If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or holiday party this year, and don’t own a traditional dining room table, there’s no need to worry. If you’re interested in investing in one, now’s the time. There are many other ways to use the dining room furniture you own to serve a holiday meal.
A breakfast bar
Not all meals have to be sit down and formal. Try using your breakfast bar as a buffet table. If you don’t have a large dining room table, and there isn’t enough room to seat everyone at the table and have the food, use your kitchen. Set food out on the kitchen counters or breakfast bars, and have guests serve themselves buffet-style.
This is a less formal dining option, and is perfect for a large gathering of people. If there are too many people a sit-down meal can be impossible, so have guests serve themselves buffet style to add ease to the meal.
Side or Serving Tables
If you do have a formal dining room and dining room table, but don’t have room for everyone and the food, set out a serving table in the dining room. You could also use pub tables, breakfast bars, or any other additional tables in your home to function as serving tables. Find any long table, and set it against the wall. Guests will still have to get up to serve themselves, but it helps you utilize the space in your dining room.
Bistro Tables
If you have a very small dining room table, don’t be afraid to use whatever tables you have around your home. The holidays are a cozy time to be together, and the formal holidays are on their way out. If you have hodge-podge tables pushed together for a meal, it will still work. As long as everyone has a place to sit. Using bistro tables, or small eat-in kitchen tables would work here as well. Bistro or Pub tables will work well as smaller side tables, use them for a kids table.
Investing in a dining room table
Perhaps you have no dining room table either because you haven’t had the space until now, or just haven’t gotten around to investing in one. You could also invest in a bistro table or breakfast nook table to add onto the end of an old or smaller dining room table. The important thing is to enjoy your hectic holiday gatherings. Let the formality go, your guests will figure out how to feed themselves, where to sit, etc. If you’re hosting a formal event, be sure to invest in a full dining room set, with chairs and a large table for everyone to gather around.
