Summer Christmas Ideas: A Natural Outdoor Table, Simple Decorations and an Easy Menu

Open Karen Blixen’s Door — Christmas Under the African Sun

By Amanda Scully | Claiming Life

The doors are open. A white tablecloth lifts in the breeze. Someone is carrying a bowl of cherries out to the veranda, and there is still a little room at the table.

For those of us celebrating Christmas in summer, the garden can become part of the celebration. We have shade, long evenings, flowers and the pleasure of gathering outdoors.

For this Claiming Life Christmas, Karen Blixen is our literary starting point: a doorway into stories, a veranda and a table set beneath an enormous sky. This is an imagined celebration inspired by that atmosphere, rather than a recreation of her own Christmas customs.

Here is how to make it yours, with natural Christmas decorations, an outdoor table and a menu that leaves you time to sit down with the people you love.

1. Choose a simple summer Christmas colour palette

Begin with what you already own. White plates, clear glasses and a linen tablecloth give you a lovely foundation.

For this table, choose:

• White or ivory for the cloth and plates.
• Leaf green for foliage and napkins.
• Terracotta for pots or a serving bowl.
• A little warm gold in ribbon or decorations.

If you love a traditional Christmas red, add it through cherries, a few baubles or one beautiful bow. Repeat that detail in two or three places to bring the setting together.

2. Set an outdoor Christmas table in the shade

Choose your spot before choosing your centrepiece. At lunchtime, a shaded veranda or covered patio will be more comfortable than a table in full sun. Keep an indoor alternative ready if the weather changes.

To set a natural Christmas table for six:

1. Spread a white or natural-coloured tablecloth over the table. Use discreet tablecloth clips if it is breezy.
2. Add six plates and cloth napkins. Mismatched pieces work beautifully when they share a colour.
3. Stand three small jars or low vases down the centre, with a few garden stems in water.
4. Place two small bowls of whole citrus fruit between the vases.
5. Add handwritten place cards and one ribbon detail at each setting.
6. Leave generous spaces for serving dishes, water jugs and everyone’s elbows.

Keep the flowers low enough for conversation. A Christmas table earns its beauty through use: a plate passed along, a jug refilled, another helping offered.

3. Make three easy natural Christmas decorations

Ribbon napkins with rosemary

Fold each napkin into a loose rectangle. Tie it with cotton ribbon and tuck a small sprig of culinary rosemary beneath the knot. Slip a handwritten name tag under the ribbon if you are using place cards.

A simple wreath with one statement bow

Start with a reusable wreath ring. Attach small bundles of suitable garden greenery with florist’s wire, overlapping each bundle to cover the stems. Finish with one generous cream or muted gold bow.

Hang it on the front door or against a sheltered veranda wall. Make it close to the celebration so the greenery looks fresh.

Brown-paper gifts with handwritten tags

Wrap gifts in plain kraft paper and use the same ribbon as your table. Add a paper star or a small hand-drawn tag. Children can decorate the paper before you wrap it, making even the simplest parcel personal.

These three projects share materials, so you can create a consistent look without buying separate decorations for every corner.

4. Give your Christmas tree a lighter summer look

Use your existing tree and choose a few decorations to repeat: cream bows, wooden stars, warm gold baubles and treasured family ornaments.

A tree beside open doors can feel just as festive as one beside a fireplace. Keep it sheltered, and use lights suited to the location. For a small veranda, decorate a potted tree or shrub instead, using lightweight ornaments that will not damage its branches.

After sunset, add outdoor-rated fairy lights and battery lanterns around the seating area. They bring the celebration into the evening without a large decorating project.

5. Plan an easy summer Christmas lunch

Choose one main dish, a few generous sides and a dessert you can prepare ahead.

My suggested menu is:

• Main: Lemon-and-herb roast chicken, or your favourite festive roast.
• Potatoes: Baby potatoes with olive oil, parsley and lemon.
• Salad: Tomato, cucumber and basil, dressed just before serving.
• Something special: A peach, rocket and feta salad, with the dressing served separately.
• For the table: Good bread and a bowl of butter.
• Dessert: Pavlova topped with berries and passion fruit, assembled shortly before serving.
• Drinks: Sparkling water with citrus, homemade lemonade or chilled rooibos tea.

This is a suggested modern summer menu, with room for your own family’s traditions. If Christmas pudding belongs on your table, keep it. Offer smaller slices alongside something cool and fresh.

Bring chilled dishes out in small batches and replenish them from the fridge, rather than leaving the whole meal standing in the heat.

6. Prepare gradually so you can enjoy the day

Two days before: Check your chairs, serving dishes, lights and tablecloth. Write the shopping list and choose your ribbon.

The day before: Make the place cards, wrap the gifts, chill the drinks and wash the serving dishes. Prepare suitable dessert components according to your recipe.

Christmas morning: Arrange the fresh flowers, finish the food and set the table once you know what the weather is doing.

Before everyone sits down: Put out water, bring out the chilled dishes and give yourself a moment to change into something comfortable and lovely.

7. Begin one small Christmas tradition

Ask each person to bring a memory to the table: a funny Christmas story, a recipe they remember or the name of someone they wish could be there.

Children might draw the place cards. Someone could read a short passage after lunch. You might write the date on a paper ornament and keep it for next year.

Here in Somerset West, Christmas belongs to summer. There is something wonderful about allowing our celebrations to belong to the place where we live.

Set the table beneath the trees. Bring out the good plates. Leave a chair for someone who might otherwise be alone.

Let the afternoon unfold.

Love Amanda
Upward, always.

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