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  4. 25+ Simple Christmas Centerpieces
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25+ Simple Christmas Centerpieces

February 19, 2016
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Gorgeous Christmas centerpieces don't need to take a lot of time or expensive materials—these dazzling holiday centerpieces prove it. Get inspired with beautiful yet easy Christmas table decorations that will wow your family and guests.
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Mason Jar Centerpiece

Credit: Marty Baldwin

This easy and inexpensive Christmas centerpiece starts with recycled glass jars. Fill them with sprigs of faux greenery, berries, and branches, and add a glitter solution. Glue the caps on and you've got a stunning centerpiece that will last through the holiday season.

  • Learn how to make the Mason jar snow globes.

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Fresh Display

Credit: Marty Baldwin

Christmas table decorations don't have to be complicated to assemble! This gorgeous display is as simple as piling seasonal produce in a low bowl. Stick to classic Christmas colors and add oversize red blooms to finish the holiday decoration.

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Cranberries and Candles

Credit: Jay Wilde

This stunningly simple Christmas centerpiece is surprisingly simple to put together. To make this candle centerpiece, line a rectangular tray with red, green, and cream votive candles. Complete the look with fresh cranberries dusted with sanding sugar along with touches of greenery.

  • Easy Christmas Centerpieces

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Glittery Votives

Credit: Adam Albright

Instead of an over-the-top floral centerpiece, try creating mini Christmas table settings that sparkle. To get the look, paint the bottom half of a glass votive with gold glitter paint. Once dry, fill with tea light candles and cut poinsettia flowers.

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Paper Trees

This Christmas table decoration starts as a simple craft project. Simply create a display of paper trees in a variety of colors. Place the finished trees in a low bowl and fill with faux snow. Add a few figurines, and your Christmas centerpiece is done!

  • Learn how to make this stunning Christmas centerpiece.

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Potted Plant

Credit: Anthony Masterson

This Christmas centerpiece requires one simple trip to the garden store. Grab a seasonal plant like holly or a small spruce and plant it in a cheery red pot. Bring it to the table, and your Christmas table settings are done!

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Birch Log Centerpiece

Candle centerpieces are a nostalgic part of the holiday season. Happily, the ways to incorporate it into your living space are nearly limitless! Make a birch log candleholder using a power drill with a 1-1/2 inch bit. Before drilling, mark the depth of your tea light candles on the bit using tape. Next, holding the log steady, apply firm and constant pressure with the drill as you make the holes. Once you’ve hit the edge of the tape indicating the correct depth, reverse drill, brush off the dust, and insert your candles.

Editor's Tip: For worry-free enjoyment, use battery-operated candles.

(image credit: Heather Jennings)

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Ornament Bouquet Christmas Centerpiece

Live flowers aren't the only things that can fill a vase! To make an easy Christmas centerpiece ornament bouquet, remove the silver hanging caps from a variety of ball ornaments and cut florists foam to fit the bottom of a vase. Then, using 18-gauge florists wire, stick one end into the ball ornament and the other end down into the florists foam. Continue until your ornament "flowers" are all attached to the foam. Fill in with cut greenery and berry branches.

  • Image credit: Design Improvised

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White Christmas Centerpiece

Credit: Greg Scheidemann

Bring your white Christmas tree to the table! Place a mini white tree in a low galvanized bucket. Top it with your favorite ornaments, lights, and a sprinkle of faux snow for a winter wonderland.

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Tissue Paper Centerpiece

Credit: Adam Albright

This Christmas table decoration starts with tissue paper! To create, simply fill a tall bowl with handmade tissue paper pom-poms or flowers. Add a pillar candle in a clear vase and finish with metallic ball ornaments.

  • Learn how to make tissue paper pom-poms.

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Greenery Garland

Credit: Marty Baldwin

A handmade greenery garland is a fun take on the classic Christmas centerpiece. Here we used seasonal greenery like pine branches to create the base. Add a few holiday classics like strung cranberries and wood beads for a truly festive holiday table.

  • Learn how to make it.

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Marble Dish Centerpiece

Credit: Werner Straube

A low marble dessert stand stars in this easy Christmas table decoration. It only takes one step to make: Stack it high with colorful glass ornaments! Look for fun vintage ornaments at antique stores or flea markets.

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Floral Centerpiece

Credit: Greg Scheidemann

Dress up a purchased floral arrangement with sliced apples! Display the floral centerpiece on a white plate. Use cut slices of red and green apples to create a border around the plate. Add a few glass globe ornaments, and you're ready for Christmas dinner.

  • Get more Christmas flower arrangements.

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Amaryllis-and-Pineapple Centerpiece

Credit: Michael Partenio

Let nature do the legwork in a Christmas floral arrangement that's also a conversation starter. Simply hollow out a pineapple, set it in a tray filled with cranberries, and arrange classic Christmas amaryllis inside the makeshift vase.

Editor's Tip: To make this floral centerpiece last, set the bouquet in a vase with water first; set the vase inside the pineapple.

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Colorful Ornament Centerpiece

Credit: Kate Mathis

You can assemble this festive Christmas centerpiece in seconds. Pile sprigs of fresh cut greenery on a low white cake stand. Add colorful glass ball ornaments, and you're done! Stick to classic holiday colors, or mix it up with your favorite ornaments.

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Wood Bead Centerpiece

Credit: Marty Baldwin

Create a stunning candle centerpiece with just a few simple supplies. We used a plain wreath form and geometric wood beads to form the base. Fill it with pillar candles and a few sprigs of fresh greenery for a subtly festive Christmas table decoration.

  • Learn how to make this candle centerpiece.

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Simple Evergreen Pitcher Centerpiece

Faux evergreen, eucalyptus stems, and berry branches are all you need to get the look of this classic holiday arrangement. Grab a bunch of each material and slip it into a clean white pitcher to finish. No watering or maintenance required.

Editor's Tip: Add several arrangements en masse—some tall, some short—to achieve a collected, organic effect on this year's Christmas tabletop.

  • Image credit: Summer Hogan

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Mini Nest Ornaments

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

No one will guess how simple this stunning Christmas table decoration is to make! Place faux bird's nests on top of a simple patterned table runner. Add small tea light candles and a few fresh succulents. Finish the look with a few bird figurines and fresh holiday greenery.

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Easy Winter Cranberry Centerpiece

Creating a colorful holiday table centerpiece is really as easy as 1, 2, 3! One: Fill a collection of clear glass bowls or vases with Epsom salt. Two: Add a layer of bright red berries. Three: Fill the vessel with fresh or faux greenery. Cluster a collection of vases in the middle of your dining table.

  • Image credit: Shannon Madigan

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Sweater-Wrapped Votives

Credit: Steven McDonald
Editor-Selected Christmas Crafts

Add coziness to basic votives with a small cutting from the sleeve of an old sweater. Cuff the bottom of the sleeve or turn it inside out for a variety of textures. Be sure to wrap the sweater around the glass (not the candle itself), and always monitor a burning candle.

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Stacked Bowl Centerpiece

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Look around the house—you likely have everything you need to whip up a pretty centerpiece in a jiffy. Stack white bowls filled with small ornaments, nuts, fir cuttings, or berries for an inspired design. Place on a flat surface to ensure the tower is stable.

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Evergreen Candles

Credit: Greg Scheidemann

Let the winter greenery creep into this clever Christmas candle display. Start with a glass votive, wineglass, or hurricane as the candleholder. Choose a flat pine needle branch like the fragrant arborvitae. Apply spray adhesive to one side of the greenery and press firmly onto the glass. Clip off loose pine ends if needed.

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Winter White Holiday Centerpiece

Credit: Kate Mathis

A holiday table is even cozier when layered in winter whites. To make the runner, cut 18-24-inch wide felt by the yard to the needed length. Trace halfway around a drinking glass at the ends of the runner to create scallops; cut out with scissors. Embellish with punched scalloped-edge circles. On smaller sections of felt, punch more scalloped-edge circles, and wrap felt around oversize glass vases. Insert candles for a soft, wintry white glow, and scatter felt snowflake cutouts across the table runner.

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Wreath-Inspired Candles

Credit: Greg Scheidemann

Ring a merry wreath around holiday-hue candles for a quick Christmas centerpiece. Fill a small watertight vase or planter with wet florists foam. Tuck in pine sprigs and vibrant hypericum berries for color. Secure candle into vase using florists picks.

  • Find other easy Christmas crafts

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Blooming Tree Holiday Centerpiece

Credit: Marty Baldwin

Put a twist on typical holiday table decor with a tree-inspired Christmas floral arrangement. To create the trunk, wrap a clear glass vase with bark chips. At the base of the trunk, add faux variegated moss and top with nuts, berries, and tiny decorative birds to mimic a forest setting. Bring the "tree" into bloom with a lush floral arrangement of hydrangeas, roses, fresh greenery, and hypericum berries.

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Tray of Yews Centerpiece

Credit: Helen Norman

Foot-high yews with root balls nestled in moss look fresh lined up in a galvanized tray. You can find these mini evergreens at your local nursery. Anchor with white and purple eggplants for an all-natural centerpiece.

Editor's Tip: To keep plants from drying out, place out of direct sunlight and water twice a week. Limit display time to 2-3 weeks; after three weeks, trees will come out of winter hibernation and start to grow like houseplants.

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DIY Holiday Vases

Credit: Kim Cornelison
Easy Christmas Craft Ideas

Salvaged boards become rustic holiday vases. Cut two matching wood slates that slide and lock together to hold a vase.  When sizing the notches for the vases, add 1/8 inch to the diameter measurement so you can easily slip the vase into the notch. Simple bittersweet and pine accent the simple vases.

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Tulips and Pinecones Centerpiece

Credit: Michael Partenio

Incorporate natural elements, such as fresh flowers, in your holiday centerpiece. Fill varying sizes of cobalt blue— or your favorite festive hue—glassware with wintry white tulips. Arrange the makeshift vases around oversize metallic-sprayed pinecones and silvery ornament balls.

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Tissue Paper Flowers Centerpiece

Credit: Steven McDonald

Petals scattered around candles in glass goblets make an elegant centerpiece when displayed on a simple wooden platter. These paper petals bloom beautifully all season long—perfect for holiday soirees! To create a blossom, cut 3-inch circles from eight layers of light color tissue paper. Place in a stack, then poke a hole through the stack with a pin. Pull the paper off the tip of a twist tie and insert the exposed wire through the paper layers. Twist the wire to create the flower center. Help the flower bloom by gently pulling up one layer at a time.

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