied the goofy bespectacled Eric + Eloise plates featured earlier this season.

Their Silver Squirrels on Nuts won me over immediately. They’re each about 6 inches tall and are made of silver-painted resin. They are a tad awkward to store, I will admit, but I foresee they will enchant for years to come.

After that, it was just a question of adding a variety of silver, mercury glass and clear glass candlesticks.

Antique Webb wheel-cut goblets added a bit more elegant glitter.

An etched decanter with a hollow globe stopper seated on an antique silver wine coaster (very useful for keeping red wine stains off the tablecloth) added the final elegant touch.

The table glowed as dark began to fall, and all the candles were lit.

I left the table set for several days to capture it in different lights. Before anyone gasps at my foolhardiness, let me add that our dining room can be completely closed off, leaving the room safe from marauding Dundee and snuffling puppies. Yes, I too had visions of careening golden retrievers chasing wild-eyed cats, with everyone getting caught up in the tablecloth like a crazed cartoon episode.

The sun comes streaming in through the windows in the late afternoon, making all the glassware sparkle.

But I think it looks best in soft candlelight. What is your preference?

As 2022 draws to a close, I want to thank everyone for joining me and my family (furry and otherwise) at the blog; we are extremely grateful for your continued interest in our cheerful, wacky world of tableware, cooking and travel. Thanks also to Mary Plumstead at Creative Sidekicks without whom Entertablement would never have gotten off the ground or continued to function. She does the technical work on the site and has helped with every publication from books to quarterlies. Most recently, Mary has been working very hard behind the scenes to revamp the recipe portion of the site (more on that to come).

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a joyful holiday season, and from everyone here at Entertablement, we wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.