The Sweet Gifts of the Magi – A Key to the Armoire

Today, I’m sharing the details of the table I set to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, which is the day that we celebrate the Three Wise Men. These are the Magi who presented Baby Jesus with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In Spain, this is the day when children get their Christmas presents, so it is a day of celebration and joy, and one when the family traditionally enjoys “Roscón de Reyes” or “Kings’ Crown”; a brioche-style bread aromatized with orange flower essence, and both, orange and lemon peel.

This sweet bread is eaten with hot chocolate in the morning or in the afternoon, for a “merienda” and, aside from the presents, it is the “king” of the day! Hot chocolate in Spain is actually real chocolate, not cocoa, and it’s thick enough to enrobe the roscón when you dunk it in it.

Each child usually has a favorite King. Melchior is the eldest, Gaspar is the middle aged one, and Balthazar is the youngest. Children and their families see the Kings arrive to their cities the eve before, when among great fanfare, they land with their caravans of camels, pages, and a whimsical coterie of entertainment during the “Cabalgata de Reyes“. During this amazing parade, the Magi throw candy to the awed children, telling them to go to sleep so that they can get their presents in the morning. Before you go to bed, you are supposed to leave out your best, and most polished, pair of shoes, together with some water for the camels and a little glass of anise liquor for the Kings. If you have been good, you get your presents next to your shoes on the morning of January 6th, but if you have been bad, you get a lump of coal!

This table takes its inspiration from the candies that the Kings throw during the Cabalgata. The shiny colors of the candy wrapped in cellophane always glimmer under the bright street lights of the cold January night, while the silvery stars continue to guide the Magi every year, just like they did over 2000 years ago…

For this table, I chose white, silver, and red, and set the table for an afternoon snack. The antique Madeira, hand embroidered tablecloth was layered over a white damask one, and the cut crystal candy jars were placed nearby for a thematic background. Unfortunately, it is quite rare to find Madeira tablecloths in these colors, so I couldn’t link any for you below, but if you have a white one, you could simply reverse the scheme by layering it over a red damask, for example.

The decor was simple. I relied on two preserved boxwood topiary balls, which I set on silver plated planters to add a bit of green, and accompanied them with antique, enameled tole tulips, which I have been collecting and restoring. I placed the tole tulips in antique sterling silver trophy urns that were originally used to hold toothpicks or cigarettes. To finish the table’s decor, I added my beloved candlesticks with Gorham sterling silver shades. These shades are Edwardian, and I was able to find an exact pair for you, which is linked below! Don’t worry, I also found plated ones that are equally pretty, but less expensive. By the way, I actually made the color liners underneath, and I have quite the colorful collection by now! Naturally, I chose the red for this table.

Since my table is small, I usually plate in the kitchen or bring the platters for serving and take them back, as I don’t have much space, but because this was a merienda or afternoon snack, I set the platter for the roscón, as well as the tiered tea stand, water pitcher, and hot chocolate pot on the table. Do you know the differences between a teapot, a coffee pot, and a hot chocolate pot? Maybe I should do a post on that soon! Let me know if that would interest you!

The plated cake stand is British, from 1895, and was made in Birmingham, possibly by the Birmingham Guild of Handicrafts. The Silver City red sterling silver overlay platter in the Flanders Poppies pattern is from the 1930s, and the sterling silver chocolate pot is also British (also from Birmingham), from 1920, and came from an auction held in a very old estate. The compote, or tazza, with a sterling silver base and a white Fenton Glass bowl edged in sterling silver is by Frank M. Whiting. The sterling silver water pitcher is by Gorham, and the little urns are by Hunt. The darling sterling tongs are Victorian.

For the place settings, I used my Wallace sterling silver chargers, and I used the bread plates as cup chargers too. The Mikasa china in the “Something Old” pattern paired beautifully with these Edwardian cocktail plates in sterling silver overlay crystal. I cannot believe how perfectly they match! Could it be that Mikasa used them as inspiration? I also used my French silver apple place card holders, and made the leaf-shaped cards. I calligraphed our initials in silver dots.

The flatware I chose is by 1847 Rogers, and has sterling silver ferrules and mother of pearl handles, which are set off by the red tablecloth. The stemware is from the Depression-era, and it is mouth-blown, cut and etched glass by Lotus Glastonbury. You may notice that I paired simple, white damask napkins with smaller red, Madeira hand-embroidered cocktail napkins that match the tablecloth. I basically used them as napkin rings, and thought it worked quite well. I also thought it was so comfortable to have a napkin on your lap and a cocktail napkin next to you for the little snacks.

As for the menu, it was simple because nothing can upstage the Roscón, so I arranged an assortment of mini sweet and savory tarts. I also added some handmade truffles.