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That table boasts plenty of conversation come holidays. Sicilia starts experimenting with various tablescapes a week before
a dinner party, assembling an array of placemats, chargers, runners, napkins and napkin rings, then whittling down her selections. “If I’m lucky, the places are all set by the morning of the meal,” she says.
She doesn’t use place cards, though. Instead, her husband and father-in-law sit in the chairs at the head and foot of the table and guests simply choose their own seats. This year, she will place a gilded pear with an “S” for Sicilia at each place setting. “Nature is beautiful and almost free,” Wetzel says. “Fruits, greens, branches and pinecones are a great way to dress up a table without having it look so precious your guests can’t enjoy themselves.”
Deck the Halls
Each year, Sicilia decorates a third generation sideboard with a garland
of greens and twinkling lights, placing additional greens on the table. In total, she needs over 175 feet of garland, but
it makes a rather festive statement. “We carry this same theme on the mantel in the living room,” she says. “I add garland with berries and bows to the grand staircase in the foyer between the living room and dining room.”
Candles, too, are a must, for both ambience and tradition. “We have at least two candles lit during our holiday meals,” says Sicilia. “They add a soft elegance, as well as a personal way to honor my late mother and father.”
A beautiful table demands a sumptuous repast, another family tradition. “At Christmas we usually have a nice beef tenderloin with greens and sides, with
my chocolate angel strata as a dessert,” Sicilia says. “It’s fairly labor intensive to make, so we all wait until the holidays to enjoy this special treat.”
The home’s open concept makes it easy for guests to transition to the formal living room, which echoes the serene blue-and- white palette in the dining room. The family’s 1928 Steinway can be set up as a bar for wine and cocktails.
“Our grand piano has a computerized playing module, so we have holiday music playing throughout the first floor,” Sicilia says. “It’s fun to decorate spaces we might not use as much the rest of the year and enjoy them as a family.”
And isn’t that what the holidays are all about? MLT
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