Bring beauty, usefulness and frivolity to the table with elegant yet essential party kit.

Whichever holiday you happen to be celebrating in the coming weeks, it’s definitely a time when the entertainment is largely going to be provided by food and, more importantly, the convivial rituals surrounding it. We’re talking about big dinners, round a table, with lots of family and/or friends. Hurrah, by the way. But though you may have already considered what you’re going to wear to the dinner table this December, we’re guessing you may not have put a huge amount of thought into how to dress the table itself. Luckily, thanks to MR PORTER’s ever-expanding lifestyle department, we are now able to offer some choice tips on how to make your home (and dining room) as stylish as the people who will undoubtedly be plonked down within it. Scroll down for our pick of the items that will give your next sit-down affair that little bit of added wow factor.

If someone’s taken the effort to source a fantastic Chablis to pop open on the big day, it seems a shame to attack it with one of those flimsy bottle openers you often find at your local off licence. Instead, turn the whole thing into a piece of appetising theatre with Cedes Milano’s bamboo-trimmed wine set, which includes a corkscrew and foil cutter as well as a thermometer so you can make sure you’re serving everything up at the right temperature – itself a crucial step that is often missed. Keep it cool (and continue the earthy theme) with an artisanal wine cooler and glasses from Japanese homeware brand Japan Best.

If you’re plying people with booze, you should also keep them well-hydrated. This will keep the jolly sleigh-ride of your evening from plunging over a snowy precipice, much to the chagrin of all assembled. And the most elegant way to do it (and encourage people to partake in a very non-alcoholic dose of H2O) is to invest in an attractive decanter, such as this example from British designer Tom Dixon. Fill it with water and keep topping up the table’s matching, copper-bottomed glasses. Of course, they can also be used for beer, if everyone sobers up too much.

Historic brand Asprey, which just recently became available at MR PORTER, specialises in the kind of homeware that delights not only with its spectacular craftsmanship and fine materials, but also with its eccentric, quintessentially British sense of humour. Its egg-shaped sterling silver salt and pepper shakers, the former plated in 24-karat gold, are a case in point, and will bring a sense of grandeur and fun to any dinner table. If you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas cracker, meanwhile, this is also the brand to turn to. We particularly like this variation, which contains a hat, quotation, balloon and sterling silver shot glass – much more fun (and slightly naughtier) than those silly curling fish you normally get.