Tartan Christmas Table Decorations

Traditional Christmas Table Decorations and Accents with a Scottish Christmas Style

Interesting Fact: In Scotland, Christmas did not become a public holiday until 1958.

You probably didn’t expect a history lesson when visiting a DIY blog, but I have done a ton of research into this Christmas’s decorations. The truth is I have been looking forward to this year’s Scottish Traditional Christmas Table Decorations for a year!

Tartan themed Christmas dining room decor. Natural finish dining room furniture. Miniature Christmas tree on pedestal in the corner.

Yes, a full year!

I was supposed to start the dining room makeover last February. I put a mood board together, decided colors, and was ready to go!

And then…

Life happened and priorities changed. That’s how it goes.

So about 6 weeks ago, I finally started working on the dining room. Here is the before. The makeover isn’t done so keep that in mind. We painted the walls a dark denim blue color. It actually shows up a little more vibrant in some photos than it really is. We also extended the wainscoting that oddly ended in the middle of the wall. (Why did they do that?!)

Christmas Table Centerpiece with Tartan plaid and red berry & bay leaf garland. Brass accents, white candles.

And then there is the dining table. It is right in the middle of it’s very own refresh. You might notice that there are only 3 chairs, haha. That’s because the table isn’t done. It isn’t stained or coated at all at this point, so don’t be surprised if it changes a bit.

I hope to get the rest done before Christmas. Fingers crossed.

Christmas Table Decoration centerpiece with gingerbread house. Crystal goblets, Tartan plaid napkins tied with green ribbon and jingle bell.

Anyways, back to this year’s theme. My mother’s heritage is Scottish. The last few years have seen renewed interest in researching our family history. I’m talking my parents traveling to Scottish Festivals, researching our family tree back centuries, and long conversations about the storied history of Scotland.

So it made perfect sense to me to imbue some of that history into our holiday celebrations. I love incorporating things that tell our stories in our homes.

Christmas Plaid Table Settings. Scottish Tartan plaid theme. Black ribbon across narrow edge of table, neutral runner. Green ribbon on plaid napkins, jingle bells, white candles and brass accents. Natural garland.

And so, for the last whole year, I have been so excited to add a little Scottish tradition into our holiday celebrations. The napkins include our family tartan (Dress Stewart Clan is the tartan if you are interested).

Plaid Christmas Decorations - close up of table decor and place settings. Gingerbread house on pedestal in background.

The rest of the table is pretty simple. A bit of greenery and I am loving the hunter green ribbon. The thrifted bells are a bit of an ode to Hagmanay (Scottish New Year).

Traditional Tartan Plaid Christmas Table Decorations . Wrapped Christmas gifts and plaid wrappings and ribbon in front of dressed table.

I rounded the table out by shopping the rest of our house with previous thrift store and clearance finds and adding some faux greenery.

Close up of head of table and place setting. Modern traditional Christmas Plaid Table Settings, Scottish Tartan.

Everything just feels so much more magical under the sparkle of Christmas lights, doesn’t it? I added our Treat Tree that we made to this years room and it just feels like it belongs there.

Christmas Gingerbread House decor table centerpiece on white pedestal. Red ribbon and red berry sprig for accent. Table Decorations Centerpiece with Plaid.

Every year, we decorate a gingerbread house and the smell gets me every time. It’s so Christmas-ey. Funnily enough though, no one has ever eaten it after decorating. Never. Does anyone actually eat them?

Ornament 3 tiered tray and simple greenery wreath with red bow on corner hutch.

We don’t have room for a full hutch in the dining room, so I just have a little cabinet in the corner.

The holidays are my favorite time of year to see the house aglow, but this year seems extra special because of the nostalgia behind many of our decorations.

It’s finally feeling like it’s all coming together. Which, makes sense, because that’s one of the best parts about the holidays.

If you would like to Mix in Some Scottish Flavor or just love the traditional Christmas vibe, you can find all of our inspired decor choices here: