Clever Ways to Decorate with Cranberries

Position tiny trees in a bucket, and fill with cranberries. For an extra holiday touch, bend bits of wire as hooks for cranberry "ornaments" on the Christmas trees.

Spruce up your mantel with this gorgeous holiday decoration idea. Evergreen garlands and vases, or glass cylinders, with floating cranberries and candles make for a festive display of Christmas spirit.

Set the table for an elegant holiday party with cranberries strewn from centerpiece to place setting. Sprinkle cranberries into votive candleholders. Cut out paper circles and write each guest's name on a circle. Trim paper circles with red and add one to each votive for creative Christmas name cards.

Adorn the front entry of your home with a snow-dusted wreath. Pour 1 to 2 inches of water into the bottom of a fluted cake pan or gelatin mold. Fill with cranberries, freeze, then shake loose. Tie the Christmas wreath to the door or porch rail with a red woolen scarf, and tuck in fresh evergreen or holly branches.

Wire red twig dogwood stems into a circle, letting some stems stick out. Pop fresh cranberries on the tips. Thread cranberries on a long string, looping it around the wreath. For a sophisticated final touch, add silver ornaments and greenery to the Christmas wreath.

Wide candles take shelter inside glass vases one-quarter full of SnoWonder instant snow and a topping of rosy cranberries. The easy holiday luminaries are sure to brighten the path to your home.

Make your home sparkle with this inventive leaf-and-cranberry topiary. Cover a foam ball with leaves and stud it with cranberries. Add a red ribbon, hang it up, and admire the beautiful Christmas decoration.

This simple holiday centerpiece is easy to make and gorgeous to set out. Fill a ceramic dish with cranberries, and settle a single flower over evergreens in the middle.

Drop cranberries inside the hollow stems of graduated and stacked cake plates. Decorate with silver and red Christmas ornaments and tiny trees, and you have a festive, creative centerpiece for your holiday party.

Fill a vase half full of cranberries and fresh water and insert a floral arrangement, such as roses and holly leaves. Add more water and cranberries to hide the stems of the holiday mantel decoration.

Stretch your floral arrangement budget by adding in cheap, plentiful cranberries. Crab apples on skewers, delphiniums, cranberries, white calla lilies, and roses give this Christmas flower arrangement a fanciful look.

Cranberries can be incorporated into dishes and drinks, but they also make colorful Christmas decorations. Use the festive, bright berry in both your centerpiece and chandelier.

A metal chandelier receives a warm holiday touch with cranberry garlands and an evergreen dressing. Add to the ambience of your dinner table by placing white, scent-free candles on top of the fixture.

This Christmas decoration is easier to make than it looks. Start with an 8-inch-square clear glass vase. Cut a piece of floral foam to a size that lets a layer of cranberries fit between the foam and the vase. Cover with water. Insert red roses, stripe' roses, red tulips, gold-tipped cedar, and silver ornaments into the foam. Thread cranberries on thin floral wire to loop over the winter arrangement.

To make this wine chilling ring, use electrical tape to anchor an empty wine bottle in the center of a bucket. This will form the empty hole in the middle of the ring. Fill the bucket with water and cranberries; some berries will sink and some will float, producing a pretty pattern. Place the bucket in the freezer. When the water is frozen, remove the empty bottle from the center and place the ice ring in a decorative bucket. Finally, chill a bottle of your favorite wine in the ring and enjoy.

For a fancy way to chill your holiday drinks, freeze cranberries with just enough water to cover them. When frozen, remove from tray, break into pieces, and add to your ice bucket.

A favorite holiday treat, shortbread is an easy and delicious dessert to serve to family and friends. Dot the dough with dried cranberries for a zingy cranberry shortbread. Fill bowls around the table with fresh cranberries and shortbread for a red holiday decoration that is pretty enough to eat.