Registered interior designer Deborah Burnett offers tips for giving your coffee table a festive holiday look without overdoing it. Real-world decorating is a matter of taking what you have and sprucing it up. A few festive touches added to a coffee table set for everyday makes holiday decorating a snap. Deborah added a few red Christmas balls to a pretty pot of ivy, used a colorful plate as a charger under a fat candle and poured fragrant potpourri into a flea-market bowl. A plump Santa adds a whimsical touch without overdoing the look. A coffee table often does double duty during the holidays, serving as a dining area that's just the right height for kids. Fashion festive holiday serving trays from cookie sheets. Add a dot of adhesive felt to each bottom corner to prevent furniture scratches, and line the tray with a place mat and paper plates in holiday colors (figure A).
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