15 Holiday Centerpiece Ideas That Bring a Festive Touch to Your Table

Table centerpiece for fall or holiday — Credit:
JOHNNY MILLER

It's almost time to gather around the table and prepare for your delicious annual feast. Much of the holiday season is spent enjoying festive treats and cocktails, but your tabletop matters, too. To elevate your tablescape, turn to elegant place settings, gleaming glassware, and, of course, beautiful holiday centerpieces.

These focal points are essentially the glue that holds a holiday party together, marrying essential elements of dinner duties with style. You may have ideas for sophisticated place settings, festive napkin folds, and favorite china and serving sets at the ready—but these holiday centerpiece ideas will become the star of a fantastic spread.

Florals are always welcome for the holidays, and a classic is shown here: fresh paperwhites. But Christmas celebrations also allow hosts to play with more vibrant colors and materials that only come out once a year. From glowing candles and ornaments to edible candy displays, the following holiday centerpieces embrace some of the most creative tactics known to interior designers. Our editors share the very best holiday centerpieces and how you can nail the concept in your own home.

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Peppermint Candles

A cheery peppermint-themed tablescape is complete with white pillar candle centerpieces of various heights, wrapped in red and white ribbons and bells. Peppermint sticks along the table add a festive touch to this look. To take this tablescape to the next level, use a white and red striped tablecloth.

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Crimson Flower Centerpieces

Christmas table setting — Credit: Jason Penney

Small bouquets of red amaryllis set down the length of your holiday table will look stunning against a silvery runner or tablecloth. Shapely silver ribbon around each bouquet completes their look. Complement this centerpiece with crystal or antique styled glassware for a timeless aesthetic.

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Sparkling Trees

party hats snow glitter green — Credit: Jessica Antola

Here's an idea you'll tip a party hat to: Plant these conical conifers on your holiday table, sideboard, or mantel. Drizzle their tops with clear gel glue, let it drip down the sides, and dust with white glitter. Then arrange them on a blanket of faux snow.

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Cloche Ornament Centerpieces

Your holiday centerpieces don't need to be fresh and floral: You can line your tabletops with one of the most identifiable motifs of the season (ornaments!) instead. Using a mix of cloches—including dramatic oversized iterations and cheese domes—pile in a myriad of vintage pieces for a shimmering focal point that can be easily transported from the table to a console to a mantel.

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Birch Vase

Bring the outdoors in with a winter-centric arrangement. This one was inspired by a snow-filled landscape and features birch bark, which was wrapped around glass cylinders filled with timely plants. We finished the setup by adding holiday tree trimmings and scented geranium leaves.

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Christmas Tree Toppers

A tree topper is a quintessential Christmas decoration. Instead of keeping your extras in storage, put them on display on a metallic tray, like we did here. You can line multiple tree toppers up along the center of the table as well.

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Greenery-Filled Cloches

Welcome guests with this elegant assortment of greenery. The terrarium-like setups feature an array of plants and fresh blooms in open bowls and glass cloches. To make a closed flower cloche, place floral clay on the bottom of a flower-pin frog and secure it inside a small, sturdy cup. Fill the cup 3/4 full of water. Set a glass cloche next to it so you know how high the blooms will be, cut flowers and greenery, and stick them onto the pins. To finish, set the cup on a plate and cover it with the cloche. Check the water daily—the display can last about a week.

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Sequined Christmas Trees

A glittering grove of triangular trees makes an enchanting centerpiece. Cut from pearlized card stock, the trees are trimmed with loose sequins and small paillettes. You'll need to cut two triangles out for each tree; find the midpoint, fold it using a bone folder, and join the two triangles with glue. You'll then let it dry before adding sequins and other features to the tree's exterior.

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Mini Conifers

mini christmas trees — Credit: Ryan Liebe

Take a lesson from this mantel for a centerpiece composed of a colorful assortment of vintage and inexpensive evergreens. The bottle‐brush variety is readily available online and at crafts stores; the miniature ones here were plucked from a model train set. Votives make the snow-dusted landscape sparkle.

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Seasonal Deer

Holiday Reindeer Table — Credit: Sang An

Even the smallest dollops of red (in this instance, a few ranunculi, miniature roses, and parrot tulips) will stand out when set against ivory walls, pale wood, and white china. Gray-green eucalyptus pods and pine needles create a muted backdrop for this festive centerpiece, which is brought to life by a variety of deer figurines.

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Tree-Shaped Candles

You don't need to melt any wax in order to make these candles; both taper and topper are made with beeswax sheets, available online and at crafts stores, where you can also buy wicking. (By creating a centerpiece on a tray, it becomes a portable vignette that can be moved off the table when the food is served.)

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Gingerbread House

After building your very own gingerbread house, consider using it as a festive centerpiece during the holiday season. You can dress up the surrounding area with fake snow or use extra tree trimmings and pine cones from your Christmas tree to create bedding for the gingerbread house.

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Painted Glass Votives

Create a trail of brilliantly lit candles with this simple DIY addition to a votive holder. You can use a variety of festive paint colors to create an ensemble, or just stick to one color. Tape off the top outer edge of a clear glass with masking tape, and starting at the top and working downward, squeeze a thin coat of glass paint over the entire surface. The paint drips evenly down the sides while drying. To dry, snip an inch off a paper towel roll and set the bottom of the glass on top so the paint doesn't accumulate along the base. Let the paint cure according to the manufacturer's instructions.

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Candied Mushrooms

Mushroom Candy Display Centerpiece — Credit: Anna Williams

While this frosted centerpiece isn't actually edible, your guests wouldn't guess just by gazing upon its crystalized appearance. Cut styrofoam balls in half to create mushroom caps and place them on pipe cleaner stems; you'll need to frost them with glitter, and then cut out moss to fit upon smaller gift boxes. Glue the moss to the top of your boxes and place your "candied" mushrooms atop it all.

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The Nutcracker Dolls

group of nutcrackers — Credit: Courtesy of Pier1

These toys have a place at the dining table this season. Display nutcracker dolls for an elegant and festive centerpiece. Wrap small present boxes to place them on along the table to stagger their height. For an extra festive touch, place a holiday table runner under them or weave garland and pine cones around each present to emulate a forest.