Shake Up The Season With Festive Salt And Pepper Shakers

There’s something about salt and pepper shakers, especially the holiday variety, that always gets me.

They may be small, but these little seasoning dispensers pack a mighty punch because they’re not only functional, they easily bring a festive vibe to the dinner table.

They’re a really inexpensive way to shake up (sorry!) the holiday season and get friends and family smiling. Plus, kids love them and they’re a great conversation starter.

They may be small, but these little seasoning dispensers pack a mighty punch because they’re not only functional, they easily bring a festive vibe to the dinner table.

This winking Santa and his sleigh full of toys set took their place at our Christmas Day table again last year. Just looking at them makes me grin.

And if you’re setting a long table, you can place several sets at intervals, so all hands can easily access them. Each set doesn’t even have to match.

Parade of Shakers

We have quite the salt and pepper collection going, with sets of dogs, birds, pilgrims, turkeys, unicorns and Santa Clauses.

The pilgrim pair below come from Publix, the grocery store with the cute holiday commercials, where they magically come alive on the Thanksgiving dinner table when nobody is looking. We’ve had them for a long time and they for real visit every Thanksgiving!

The latest addition to the collection is a whimsical, pearly, unicorn snowman and a matching unicorn, a little nod to my daughter’s love of unicorns and the magic of Christmas.

I still break out regular shakers from time to time, but it’s more fun to use unusual ones, because … well, it’s the little things in life. Right?

I love these little corgi dogs, an IKEA find, that can be used at any time of the year. Their noses are magnets to keep them together.

The sweater-wearing dogs in the set below remind us of Lucky, our Schnauzer mix, now a dog angel. We use them so often that one of their noses has chipped, but they work fine.

So add salt and pepper shakers to my candle, clock and light obsession, possibly a hereditary condition, since my mom has a sizeable collection of teapots!

Cleaning The Shakers

If you’ve just bought new shakers or want to clean the ones you already have, there are a few things to keep in mind, which I’ve learned from experience.

Wash them in warm water using antibacterial dish soap. Use a bristled bottle brush to clean out the inside. Thoroughly rinse them off.

Dry them with a dish towel if you can get it inside; however, most inside areas are usually hard to reach.

So place the shakers on a towel to drain for about an hour.

Then turn them on their sides and leave them for a whole day so that the air thoroughly dries out the inside.

I know from annoying experience, if they’re not completely dry, the salt and pepper will clump or harden and won’t come out of the shaker.

Once the containers are dry, add a few grains of rice to the salt only, in order to absorb any moisture in the air.

Remember, salt goes in the shaker with the least amount of holes, usually with one or two openings. The pepper usually has two or three openings.

These little hard-working ornaments are an easy and fun way to decorate your table at any time of the year.

Let me know what shakers bring you joy and make you twist and shout!