Use cloth napkins.
If you have spent any time reading my blog, I’m sure you have figured out that I enjoy cooking and I am always trying to make the time in the evenings to make our meals more of a celebration. To often dinner turns out to be a time when our attention is glued to a screen and we are mindlessly shoveling food into our mouths.
I miss the tradition of the family coming together each evening at the table to break bread together. I would love to see families spend more evenings at the table enjoying dinner and each others company. So I am trying in my own small way to make dinnertime an important part of our day.
It got me to thinking…why do we save the cloth napkins for when we have company over? Why not use them everyday when it’s just our family at the table? They are the most important, right? So why aren’t we treating them as such? I know we get busy and we don’t always have time to come together for dinner every day but when we do, I’ve decided it’s worth the effort to make the meal as special as possible.
Using cloth napkins is also so much more environmentally friendly; less trash to go into the landfill. That’s always a good thing!
When you put out cloth napkins with a napkin ring it immediately elevates the meal. It’s such a simple thing to add to the table. It only takes a minute or two, so why not use them? If you spend the time to prepare a meal for your family, don’t you deserve to enjoy eating it at a beautifully set table?
If you are looking for an easy DIY project to make your own napkin rings, check out my post here for inspiration with step by step instructions on how you can easily create them.
It doesn’t need to be extremely elaborate. Just a few simple touches at each place setting will make the entire meal more enjoyable and hopefully encourage family to linger a little longer at the table.
A pop of color at each place setting with brightly colored cloth napkins will make even a simple barbecue in the backyard feel so much more special. Light a few votive candles when the sun goes down for some lovely ambiance.
checked napkins at each place setting while the burgers are cooking on the grill.
Tip: Add popcorn kernels to the bottom of small glass votive holders. Tie a piece of jute string around the glass votive holder and add a tea light candle. Easy peasy!
So have I convinced you to use your cloth napkins for your everyday meals? Go get those cloth napkins out of the bottom drawers in your kitchen. Dig them out from the back of your linen closet! I’m throwing down the gauntlet and challenging you to use them this week instead of paper towels! You can do this!