A Night with the Shepherds Table 2019

Welcome to our home that we have transformed 

for a special night for our Young Single Adults, 

for a night in Bethlehem, A Night With The Shepherds.  

We greeted them in our outfits that we brought 

home from Israel years ago. 

Tables were set low on boxes and covered in 

purple satin tablecloths.  The stone floor was 

covered in various rugs so people could sit on the 

floor if they chose to.  Pillows were strewn around 

the edges.  Of course, the tree was lit, and lighting 

was kept soft and low. 

We have done a couple of dinners like this 

with our children, but this was on a much 

larger scale as we ended up having about 85 

people attend the dinner.  

Something new was to drape the room with 

purple, orange and hot pink fabric, and then 

to add lights to it.  We were trying to create 

a tent like feel. 

We had the stable made out of plywood about 30 years 

ago, and it has survived yearly use for our 

Christmas Eve Nativity.  I added the blue backdrop 

last year, and we tape it to the window and then backlight 

it.  We also had a custom made manger, but someone 

borrowed it and left it and it disappeared, so I 

purchased a kit online to make a new one a couple 

of years ago.  My collection of lambs gather around 

the manger.

Brass chargers were used on the table for food and 

disposable plates.  Electric candles softly lit the tables. 

I added greenery and grapes to the tables. One of the leaders 

walked in and just gasped.  He said he had been to a fancy 

restaurant in New York and the food had been served like 

this, on low tables.  

We had the food brought in from a restaurant in Salt Lake, 

Souvlaki.  They have the softest, most amazing pita, 

wonderful chicken kebabs, savory rice and a fabulous 

Mediterranean salad.  That made my job easier.

I just made the Chocolate Pistachio Baklava, and 

put out dates, nuts, grapes and some chocolate.  

And of course, prepped the house!  It was a huge hit, and the 

Young Single Adults ate and ate, and visited, and stayed into 

the late hours, enjoying our Bishopric Christmas Dinner. 

Tonight I have a home tour dinner party with 
my craft group, and rather than take all of the 
Bethlehem items down, we decided to remove 
the extra rugs, put some of the furniture back, 
but leave the draping, stable and low table.  They 
have all seen my house before, and we thought 
this would be a fun change for them. 

The food will be presented on the single low table 

tonight, and I added some purple pillows around the 

room to tie everything together.  Hope they enjoy it! 

Just one more big party after that, but I think I 

might leave the living room like this - the 

dramatic draping is just too fun!  Hubby is sooooo 

supportive and fun.

(If you are interested in this gorgeous throw,

click here.)

Thanks for coming to visit our Christmas party table.

I will be posting it with 

Tablescapes Thursday

and 

Love Your Creativity

A Night In Bethlehem Table

Silent Night,

Holy Night,

All Is Calm,

All Is Bright....

Gather with us tonight as we

celebrate the Reason for the Season,

the birth of Christ, with

a dinner called

A NIGHT IN BETHLEHEM.

Last year we decided to make the night

we celebrated the Nativity separate from

gifts and crazy excitement of Christmas

Eve and make it a more special and spiritual

event.  

Last year we called it

 A Night With The Shepherds.

We were dressed in our Middle Eastern

outfits and ate Middle Eastern food.

Haha!  That didn't go over so well with

the grandkids.  I should have called them

burritos, as they got scared off.

This year we decided to call it 

A Night In Bethlehem and wanted

to make it more special by sitting on the 

floor and serving a little more familiar

food, but maybe in a style like they

might have eaten.

We started with long folding tables

and set them on #10 cans on the carpet

in the great room.

Tablecloths covered the tables and were tucked

underneath.  I spread out a beaded table topper

and then placed wooden serving boards

around the table.

I had purchased a lot of these small wooden

serving boards at Home Goods quite

a while ago and decided that would be

their "plate" and all they needed was

a knife for cutting and spreading.

The food was beautifully displayed

as an assortment of Charcuterie boards.

The menu consisted of a variety of cheese,

crackers, naan bread, prosciutto wrapped cheese,

hummus, nuts, fruit and honey with honeycomb.

I chose grapes and pomegranates,

Asiago and Manchego Cheeses and a variety

of flavored Brie, along with artichoke dip.

Sparkling apple cider is always festive

and the kids love to drink from goblets.

I have about 20 goblets from Dollar Tree,

and there is no fear about broken glasses

since they can easily be replaced.  A glass

goblet makes it so much more special for

the little ones.  We have used these for

a lot of family events for two years, and

the funny thing is, none of them have broken.

We didn't have quite enough of the small boards

so I used a few larger boards.  Everyone loved

eating off the boards.

These two cuties helped me set up and 

immediately Jacquelyn wanted to get

dressed as Mary.

Zack also got dressed in a shepherd's costume.

They then proceeded to answer the door when

the remainder of the family came, and told them,

"There is no room in the inn," and closed the door.

Of course, they enjoyed that fun.

The adults had a little fun with

costumes too, as they reclined at the feast table.

Baby got into the fun as she

acted as a servant, feeding her daddy grapes.

As dishes were being cleared, the rest of the costumes

were being donned.

Usually the girls fight over who is Mary,

last year the prized costumes were the

camels, but this year we had tender

feelings over who got to be the

pretty angel.

Of course, we try to be kind and take turns.

This little one informed me that she wants

to do the Nativity again for Christmas Eve,

and could I be sure and get another angel

costume for her since this one was a little big!

Jokingly, we asked the 2 1/2 year old if she

wanted to be the baby.  She crawled right into

the manger and posed with her eyes closed

the whole time.  The day after she came over

and said she wanted to sleep in the manger

again.  Oh the magic of children!

Mary gave love to her little one with pigtails!

We have a collection of sheep who

attended the dinner and the nativity.

You can see Zack riding his camel.

We didn't have all of the little ones here

for dinner this year, so we are always able

to fill in with adults.

We are a rather crazy crew, but

the night was magical and brought

a wonderful spirit into the home as

we prepare to celebrate the

birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be posting this with

Share Your Cup

Tablescapes Thursday