Set the scene with a beautiful tablescape

CREATE an ambient backdrop for your feast with these simple, inexpensive ideas to jazz up your Christmas table.

For an eco-natural look, run a garland of greenery down your table and scatter with dried or green leaves, interesting shaped seeds and pinecones.

Fill goblets and wine glasses with baubles, Christmas decorations and ribbon and dot around the table.

Fill red bowls with candy canes and line bowls done the middle of your table.

Place cards double as table décor. Attach handwritten gift tags to candy canes and tuck them into serviettes for a punchy place setting.

Place a large, pillar candle on a cake stand and scatter Christmas ornaments around the candle. This will work particularly well if you working with a colour scheme.

String a wreath with a few lengths of ribbon and hang it above your table – great if you have a small table and lots of dishes! For even more impact, group a few wreaths together, allowing them to dangle over your Christmas feast.

Attach baubles and ornaments to chair backs using silky ribbons – this will add pizzaz without taking up space on your table.

Christmas carol music sheets make for quirky place mats and will add a whimsical touch to your table.

Throw a red table runner down the length off your table and add twinkling fairy lights for a festive look.

Use strings of beads, particularly in festive gold and other metallic colours, to decorate tableware.

String a Christmas banner from one wall to the other so it hangs over your table.

Decorate your table with red and green apples for instant Christmas cheer.

Cover a square or rectangular shaped vase with candy canes and fill the vase with red carnations for a unique and eye-catching centrepiece.

Place a large bauble, a single rose and a few evergreen sprigs on a dinner plate. Cover the arrangement with a cloche for an elegant centerpiece.

Cover empty tin cans with Christmas wrapping paper; fill with flowers and sprigs of greenery and dot around your table for festive pops of colour.

Use Scrabble tiles to spell out a seasonal message. Place on a platter and accent with ornaments, springs of greenery and ribbons.

Create a trip down memory lane. Choose a selection of photographs from Christmases past and place two photos back-to-back on memo clips, so you’ll be able to see a picture no matter where you sit. Arrange the photos on a cake stand or plate and intersperse with baubles and Christmas decorations.

Coat pillar candles in varying sizes with Mod Podge, then roll in Epsom salt for a sparkly, snow-covered effect. Arrange on a tray filled with more Epsom salt and finish with a few sprigs of holly or other greenery.