How to keep a dining table from getting damaged without ruining its appearance?

We moved and got all new furniture, including a new, really nice dining table. We're having guests over sometime soon. Guests make spills. How to protect the surface but not ruin the purpose of having a beautiful one?How to keep a dining table from getting damaged without ruining its appearance?
My god mother place a table cloth on her cherry wood dinning table when alot of quests come over. During the holidays of course she don't cover it but just on non holidays and a group of people is over thats what she do. If its about 5 or 6 people over we all be in the kitchen laughing, talking and eating as she has a large kitchen. Hope this helpsHow to keep a dining table from getting damaged without ruining its appearance?
u could use a vinyl table cloth , also there are some types of furnature polish that are and act as a protectant, not sure of which ones u would have to read back of bottle/can to find out the best
a nice cloth table, cloth be sure to get one that is cloth not plastic or place mats I've got a couple of real neat small throw rug that i use strictly in the middle of the table for placing the serving bowls on the clean up is easy just pop them in the washing machine and it also dresses up you table
Getting a nice table cloth or come kind of covering.Or if you have a Kitchen table and a dining room habitable, And only eat on the dinning room table on Sunday's Or special occasions. If your dining room table is wood Pleage is good to use once a weak. Class Windex
use table runners! These can go across the table, from one place setting to the opposite one, give places for hot plates and serving platters to sit, protect from all but the most grievous spills, and still allow the beauty of the tabletop to appear!