Make it Festive

Add a little sparkle to your Christmas table this holiday season – Egyptian style. Set the scene with a few simple ideas inspired by Egypt’s rich fruit and vegetable market. Not only will you bring a festive ethnic feel, you can make everything yourself from local material.

Styled by Shadia Iskandar

Delight guests with a shrimp tree as a centerpiece for your Christmas table. Make the tree out of foam (available at florists selling dry flower arrangements) and cover with foil. Line with bunches of parsley secured with U-shaped hairpins. Decorate with cherry tomatoes, shrimps, cheese and olives stuck on toothpicks. To add glamour, place flat gold plates (these were brought from Khan El-Khalili) under your chinaware. Wrap red paper napkins around silverware and add Christmas tree ornaments for a festive touch.   Plant a cherry tomato Christmas tree in a mound of tomatoes and place in a transparent glass vase or bucket for an eye-catching centerpiece, or use it to decorate a side table.       Weave a traditional wreath from readily available green ficus tree leaves and decorate with red dates to welcome your guests.               Even a plain white china set can be made to look festive with a red ribbon tied around silverware decorated with fresh dill leaves. Paper napkins can also add an elegant touch to the table when placed flowing out of a stemmed glass. To enhance the red and green décor, colored bell peppers, cored with tops removed, can be filled with tiny candles to give red, green and yellow glows.