About Santa and his sleigh, which may be filled with bonbons or tiny gifts like animals from Noah"s ark, etc., for the guests, have imitation snow of coa.r.s.e salt or sugar, or cotton sprinkled with diamond dust.
Have tiny sprigs of evergreen standing upright for trees. At each plate have a tiny sleigh filled with red and green candies and light the table with red candles and shades in shape of Christmas bells. Have the dinner cards ornamented with little water-color Santa Claus" heads or little trees. If one uses the Christmas bell idea have the bells covered with scarlet c.r.a.pe tissue and swung from the chandelier. One can have the letters on them spell "Merry Christmas." In the center of the table place a mound of holly with bright red berries; have red candles arranged in any design one chooses, and far enough away so their heat will not ignite the tissue paper bells. White paper shades with sprays of holly painted or tied on make pretty Christmas shades. Have the bonbons, nuts, salads and ice cream served in cases in shape of bells, or have the ice cream frozen in bell shape. If one wishes to decorate with the tiny trees, fasten them upright in flower pots and cover the pots with red paper. Hang bonbons or sparkling objects and tinsel or little favors of bells for the guests from the branches of the trees.
The holly wreaths may be used in any way the fancy dictates--a large center wreath and if the table is round, a second larger one near the edge of the table, leaving room for the plates or single candlesticks set in tiny wreaths at intervals between the larger wreaths. A wreath dinner is very pretty and easy to plan, for the different dishes may be garnished with wreaths of parsley, radishes, endive, cress, or the sweets with rings of kisses, macaroons, whipped cream roses, candies, etc.
Here is a suitable menu. Oyster or clam c.o.c.ktail, wafers, consomme, bouillon or cream of celery soup, celery, radishes, small square crackers. If one wishes a fish course, creamed lobster or salmon with potato b.a.l.l.s. Roast Turkey or game of any sort, glazed sweet potatoes, corn fritters, creamed peas, peach, currant or grape jelly, hot rolls.
Cranberry sherbet; nut salad with plain bread and b.u.t.ter sandwiches, individual plum puddings with burning brandy, ice cream in any desired shape, white cake or fruit cake if one does not have the plum pudding, cheese, crackers, coffee.
AN UNUSUALLY ORIGINAL DINNER.
A quail dinner given recently will furnish ideas for others who wish to give a dinner out of the ordinary. Let the oblong table on which the dinner is served represent a field with miniature shocks of grain and stubble in which are quail, pheasants" and other birds" nests. A border of toy guns stacked mark the edge of the field. At each man"s place have a toy figure of a hunter with some toy fastened to the back telling some joke on the diner. The women can have birds" nest candy boxes surmounted by birds. The name cards can be English hunting scene postals.
This is the menu:
_Blue Points,_ _Celery Hearts, Olives, Stuffed Olives,_ _Cream of Asparagus with Asparagus Points, Crackers,_ _Broiled Fresh Spanish Mackerel served on Lettuce Ribbons,_ _Cuc.u.mbers, Cannon Ball Potatoes,_ _Sherry, Champagne Punch,_ _Quail on Toast, French Peas, Stewed Mushrooms on_ _Toast, Hot Rolls,_ _Champagne,_ _(Salad, Head Lettuce, French Beans, Ring of Chopped_ _Whites of Eggs, Ring of Powdered Yolks_ _of Eggs, French Dressing,)_ _Crackers and Melted Cheese,_ _Chestnut Ice Cream molded in Form of Broiled Quail and_ _Asparagus Tips, Eggnog Sauce,_ _Coffee and Liqueurs in the Drawingroom._
A SPRING DINNER.
To secure a pretty effect pull the extension table apart and fill in the center s.p.a.ce with palms and ferns, keeping the foliage low enough not to interfere with the vision of the guests. Across each end of the table lay a pale green satin and lace cover on which place French baskets filled with yellow daffodils and pink tulips. Before each place set tall stem vases filled with yellow daffodils resting on wreaths of pink begonias. Have the pink and yellow candies in French baskets tied with the same colors. Use monograms of the guests on plain white cards with tiny silver boots tied to a corner for favors. Serve:
_Green Grapes Dipped in Sugar,_ _Cream Salsify Soup in Bouillon Cups,_ _Bread Sticks,_ _Deviled Lobster in Sh.e.l.l,_ _Cuc.u.mber Mayonnaise,_ _Squab on Toast, Creamed Potatoes,_ _Ice Cream in Form of Fruits,_ _White Cake, Coffee._
COLLEGE DINNERS.
To those who may have the planning of college dinners, the description of this Harvard dinner may not come amiss.
In the center of the table have a large bowl of red tulips; red shades on the candles standing at either end of the table. The favors can be small boxes in the shape of foot-b.a.l.l.s filled with red candies. The place-cards in the shape of foot-b.a.l.l.s, cut out of red cardboard, and painted in black and white; by each plate a roll with a small Harvard flag, of silk. Place the olives, nuts and red candies in small paper cases covered with tissue paper, which match in shape as well as in color, the central bouquet of tulips.
Even in the menu the color scheme may be carried out as far as possible with tomato bisque, deviled crabs served in the sh.e.l.ls, chicken croquettes, fillet of beef, garnished with cress and radishes, beet salad and ice cream baskets filled with strawberries. The croquettes can be made in the shape of foot-b.a.l.l.s. The beets for the salad are boiled until tender, and when cold scooped out and filled with dressed celery.
A few curved cuts made around the sides of the beets give the effect of flower petals. The little cakes, served with the ice-cream, are covered with red frosting.
If Princeton be the Alma Mater in whose honor the feast is spread, tiger-lilies should be the flowers used on the center of the table, and the menu would of course, differ much from the one already given.
Instead might be subst.i.tuted black bean soup with slices of hard boiled egg; fried scallops and Saratoga potatoes; sweet bread pates; chicken with sweet potatoes; and carrots cut with a vegetable cutter into what are called shoestrings; lobster salad served in paper boxes, having around the outside, ruffles of orange crepe paper; and orange ice served in the natural oranges. If one prefers a change from the wishbone creation, Noah"s Ark tigers may stand guard over the pates.
A Yale dinner would be the most difficult to arrange as there are no fruits or vegetables that could rightly be called blue, unless some varieties of grapes and plums might be considered as coming under that head. But with a large central bouquet of cornflowers, with blue ribbons extending from this to each cover, where under the bow or rosette will be laid the corn-cob pipe or other souvenir, and with blue crepe paper used to decorate some of the dishes, the table will present quite as attractive an appearance as either of the other dinners; while the genial guests will probably enjoy the feast fully as well, and be quite as loyal, even if the roast and salad do not show the college colors.
CHAPTER IV.
"ICE BREAKERS," SUGGESTIONS FOR DINNER, MENU AND PLACE CARDS, TABLE STORIES, TOASTS, TABLE DECORATIONS.
ICE BREAKERS.
A dinner always stands a better chance of being a success if there is some little thing to break the ice at the start. A little verse might be placed on the card bearing the name of each guest. A particularly lively and cheerful young woman might have a verse something like this:--
"Fevers are contagious, But they"re not by half As quickly, surely catching As Mrs. Thompson"s laugh."
A lady who gives much thought and attention to political reforms might have the following:--
"Dogs have their days, so political parties Pa.s.s through their seasons of sunshine and storm, While longing eyes see the time that is coming, When women shall work a more lasting reform."
An attractive young married woman might find this parody at her place:--
"How doth the dainty matron fair Improve each shining hour, And work on men both old and young, Her fascinating power."
The wife of a distinguished landscape painter could get these lines:--
"Why should one desire to travel, And in distant climes to roam, When she has the fairest landscapes Always hanging in her home."
When the oyster plates are removed, a letter might be found under each one, addressed to the person sitting at the place.
A man who is a well known promoter might receive this:--
"Dear Mr. J.--
"Is it true that you are interested in a project for connecting New York with the infernal regions by telephone?
If so, as soon as the wires are in operation, I should like to call up Henry the Eighth, and find out what excuse he really made for getting rid of his wives. The demands upon me have been so great during this past year, that my stock of defenses has given out.
"Yours truly,"
Here place the name of some prominent criminal lawyer.
A lady whose first baby is only a few months old, might have the following in the envelope bearing her name:--
"Dear Madame:--
"Stick to the old reliable. There is only one perfectly pure and harmless soothing syrup, and that is made by yours,
"Respectfully, "MRS. WINSLOW."
An artist with a considerable reputation for painting sheep, might enjoy the following:--
"Dear Sir,
"Do you care to buy the small, stuffed lamb that has been in our window for several years past? It looks very natural, and would be much more quiet for a model than a live one.
"Respectfully, "BECK, Butcher."
Washington Market.
DINNER, MENU AND PLACE CARDS.
The place card may be plain white edged with gold, and the monogram or crest in gold with the guest"s name written plainly across it. However, handsome cards as souvenirs of a dinner are much prized by travelers and the younger set and are especially in favor for breakfasts, luncheons, bridal affairs and college dinners and spreads.
At the present moment there is the greatest diversity in guest cards.