Santas Of The Holiday Table

Richard Louie prepares six weeks in advance of the holidays by gathering up the newly fallen leaves from his cut-leaf maple tree. He immediately inserts them into pages of a worn encyclopedia. He carefully flattens each section of the leaf before turning the page for the next one. Once he has inserted over 30 leaves, he closes the book and stacks six more Encyclopedia Britannicas on top to ensure a healthy press. Six weeks later, the elegantly serrated leaves are withdrawn, preserved not only in their silhouette, but also in glorious colors of crimson, auburn, gold and burgundy as he prepares to spread them randomly over his mother’s crisply starched, white linen cloth.This is Mr. Louie’s yearly ritual in preparing his holiday table. He is formerly with Bon Appétit, and both his Christmas cuisine and table decorations are of equal importance to this fastidious gentleman. In fact, though a chef with great timing, he manages to also get his Christmas cactus to put on a magnificent show, blooming in voluptuous pink waterfalls of orchid-like blooms. He places this stunning pink confection in the center of his oval table, eliciting delight and admiration from his lucky guests. So as not to steal focus from the cactus’ thunder, he lays out on the table crystal chargers with swirling ridges, reminiscent of translucent snowflakes. Once surrounded by the pressed maple leaves, silver flatware and glass wine goblets, Mr. Louie’s holiday table sets in mind an early winter landscape, abstracted with leaves, glass and silver, surrounding the unexpected exuberance of a horticultural phenomenon that blooms only at this seasonal moment.

Altogether, Mr. Louie’s table is personal, celebratory and visually arresting.

Interior designer Mark Schryver’s holiday table evokes his favorite, cherished family memories. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Pennsylvanian parents, and Mr. Schryver’s first Christmas memory is of his grandmother, who traveled a great distance with his grandfather by train from Philadelphia. Mr. Schryver’s grandfather complained about the heavy bags his wife was hauling, especially because he had to transfer trains in Chicago. The senior Mrs. Schryver, wanted to make sure her son, daughter-in-law and grandson (who were constantly on the move because they were in the military) would have a special, traditional Christmas, just like the ones they celebrated back in Pennsylvania. So Grandfather Schryver hauled the heavy bags, and to everyone’s amazement Grandmother Schryver unpacked the family silver, her pressed linen napkins, the damask tablecloth, the Waterford crystal glassware and her Limoges bone china.

“My grandmother’s way of expressing herself, to show her love for her family, was laying out a beautiful table. She brought special, memorable things to guarantee that we would have a meaningful and warm, family celebration.” To this day, Mr. Schryver carefully takes out his grandmother’s silverware, and as he polishes it piece by piece, he relishes in his memories of her. “I always use her bowl and her four candlesticks and though my biological family may not be sitting around my table, it feels like they are with me as I polish these items and put them out on the table.”

Mr Schryver, describing his holiday approach to table decorating, recounted, “My dining table sits in the middle of our hall, conveniently painted in fire engine red, perfect for this season.” All year long, he and his husband, Todd Michaels, scour eBay for special objects for the table, in particular, 1950s Murano glass Christmas trees. One year he and Mr. Michaels collected vintage glass pinecone ornaments which they spread about.

Several weeks in advance of Christmas, Mr. Schryver starts testing out his holiday ideas by laying out six or seven different sets of napkins and special Christmas plates collected over the years. “Should I use my ruby red crystal goblets or my mother-in-law’s coveted luncheon set? By no means am I locked in or decided yet. Since my Christmas tree sits in the same room, I want to make sure that everything pulls together and speaks to each other. Mr. Schryver admits that arranging and setting his Christmas Eve and Christmas Day tables is a special experience. “I get a chance to be creative and reminisce. It’s both for me and my gift to my friends. I like to carry on the gift my grandmother lovingly gave to me and my family. So much of my inspiration comes from her.”

Mr. Schryver’s favorite time is Christmas Eve after everyone has gone to bed. With the dinner dishes cleared and cleaned, he resumes redecorating the holiday table. His guests will wake up to a Christmas breakfast table set with an entirely new theme and dazzling decorations, as if the “Santa of Decorating” has whisked down the chimney and touched the table with magic.

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