Choosing the right table for your dining area is great, but once you have it, you should break it in. Contrary to popular custom, the dining table is actually a place for gathering together and eating, not just a catch all for papers, the mail, laundry, books or whatever. When we are out to dinner we talk around the table, why not when we are in our own homes?

The first step in using the dining table for eating is to clean it off. Sort the mail and toss out what is unneeded. Put the books and laundry away and give the table a good wipe down. If you want to create a more intimate atmosphere, add candles and flowers to the table. These simple little decorations will make it feel more like eating out.

Now that the table is cleared off you will have to have food. Whether home cooked or takeout presentation is important, so get your plates out and neatly arrange dinner. While a few extra minutes of effort will be required to make the food look pretty, it will go a long way to make a nice setting and enhance the mood of the evening.

Before the food is put on the table you must set the table. While I am uncertain of the whole proper process of setting a table, I do know the basics. First put down a table cloth or any placemats you will be using. Now get the necessary silverware and napkins. Napkins go on the left side of the plate with the fork placed on top. If you are using more than one fork (salad for and dinner fork) the fork used first goes on the outside. So the order is napkin with the salad fork first and then the dinner fork next, all on the left side of the plate. On the right side of the plate is the knife and spoon. Place the knife closest to the plate, blade facing in. The spoon goes right next to the knife. Last the glass is place to the right and just above the plate. This should be enough to set the stage for a nice family dinner.