50 Easy Christmas Centerpiece Ideas

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated September 07, 2020

Top your Christmas table with a quick, easy and festive holiday centerpiece.

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Cranberry candles

For a simple yet stunning centerpiece, place five votive candles (in a variety of Christmas colors) in a line down a red rectangular serving dish. Fill the rest of the dish with cranberries, garnish with a few pine twigs and dust with artificial snow.

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Winter whites

White chrysanthemums and branches of white pine (Pinus strobus) make a striking winter centerpiece. A birch-look pillar candle anchors the arrangement in the center of a wooden bowl.

To create the arrangement, cut florists foam even with the top of the container, wet the foam and set it in the bowl. push the candle in the center, then insert pine branches and mum stems into the foam. Try white spider chrysanthemums, white football mums and white garden mums for a variety of blossoms. Tuck a bit of gray-green dusty miller around the edge for a finishing touch.

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Holiday tiers

Display favorite Christmas cards on a tiered stand along with artificial greens, small presents and ornaments.

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Balls of fun

Create a colorful centerpiece by filling a silver bowl with an assortment of brightly colored ornaments. Place the bowl on a cake stand and cover the extra space on the cake stand with holly and evergreens.

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Sparkling accents

Curiosities such as milk starbursts grab attention in a centerpiece of pinecones and greens. Repurpose serving pieces as candleholders and tiny planters to add charming interest.

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Red and white cheer

Carnations top a rectangular glass vase covered with candy canes. Attach candy canes to the vase with a hot-glue gun; anchor flowers in floral foam. If you like, spray canes with coats of clear acrylic spray to avoid stickiness. Finish with ribbon and mint.

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Woodland table

For all its lushness, this centerpiece takes minimal effort. Lay a foundation of live moss (available from florists or online) around a focal point, such as a gnarly log or a mound of stones. (The moss stays green for weeks, but it does shed. Lay a protective surface under it.) Forage at crafts stores or nurseries or in your backyard for extras. Tuck fern clippings or tiny potted houseplants in crevices. Scatter real or faux acorns and pinecones. "Plant" a few ceramic toadstools. To finish, nestle glass bud vases, votive candles and tapers around the arrangement for sparkle and color.

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Clear glass sparkle

Create a lovely centerpiece with an assortment of clear or lightly tinted glass bottles. Fill some with small glass balls, and add a sprig of boxwood or other greenery. Everyday white dishes look fresh and elegant with a colored linen napkin on top.

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Pretty platter

For an easy DIY tablescape, decorate a serving tray with silver ornaments. Tuck in boughs of evergreen for a simple yet elegant centerpiece.

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Tower of apples

Green apples are the perfect hue for an easy Christmas display. Fill a glass jar with apples; mix in loose greens for a wintry feel. Place container on a beveled edge mirror (that serves as a table runner). Fill in with additional greens, ball ornaments and candles of different sizes.

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Lantern light

Surround lanterns with fresh greenery and pinecones for a classic, elegant centerpiece.

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Fragrant light

Take advantage of holiday scents by making a fragrant red candle the center of your next Christmas centerpiece. Cut and weave together a bed of artificial evergreen branches. Place the candle in the center of the branches and scatter a collection of colorful ornaments, bells and pinecones around the branches. Garnish with ribbon if desired. Be sure never to leave a burning candle unattended.

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Woodland charm

Line a two-tier cake stand with a forest floor of dried moss. Add a dusting of faux snow, then bring the scene to life with evergreen sprigs, pinecones, painted acorns and glass balls. Snow-white tumblers filled with sprigs and pinecones lend height and prop up reindeer cookies.

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Luminous lights

Create a modern Christmas feel by using white tape, stickers and other craft store supplies to create snowflakes designs on clear hurricane candle holders. Place candle holders on a silver tray and accent with tinsel, pine twigs and brightly colored ornaments.

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Holiday spirit

If your family celebrates Hanukkah and Christmas, this centerpiece is the perfect blend. Place a menorah on one side of a silver tray and fill the remainder of the tray with colorful ornaments.

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Tiny trees

Foot-high yew trees, with root balls nestled in moss, look fresh lined up in a galvanized tray. Anchor with white and purple eggplants for an all-natural centerpiece.

See more ideas for decorating with tiny trees

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Carnation candles

This easy red-and-white arrangement complements any Christmas table.

Fill a large white ceramic bowl with white-and-red-tipped carnations. Stand a white pillar candle in the center of the arrangement. If needed, place the candle on a block for extra height. Use battery-powered candles for safety if you prefer.

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Oh deer

Create a pretty winter scene on a white plate covered with artificial snow. Set the plate on a shallow bed of artificial pine twigs. Add tiny trees and deer statues or other animal figures for a woodland look.

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Easy elegance

A few Christmas elements add up to one dashing display! Place a large ball ornament, a single rose and a few evergreen sprigs on a dinner plate. Cover the arrangement with a cloche. To keep the rose fresh, put the stem in a florist's water tube.

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Card-display tree

Show off Christmas cards on a centerpiece "tree" made with twigs from the yard. Arrange twigs in a pitcher or vase, and clip or tie cards to twig ends. For an added burst of holiday color, weave a red ribbon or piece of rickrack through the display.

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Natural touches

Wintry white tulips lend a soft touch to this natural holiday centerpiece. Fill varying sizes of  glassware with fresh flowers and arrange around metallic-sprayed pinecones and silvery ornaments.

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Amaryllis beauty

A tall, clear cylindrical vase supports amaryllis blooms in just a few inches of water. Put cranberries in the bottom and wrap a bright red ribbon at the waterline. A sprig of greenery continues the holiday theme.

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Luminaria glow

Transform plain white paper bags into luminarias for an inexpensive centerpiece. Use a large scalloped-edge punch to decorate the bags, then weave ribbon through the openings and secure with tape. Use battery-operated tea lights instead of candles.

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Easy flower arrangement

Create your own customized flower composition by covering coffee cans with wrapping paper and embellishing them with ribbon. Fill with inexpensive white carnations and baby's breath, plus evergreens cut from your yard.

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Game greeting

Using Scrabble game tiles, spell out a seasonal message. Place on a platter and accent with ornaments, fresh greens, nuts, berries or ribbons.

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Pyramid of ornaments

Create a pyramid of solid-color ball ornaments on top of a compote. Use a hot-glue gun or scrapbooking glue dots to adhere ball ornaments to each other. Fill in with loose evergreens. To complete the look, top candlesticks and votive holders with matching ball ornaments.

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White Christmas

Make a mini tree the focal point of the dinner table. For a simple, dreamy look, use a white artificial tree. Anchor it in a tin pail and adorn with white lights and paper stars or other all-white ornaments.

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Bright idea

Recycle Christmas bulbs as a quick centerpiece. Place a single pillar candle in a glass dish and fill in with festive-color lights.

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Snowy scenes

Create a white Christmas using inexpensive glass cylinders from a crafts store. Place one cylinder inside a larger one, then sprinkle a dusting of fake snow between the two and nestle a sprig of greenery on top of the snow. Add a pillar candle or battery-operated candle inside the center cylinder. Group different size cylinders for your display.

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Floral fun

Enliven basic glass vases with Christmas-color scrapbooking papers. Simply cut papers to fit around the vases and secure with double-sided tape. Tie red string (with silver bells attached) around the vases and insert winter bouquets.

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Row of paper trees

Turn holiday-theme scrapbooking papers into an inexpensive tabletop display. Cut and fold papers to create simple cone "trees" of different sizes. Secure seams with double-sided tape.

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Merry moss

For a low centerpiece, fill a tray with moss and votive candles in holiday holders.

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Bountiful bowl

Fresh loose greens, large pinecones and red pears give a compote a natural look. Tuck in antlers for textural contrast.

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Berry red display

Fill a bowl with red cranberries, and stick a single red rose in the center. Put the stem in a florist's water tube to keep the flower fresh. A few evergreen sprigs provide accent color.