A Table Through the Seasons: Ordinary Time

Sometimes the simplest traditions become the most meaningful.

One of my favorite ways to keep the liturgical year present in our home is by decorating our dining table. It’s the place where we gather every day, where meals and conversations are shared, and it becomes a natural place to carry the Church year into our ordinary rhythms.

This month, I put together two simple tablescapes for Ordinary Time. Neither required much effort, but both created a sense of beauty and intentionality that helps our family stay rooted in the season.

Part 1: Effortless Table Decor for the Liturgical Year

For the first look, I started with this lovely green floral runner, then added thrifted brass candlesticks, green leaf embossed candles, and fresh grapevine. The effect was simple but rich, and the green tones reminded us of the growth and steady faithfulness of God during this season.

Green is the color of Ordinary Time in the Church calendar. It reminds us of life, growth, and discipleship, of God’s ongoing work in us day by day, even when life feels quiet or routine. While feast days and fasts draw our attention to dramatic moments in salvation history, Ordinary Time gently teaches us that holiness is also formed in the ordinary and the daily.

Sources for this look:

• Green floral runner: Threshold with Studio McGee

• Brass candlesticks: thrifted

• Green leaf embossed candles: Threshold with Studio McGee

• Grapevine: snipped fresh from our yard

Celebrating liturgically doesn’t have to be complicated; sometimes it’s as easy as setting the table.

Part 2: A Fresh Liturgical Table Setting

The next week, I changed things up with a green and white windowpane tablecloth, a large glass jar, fresh wild olive branches, and a new candle arrangement. It was such a small shift, but it gave the whole table a fresh feeling.

That’s what I love about decorating for the liturgical year: it doesn’t take a complete overhaul to bring beauty and meaning into your space. Even the smallest changes can make the table feel new, while still keeping the season at the center.

Sources for this look:

• Tablecloth: Hearth and Hand with Magnolia

• Cream Unscented Candles: Room Essentials

• Ceramic Candle Holder: Hearth and Hand with Magnolia

  
  

A Simple Way to Live the Year

Whether you go bold or keep things minimal, decorating your table can become a gentle but powerful reminder of the Church year.

In Ordinary Time, the green on our tables and in our churches points us toward steady growth in Christ. It calls us to faithfulness in the “in between” seasons, when we may not be celebrating great feasts or observing fasts, but are instead simply walking with the Lord in the ordinary days of discipleship.

And here’s the beauty of it: every time we see the color green at home, just like we do in the vestments and altar hangings at church, we’re given a visual reminder of the season we are in. Our children notice it too. These colors become little signposts, teaching all of us to live with the rhythm of the Church year and to carry it beyond Sunday into our daily lives.

So tell me, what’s on your table this season? I’d love to hear your ideas and inspirations in the comments below.