FOLDING CARD TABLE

It is that time of year again when people start preparing for the holidays. For many people
this preparation includes entertaining family and friends. For most people when entertaining a larger group for a sit down meal, they find that they do not have enough table space. This means pulling out the folding card table from the back closet. Most of us have memories of sitting at the kids table during a holiday function. For me these are great memories because my mom went out of her way to make all the table seating special. For my husband he has poor memories, because the kids table was served last, and they often missed some of the food items.

If you are in the situation where you need to use a folding card table for guests, you can still make this a special dining experience. Most linen stores carry tablecloths that are specifically made for a folding card table. The cloths are available in cloth, vinyl or paper and are very reasonably priced. Set this side table as you do your main dining table including salt and pepper shakers and any other condiments that are needed for the meal. If you are not having a formal dinner gathering, tell the guests to sit where they want. This allows the adults and children to mingle, rather than assigning the children to the folding card table. Another option to consider when you do not have enough table space is to serve a buffet and have your guests eat in the living room area. If you are going to do this it is best to have foods that are easy to eat from a plate that is held, such as finger foods. Remember that the meal time is relatively short so you do not have to stress over the seating arrangements because the meal is only a portion of the day that people are spending together.

When the meal time is over I usually leave the folding card table out and place some board games, dice and cards on it so that if someone wants to play a game they can do this. Many times people like to play games after a meal, but do not want to ask in case they would offend the hostess. By having the equipment set out as well as the folding card table for space, guests will know that the activity is welcomed in your house. Do not worry about the amount of space that you have in you home, your guests are there to enjoy each other’s company.