Last Minute Christmas Centerpieces

If you’ve been busy shopping for gifts and food, wrapping gifts, sending cards and planning a holiday meal menu, maybe you haven’t stopped to think about how to dress your holiday table this year. No worries! Here are four easy centerpiece ideas that you can pull together with items in your home or the grocery store.

Christmas floral – With a low vessel, such as a classic silverplate bowl, and a piece of floral oasis foam, you can create a beautiful, modern centerpiece from a mixed floral bouquet from the grocery store. Soak the foam as directed on the package, then separate the bouquet into groups by color and type of flower. Starting with the largest flower, cut the stem long enough to fit in the floral foam, but short enough to keep the flower head at a low profile. Then add the next largest flowers, distributing them around the arrangement. Fill in with smaller flowers, then greenery and berries, and finally a bit of sparkle. Perhaps the arrangement came with a few sparkly twigs, or you can add a few pieces of wire star garland for a festive touch.

Candle snowscape – Fill the bottom of a large glass sphere or fish bowl with a thick layer of kosher salt for a snow effect. Add a jar candle in the center of the snow and fill in with snips from a pine tree, cranberries, pine cones or even small glass ball ornaments. (Note: Be sure that the pine cuttings are well away from the candle flame. Do not leave burning candles unattended.)

Ornament centerpiece – This one is so easy and so colorful. Place a variety of glass ornaments, mixing their color and size, in a pedestal bowl or glass vase. Lay real or faux pine garlands down the center of the table and add in a few ornaments down the length of the table.

Figurines – Place a runner down the center of the table, or create a runner effect by running two or three parallel lengths of Christmas ribbon (plaid, organza, etc.) down the table with a 5 or 6 inch gap between them. In this gap, place Christmas themed figurines from a favorite collection, such as Santas, winter birds or nutcrackers all along the center of the table. In between the figurines, add votive candles, small potted poinsettias, or small evergreen cuttings.