There's no place like gnome for the holidays!

We're in the final days leading up to Christmas! I shared a meme with my best friend that read, "Just 273 little last-minute tasks to complete, and we'll finally be able to relax for the holidays." Although I haven't finished baking cookies yet—we've made 10 different types, along with peppermint bark and persimmon apple breads—we've boxed them up and sent them to friends and family. The Christmas cards are mailed, gifts are purchased and wrapped, the house is decorated, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and I'm still preparing the Christmas tables!

Our family room features a sports-themed tree decorated with ornaments from the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks, Liverpool FC, alongside several Grateful Dead and Harry Potter decorations. Additionally, we have two other trees: a 12-foot traditional tree embellished with many Christopher Radko, Shiny Brite and antique ornaments, and another tree decorated with Hallmark Star Trek ornaments.

Returning to the topic of table setting, a few years back, a very dear friend who knows of my fondness for gnomes, elves, and pixies gifted me a lovely set of gnome plates from Pottery Barn. The first image is provided by Pottery Barn. The plates arrived in an adorable round box adorned with gnomes, and each plate features a different gnome with a Christmas theme! My friend is a world traveler and gifts me a gnome or two as a present from her travels!

I had so much fun setting this table, and it came together in no time! I decided to use Fiesta as the base plate, with Scarlett and Jade being the perfect selections. I incorporated my everyday silverware, Mikasa Harmony, and added the charming Emma Bridgewater teaspoons with polka dots. The placemats are my everyday woven green and red ones, which I own in various colors. They are so easy to clean—just throw them in the washer!

The tablecloths are layered because the vintage top one wasn't large enough to cover the table. The bottom cloth features a lovely plaid pattern in light green, forest green, red, and white. The top cloth shares the same green and red tones, along with a gray stripe in a windowpane plaid, and I love how they complement each other. The napkins, which I have owned for years but never used, have a paisley print in red, green, and white. The glassware is my Noritake Breeze in green, perfectly complementing the setting.

Rather than a traditional centerpiece, I created a forest of bottle brush trees, a gnome, and Fiesta pyramid candlesticks in Meadow, arranged in the center of the table. To complete the look, I placed red, green, and silver jingle bells at each place setting. A small gnome joined the festivities by sitting at the head of the table.

Dear hubby was very busy decorating the outside of the house! Our neighborhood loves to decorate for the holidays, at Christmas time, almost every house on the block is decorated with lights!

This year's cookie selection included peanut butter kiss, pistachio, S's & O's, oatmeal craisin, M & M cookies, Mexican wedding cakes, apricot/walnut biscotti, white chocolate chip macadamia nut, Italian chocolate cherry, and molasses. We prepared peppermint bark and persimmon apple breads as gifts as well. At work, we hosted a "Cookie and Cocoa" party, and I brought sampler plates of cookies.

I will still be setting tables for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I will be still cooking and baking, but only 272 little last minute tasks to get down before I can relax!