How do you set your Shabbos Table?

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 8:55 am

How does your Shabbos table look when it's set?

Do you always set your table? Do you use silverware, dishes etc. or do you use disposables?

I'm looking for an easy way to make the table look presentable without actually putting out all the dishes and cutlery, or at least only using some.

MiracleMama

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:00 am

I don't really understand the question and choices. Whether one uses real, disposable, or some combination doesn't the table have to be set in order to eat? Are there people who are just standing at the counter eating out of the pots or something?

amother

Rose

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:03 am

I don't understand what you want. Do you want to set with plastic, one knife and one fork? Go ahead, do what works for your family.

We use china and silver, but we cut back on cloth napkins when the kids were little. I like to set the table in the morning to get into a shabbos mood.

That's just me. Whatever feels like shabbos in your house is good.

Ema of 5

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:06 am

amother wrote:

I set the table fully- glasses, cutlery, dishes, all kiddish and challa stuff. My mother in law only puts cutlery. the glasses all go next to my father in law and get passed out at kiddish. The plates come out with each course.

thunderstorm

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:13 am

When I set the table ( or rather my kids do) we set the table with napkins, cups and cutlery by each person's place. I put out the fish plates by each place. Dips and salads in the center of the table as well as napkins. Challah board, knife, salt, challah, challah cover , becher and grape juice all at the head of the table for DH. Not sure what you are really asking in your poll. I tend to switch between dishes and cutlery to disposable depending on my kochos and mood of that week.

asmileaday

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:15 am

I set with china plates for the adults only, kids get nice plastic trays (because we used to eat on cloth tablecloth, we've since graduated to plastic but I like that each kid's setting is contained)and served on plastic plates. Everyone gets stainless steel cutlery. Plastic cups for the kids, crystal goblets for the adults.
Everyone gets cloth napkin with a nice napkin ring. But those I collect before kiddush begins.
And yes not everyone sets their table. I know plenty of people that will just have becher, salt holder, maybe napkins and the challah tray on the table when the meal begins.

Eta- I see posters writing about challah, dips etc... Yes those I set right before the meal. But I thought op meant in advance.

Last edited by asmileaday on Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:21 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Pink

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:19 am

I only give a full setting of silverware/china to dh,myself and adult guests (if any).

My kids just get a spoon and plastic plate.

I stopped using my glasses since they were getting knocked over and breaking. Now it's a stack of plastic cups unless there are important guests (maybe 1 or 2 x a yr).

amother

Pearl

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 9:34 am

I don't set the table, just the challah board. We just bring plates with food on it to the table as it is needed. I used to set the table, but little kids kept on moving things around/messing it up, I figured it wasn't worth the stress it was causing.

rowo

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 10:16 am

Always real dishes and cutlery, glasses, paper napkins.
For little kids I'll use my weekday dishes.
Over the years we've had to replace the glasses as they break. So now I just buy cheap ones from target or ikea.
BH none of my shabbos dishes have broken in over 10 years

amother

Ivory

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 10:17 am

Early on Friday we put out the tablecloth, becher, challah board, napkin holder, salt shaker and challa bowl (for the cut slices of challa).
While dh is in shul I put out napkins, cutlery, cups.
Everyone gets a full set of cutlery (though half of the kids things end up being washed clean). DH and I and any adult get china, kids get corelle.
Glasses for adults, nice disposable plastic for the kids.
When dh comes home (right before we start the seuda) I bring out fish plates, dips, vegetable salad and the challa.

I don't understand the poll so I didn't choose any option.

zigi

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 10:51 am

we bring dishes as needed all there are is cups for Kiddush then we bring plates etc for the next course. it depends on the kids ages. when we first got married and only had a baby we set the table. then things used to get thrown etc. and we switched to disposables. when my youngest was older we went back to setting real dishes. then I had a baby the baby is 2 empty table again. so we go in cycles

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 11:34 am

MiracleMama wrote:

Obviously I'm not talking about the challah board, becher etc.
Secondly, setting the table generally means setting it in advance. As you can see from some of the posts, some people just bring the plates, cups etc. to the table when needed and don't actually 'set' the table.

Iymnok

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 11:57 am

When dh comes home, ideally the table is set with China, flatware needed (no soup spoons shabbos day, etc.) napkins, salads, kiddush and hamotzi stuff, water pitcher...
We'd use cloth napkins if we had enough I liked. Still, a pile of paper napkins is needed if you have children at your table.

nylon

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 4:26 pm

I set the table in the afternoon. Tablecloth, plates, cutlery, glasses. We use real plates. Soup bowls stay in the kitchen and I serve from there. Candles, kiddush cup, challah is all on the buffet to save space (I put the challah out right before). Anyone drinking wine gets a wine glass, everyone gets regular plain glasses for water except my youngest who still gets plastic.

I prefer cloth napkins but if I'm in a rush, we use paper (I get the bigger, nicer ones).

MiracleMama

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 4:33 pm

amother wrote:

Yes, I get that now. I didn't understand that from the original post.

Personally, I always set. Even when the kids were all small and grabbing and moving things. I wouldn't put out our finest dishes at that stage, but I'd still set the table fully. I felt like it was really important for the kids to see, even from a young age, that the table was set extra special l'kovod shabbos.

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 5:07 pm

I have always set the table. For a while I was setting the table with Corelle or stoneware, because I just didn't want to worry about breaking china. But I started using my china again because it makes it feel so much more like Shabbat if the table is beautiful.

I have a white or burgundy tablecloth, depending on my mood, with the nice type of white paper napkins. (I should really organize myself and get cloth napkins and napkin rings. But another laundry task each week!) I use our second best set of cutlery for just us or first best if there are guests (I need to keep first best for guests to have a full set, because cutlery keeps getting lost around here), my set of bone china, which I love, nice glasses, silver bechers, wood Challah board, crystal salt shaker. Not everything is fancy, and it has been collected and inherited over the years, so it's not a really elegant table. But it's beautiful to me because each piece is meaningful and has memories.

kenz

Sun, Jan 15 2017, 5:16 pm

I have always set a proper table with dishes, cutlery, glassware, etc., even when kids were babies, but I did have child-friendly melamine dishes for them until they were bigger, I'm not sure exactly how old but probably around 6 or 7. It wouldn't feel like Shabbos otherwise. If there was constant breakage, I'd probably start buying pretty disposables and use that, rather than not set at all. I learned the malachim accompany the men home from shul and there should be a Shabbos atmosphere waiting; I don't think using pretty disposables would in any way thwart that, but nothing set up at all would -- at least to me.

ValleyMom

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 10:06 am

Wow.
I feel like a weirdo.
I expect all of our children to set, serve and clear the table.
My husband does all the dishes.
My husband, son and I work full time and our daughter works part time.

I shop, cook and prepare for Shabbos, on my own, therefore I expect everyone to participate in Shabbos by actively helping out.

We do real dishes, cutlery and glasses Friday night.
Shabbos lunch we use a mix of paper plates, real glasses and real cutlery.

I put out the food buffet style on the island and everyone helps themselves.

I believe it is important for the entire family to actively be involved in working as a family unit to help make our shabbos special. We do this by participating in setting the table,, serving,, clearing etc.

HonesttoGod

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 10:08 am

Depends.
If we have guests I usually use a mix of real and plastic (I don't have Shabbat china I just have my regular every day corelle).
If it is just us and I don't want to have washing up , I use plastic. If I don't care I use real.

My husband and kids usually set the table before we eat, sometimes I help. We all clean up and serve together.