A Mercury-Glass Christmas Tree Table Setting: Welcome to the 173rd Tablescape Thursday!

Several months ago I was shopping in Marshall's and I came across a mercury-glass Christmas tree. It was very early in the season and the stores were just starting to get Christmas stuff in. The tree was only $12.99 so I purchased it with the idea of buying a few more for my Christmas table setting this year. I was envisioning a centerpiece filled with pretty, silvery trees. Unfortunately, I never came across anymore silver trees in any of the discount stores. Pottery Barn had them but the price was way more than what I wanted to pay.

Then it happened. I went on a Christmas home tour and there it was, the table I had envisioned. These home tours are bad for the pocket book, ya know? It was gorgeous and I was ruined. The next day I bit the proverbial bullet and purchased a tall tree and two small trees at Pottery Barn. Ouch. Merry Christmas to me.

I still needed one more small tree. I didn't want all the trees to be exactly the same--so much more interesting when they don't all match. I just wanted them all in the mercury-glass style. I eventually found another one in Marshall's, but it was more silver than mercury-glass looking. You'll see it in some of the pics below. I wasn't satisfied with it and eventually I found another mercury-glass tree inexpensively on eBay, also visible in some of the photographs below. It adds a fun twist to this table setting.

The three center trees (including the tall one) are the ones from Pottery Barn. One cool thing about the PB trees: they are designed so you can tuck a string of lights up inside. In this pic below, the lights inside the 3 center trees are turned off.

In this pic, they are turned on.  They are really pretty with all the lights in the room turned off and the table is lit by candlelight alone.

Dinnerware is Noritake, Platinum.  I really wanted to add a tiny reindeer onto the center of each salad plate, but all the porcelain paint I found said it was non-toxic but not food safe.  Does anyone know of a paint that is considered food safe?







Glassware is Lenox, Fair Lady, chosen in 1978 as a bride-to-be.  I was just 12.  Yup, we marry young in Georgia.  Okay, I'm lying.  I was really 14.  The silver edging of the Fair Lady stemware worked beautifully with the Noritake, Platinum pattern.

All aglow...




Let's turn the lights off...just candlelight now.




Looking forward to all the beautiful table settings linked for Tablescape Thursday.

Resources:
Chargers: Horchow, 3-4 years ago
Dinnerware: Provided by Noritake, Pattern is Platinum
Stemware: Lenox, Fair Lady
Flatware: Towle, King Richard
Napkins: Neiman Marcus (look for their free monogramming and free shipping sales)
Mercury Trees: Pottery Barn, recently
Mercury Votive Holders: Pottery Barn, 2 months ago


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