Christmas centerpieces don't need a florist or a big budget, you just need a tray, some greenery and an hour. These 34 DIY Christmas centerpieces cover the whole table: mason jars with cranberries and floating candles, a snow globe cloche made from thrifted village houses, a pipe cleaner tree, light up yarn trees, a painted snowman vase, sugared fruit, a crochet snowman and a barn wood runner glowing with frosted jars. Most use what's already in the house or a few dollars at the thrift store, and plenty come straight from the yard. There are low centerpieces so guests can still see each other, tall ones for a sideboard and a few that stay out all winter. Perfect for the dining table, the kitchen island, a holiday party and the brunch table on Christmas morning.
1. Cranberry and Evergreen Jar Candles
Jo-Anna keeps her Christmas centerpieces simple and rustic on purpose, and this one proves the point. Mason jars in two sizes get a handful of fresh cranberries, water and a floating candle, then a ribbon around the neck and a few evergreen clippings tucked between them. Most of it is already in your kitchen, and the rest costs a couple of dollars. She used it down the middle of the dinner table, but it works just as well on an appetizer station or a windowsill.
2. Pipe Cleaner Tabletop Tree
This one is ours, and it's the centerpiece to make with a bag of green pipe cleaners and a paper cone. You fold the pipe cleaners into loops, glue them around the cone in rows from the bottom up so each row overlaps the last, then glue on mini pom poms in red, yellow and white for ornaments. A string of battery fairy lights tucked inside makes it glow at dinner. It stands about a foot tall, so it fits between place settings without blocking anyone's view.
3. Rustic Candle Box Centerpiece
Stephanie Rose builds this one from whatever the garden and the Christmas tree can spare. A small wood planter box gets a block of dry floral foam, taper candles pushed in along the center, then cedar, fir and boxwood clippings tucked around them until the foam disappears. It looks like something from a florist and costs almost nothing if you're already trimming the tree. When the holidays are over, the greenery goes in the compost and the box is ready for next year.
4. Christmas Village Snow Globe Cloches
Lauren scored an old ceramic Christmas village set for eight dollars at the thrift store and turned it into the prettiest thing on her table. She gave the little houses two coats of white spray paint, pulled the clock parts out of a couple of thrifted dome clocks, painted the bases to look like weathered wood and tucked the houses under the glass with fake snow and bottle brush trees. A few free tree lot clippings around the bottom finish it. Snow globes without the water.
5. Light Up Yarn Trees
These mini trees are ours, and three of them in a row make a centerpiece in half an hour. A cardboard triangle gets wrapped tight in red yarn, a strand of fairy lights winds around it and white pom poms dot the front like snow. Each tree stands on a skewer in a wood slice with a tiny pinecone and a deer at its feet. Make them in different heights and different yarns and line them down the runner. They glow, which does most of the work at dinner.
6. Etched Star Mason Jar Candles
Tanya etched a scatter of stars into plain glass jars and floated candles inside, and the result looks like something from a boutique. She cleans the jars with rubbing alcohol, sticks on little star stencils cut from removable vinyl, tapes off the rest of the glass and brushes on etching cream. A rinse later the stars are frosted into the glass for good. A few glittery vinyl stars on top add sparkle, and the jars line up down the middle of the table with water and floating candles.
7. Sheet Music Tree Centerpiece
Debbie's shabby little centerpiece is proof you don't need to buy a thing. She folds scrapbook paper printed with vintage sheet music and French script into simple accordion trees, glues a glitter star on top of each one and pushes them onto skewers. A block of floral foam in a galvanized planter holds cedar and pine cuttings from the yard, a few silver berry picks and the paper trees. It takes an afternoon, and the paper trees can hide in a drawer until next year.
8. Origami Paper Tree Forest
Ours, and all it takes is paper. Squares of green paper fold into pointed tiers that nest one on top of the next, so each tree is fully three dimensional and stands up by itself with no glue and no base. One is cute at a place setting. Seven or eight in different sizes and shades of green, scattered down the middle of the table with a few tea lights, is a whole forest. When dinner is over they fold flat in a drawer.
9. Wooden Mushroom Centerpiece
Amy went all in on the mushroom trend and made a whole forest of them for the dining table. Some are wooden mushrooms from the craft store, some are shaped by squeezing a styrofoam cone into a stem and rolling a half sphere into a cap, and a few are a wooden peg with half a styrofoam ball glued on top. They all get painted in red, cream and rust and grouped on little wood stands. It's whimsical, and it can stay out all winter.
10. Copper Mold Candle Centerpiece
Marian turned an antique copper mold from Italy into a candle holder, and her trick works for any bundt pan or ring mold. She traced the mold onto cardboard, cut the circle a half inch smaller so it sits down inside, cut X shaped slits where the candles go and pushed flameless taper candles through so they stand straight. Faux juniper and brass sleigh bells hide the cardboard. Look for real copper molds at antique malls, or use the tin one from the back of your cabinet.
11. Painted Snowman Vase
Kimberly's snowman vase is two pieces you probably already own, one sitting inside the other. A tall cylinder vase goes inside a six inch terracotta pot, both get painted white with acrylic paint, and then the fun part: coal dot eyes, a carrot nose, rosy cheeks and a row of buttons. A hat cut from chipboard and black felt sits on top and a holiday ribbon becomes the scarf. Fill him with greenery or red flowers and he's the centerpiece, or set him on the counter.
12. Thrifted Tray Votive Centerpiece
Sara spent just over five dollars at the thrift store on a dusty wood candle tray, a handful of little votive holders and a tired pinecone wreath, and this is what came home. The tray got a coat of metallic gold spray paint, a layer of Epsom salt went in to look like snow and the votives settled into it. She pulled the pinecone sprigs off the wreath, tucked them around the candles with a few ornaments. Flameless candles keep it kid safe.
13. Glitter JOY Bottle Centerpiece
Amy made this for the year she hosted Christmas for eight people, and it earns its spot. Three recycled bottles get painted in stripes of blue, silver and warm white, a stencil pattern goes over the top and then rows of dots. Three clear ornaments get glitter paint swirled inside and a letter painted on the outside to spell JOY, and they hang from the bottle necks. Blue and silver mean it can stay out all winter, and it moves to the mantel when the table is full of food.
14. Epsom Salt Mason Jar Tray
Evelyn calls this a twenty minute centerpiece and she isn't exaggerating. Three hanging mason jars get an inch or two of Epsom salt, which looks exactly like snow and costs a fraction of the fake stuff, then a red votive candle sits down in each one. The jars go on a metal tray you already own and a bag of Christmas potpourri or dried orange blend fills in around them, so it smells as good as it looks. Downsize it to one jar for a coffee table.
15. Glass Bowl Snow Scene Centerpiece
Shelly built a whole winter scene inside a big glass vase, and everything in it came from the discount store. Two little bottle brush trees get stuck to the bottom with sticky tack, a strand of fairy lights winds around the base with the battery pack hidden behind the trees, and a layer of snow goes over the lights. She used fiber fill but says a bag of artificial snow lets the lights shine through better. A red truck ornament and a tiny deer finish the scene.
16. Wrapping Paper Scrap Tree
Every December ends with a pile of wrapping paper scraps too small to use and too pretty to toss, and Alyssa found the answer. Her upcycled wrapping paper tree layers torn red and white scraps into a fluffy tabletop tree, wraps it in twine, hangs tiny silver jingle bells from the strands and tops it with a glitter star. On a white cake stand it's a centerpiece nobody else will have, made from what was headed for the recycling bin. Her post has the full how-to.
17. Scrap Wood Box Centerpiece
Donna saves every scrap of wood from her projects, and this box is why. Two long sides and a bottom cut from leftover 1×6 and 1×8 boards, sanded smooth, glued and nailed together, then wiped with a golden gel stain. That's the whole build, and it takes about an hour. She filled hers with chippy white wood houses, copper pipe candle holders with white tapers and a drift of Spanish moss, but greenery and ornaments work just as well. After Christmas it holds fruit, mail or plants.
18. Painted Word Mason Jars
Kimberly wanted a centerpiece low enough that everyone at the table could still see each other, and these painted jars are her answer. Three pint mason jars get a coat of white paint, then a word of cheer for each one, HOPE, MERRY and JOY, cut from black vinyl on a cutting machine or painted on by hand if you'd rather. A twine bow around each neck, a handful of evergreen sprigs inside and they line up down the runner. They make great gifts too, filled with flowers or candy.
19. Floating Candle Cypress Rings
Sarah wasn't hosting that year, so she dressed the table with what she already had and broke it down piece by piece so you can copy it. Three dollar store glass tumblers get a handful of dried eucalyptus, water and a floating candle, then each one sits inside a small faux cypress wreath so the greenery rings the glass. Spray painted dollar store chargers, gray napkins and pinecone place cards finish the setting. Nothing came from the Christmas aisle except the wreaths, and those were on clearance.
20. Thrifted Glass Tree Jars
Carrie sees those glass Christmas tree candy jars at the thrift store all the time, so she started collecting them, and her first plan to fake mercury glass failed twice. Plan B was better. Some trees got three coats of metallic craft paint in soft champagne gold, some in silver, a couple got a frosted white finish and one stayed clear with a tea light inside. Lined up on a runner of sheet music with a few sprigs of greenery, the crew looks like it was bought as a set.
21. Stenciled Paper Sack Vase
Kim needed six centerpieces for a holiday luncheon and a budget of zero, and this is what she came up with. A paper lunch sack gets stenciled front and back with a roller brush and craft paint, a glass jar from the pantry goes inside and the bag gets folded down around it. Then she clips whatever is growing in the yard: juniper, silvery eleagnus and branches of red yaupon berries, layered from fullest to showiest. A votive and a jar of nuts alongside and the table is done.
22. Sugared Fruit Candle Bowl
Julie's centerpiece is proof pastels can do Christmas. A white scalloped bowl holds a flameless pillar candle wrapped in a band of glittery tulle, surrounded by faux pomegranates, pears and lemons she sugared herself so they sparkle like they were rolled in snow. Frosted faux garland and pinecones circle the bowl and a second candle sits behind it. Most of it came from her holiday stash, and the sugared fruit trick works on any faux fruit you already own. Soft, sparkly and different.
23. Dough Bowl Greenery Centerpiece
Jessica's ten minute centerpiece starts with a long wooden dough bowl and a pair of clippers. She cuts cedar, spruce, pine and boxwood from the yard, lays the flat cedar in first as a base, layers the rest on top until the bowl is full and tucks in a few pinecones. That's it. The narrow shape means it fits a dining table, a kitchen island or a coffee table without taking over, and a candle or two on either end make it glow at night.
24. Antler and Snowball Sleigh Tray
Erin built the table and benches her boys do homework on, so it gets decorated for every holiday. For Christmas she started with a long wooden sleigh tray, layered in frosted greenery, then added magnolia leaves and holly clipped from the yard because they're free. A faux antler, a spray of snowball berries and a little metal script word finish it. Her advice is to play: try a few combinations and keep the one that makes you smile. Neutral enough to stay out until the snow melts.
25. Crochet Snowman Centerpiece
Jessie's snowman is crocheted, which means he'll be sitting on the table every December for the next thirty years. The free pattern works up in cream worsted yarn over a round of plastic canvas so he stands flat and stuffs with polyfill, with three half inch black buttons down the front and a row of smaller ones for his eyes and smile. A rust colored hat with a pom pom and a dark green scarf with fringe finish him. Set him on a plaid runner and he's the whole centerpiece.
26. Sweater Sleeve Jar Centerpiece
Kelly's trick for a cozy centerpiece is to put a sweater on it. Old cream cable knit sweater sleeves get cut to length and slipped over plain glass jars, the jars go into a round wicker tray and each one gets a few cuttings of blue spruce and a stem of red berries. That's the whole project, and it looks like a magazine spread by the fire. Thrift store sweaters work perfectly, and the sleeves slide off the jars when it's time to pack up.
27. Magnolia and Eucalyptus Pot
Rachel skipped the tree in the dining room that year and let the table carry Christmas instead. A black and white plaid throw blanket became the runner, a weathered brown pot from the porch went in the middle and she filled it with faux magnolia blooms, clipped boxwood and seeded eucalyptus. Tall brass candlesticks with white tapers flank it. Everything came from another room in the house, which is her rule for holiday decorating: shop your own shelves before you shop the store.
28. Glitter Branch Flower Vase
Holly set a romantic dinner for two, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the centerpiece is the part to copy. Red glitter branches stand in a clear cylinder vase filled with white snow, and she glued little white glittered paper flowers with red rhinestone centers up and down the branches. A white ribbon bow with a holly leaf ties around the neck. Paper flowers cut by hand or on a cutting machine both work. Add a place card with each guest's name and it's a date night table.
29. Jingle Bell Candle Platter
Kimberly's centerpiece is three scented jar candles, a platter and a bag of jingle bells, and it takes about five minutes. She peels the labels off the candles so the glass is clean, sets them on a platter and pours gold jingle bells around them, bigger bells first and smaller ones to fill the gaps. Pick a pine or evergreen scent and the table smells like a tree lot when the candles are lit. Swap in silver or red bells to match your own colors.
30. Cranberry Candle and Paperwhite Jars
Lynne is the first to admit she's obsessed with mason jars, and this tray uses them two ways. One jar gets a boxwood clipping, water, a handful of fresh cranberries and a floating candle. The others get a layer of river rocks and a paperwhite bulb each, so they sprout and bloom right there on the table through the holidays. A black gingham ribbon and a sprig of holly berries tie around each rim, and a burlap wrapped mini tree stands in the middle of the wood tray.
31. Stenciled Wood Box Centerpiece
DeDe decorates for Christmas on a budget and her best tip is to shop your own house first. This box is one she already owned, stenciled with the words Gathering Place, and everything in it was pulled from other rooms: faux pine branches, a few pinecones, silver and gold ball ornaments, a cream pillar candle and some gold glitter sticks for height. She says to stock up on trays, bowls and wood boxes whenever you hit the thrift store, because they're the base for a centerpiece every season.
32. Mini Pine and Candle Centerpiece
Ginnie loves the Christmas tree stands that pop up on every New York block in December, and this centerpiece brings that pine smell home. Three little potted Norfolk pines get wrapped in burlap and a band of buffalo plaid ribbon, then she groups them with flameless pillar candles set on birch rounds and scatters snow tipped pinecones around the base. Nothing is glued, so the pines can be watered and the candles can move. Perfect for a long farmhouse table or a sideboard.
33. Frosted Jar and Barn Wood Star Board
Amy's winter wonderland table is the showstopper of this list. A long piece of weathered barn wood runs down the center, frosted mason jars glow with candles inside, rustic wood stars stand on dowels at three heights and a snowy pine garland threaded with fairy lights weaves through all of it. Red felt snowflakes under the plates and green napkins folded into trees carry the theme to every seat. Her post walks through the stars and the frosted jars, and both are easy weekend builds.
34. Dollar Store Pinecone Ornament Basket
Organize and Decorate Everything
Leanne set an entire casual Christmas table from the dollar store, and the centerpiece is the part worth copying. A small dark basket gets a few apples in the bottom for weight, three pinecone ornaments in snowflake and star shapes get glued to wooden skewers wrapped in washi tape, and the skewers push straight into the apples so everything stands up on its own. Add a little filler if you want more texture. The whole thing costs about five dollars and takes ten minutes.
