Brunch tends to happen in stages. Someone pours coffee while eggs are still on the stove, and another person comes back for seconds just as the rolls arrive. For a woodland Christmas table, divide the spread into a coffee spot and a food spot, then use the same lodge details in both.
Give the food a clear landing place
Start with plaid ceramic Christmas plates. Pull one color from the tartan for the napkins and leave the rest of the table fairly quiet. Place the silver antler stand serving bowl where guests can reach it from the front. Check the width of the antlers before placing neighboring dishes so a lifted plate clears the handles.
Move the coffee service to one end
Keep mugs and teaspoons together. A set of deer head coffee spoons adds a woodland detail people actually pick up. At the food end, matching deer head appetizer forks make the connection without taking up more space than ordinary utensils. If the table is small, move coffee to a tray on the kitchen counter and give the warm dishes the full tabletop.
Christmas at the Lodge has the pieces for this woodland brunch. For a second, more playful station where children can choose a cup or cookie, borrow the bright ceramics in Merry & Bright Christmas.
Set the table the night before
Before bed, put an empty serving dish wherever a hot item will land in the morning. Tuck a note marked “rolls” or “eggs” inside each one so someone helping in the kitchen knows where things go. Stack the plaid plates at the end nearest the food. In the morning, bring out cream and coffee last so the first person through the kitchen gets to pour a fresh cup.
Explore two more Christmas looks from Rust & Cinder with A Very Vintage Holiday and Gilded Starlight.