To be honest, the last time I set a proper dining room table was when we were staging a home to sell. However, in everyday life, you may want some table setting ideas if you are hosting Christmas ...

Celebrity chef and Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten knows how to cook and also how to host, so when she has a tip for improving ...

(Tamytha Cameron Photography) Layer the setting according to the menu. A basic formal table setting includes a charger, dinner plate, bread plate, salad fork, dinner fork and a knife.

If setting for yourself (yes, it’s okay to set the table for a party of one!) take that time of quiet stillness to raise your intentions from the day to heaven. Enjoy it.

Hosting more dinner parties is one key to a happier, healthier life—and a fun antidote to the “loneliness epidemic” declared by the U.S. Surgeon General in 2023.