This week, I’ve been navigating the web, looking for different options for Christmas centerpieces and decor.
I wanted some kind of centerpiece that we can craft as a family. Children are always enthusiastic about wrapping things up, knots, and anything that allows them to explore materials, dirty their hands, and let their imagination fly.
I also wanted something minimalist and essential. To symbolize our rediscovery of the simple things after last year -and this year’s- lockdowns, grieving, quarantines, and all the toll the pandemic has meant for most of us.
And last but not least, I wanted an eco-friendly centerpiece made with upcycled and natural stuff. Something I can do right now with the things at hand, or the little treasures the kids collect in the neighborhood.
These are my findings! Enjoy! And if you have more ideas, please share them. I'd love to include your creations in this post.
Christmas Table Set Up Ideas
This Christmas Eve dinner can be an opportunity to honor the 4Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Repurpose, that is Upcycle).
We all keep an old wood board in the shed, right?
You can use it as the base for any centerpiece. With a bit of creativity and exploration (kids can be great at this), we can turn waste glass jars into lanterns, toilet paper rolls into napkin rings, and use all those little natural treasures to beautify our table settings.
1. Candles wrapped with Herb bouquets
Lavender and Rosemary are my favorite herbs.
Lily Ardor created this gorgeous yet simple centerpiece using candles wrapped with Rosemary and Lavender bouquets, all set on a wood board.
You can put apple or lemon peels around to add color and scents to the setting. My son even suggested adding some of his stone collection’s best pieces, and even shells.
2. Minimal Christmas Centerpiece With Branches
With just a long piece of linen cloth and long branches, you will create a refined and minimalist table centerpiece. Rebekah Nkirote chose long leaf branches and feather eucalyptus branches. To give it a soft touch, she sparkled the foliage with Baby’s Breath flowers. Scented tea candles can add spots of color and a sophisticated aroma to your Christmas Eve table.
3. Christmas Centerpiece With Log and Plants
In just a few minutes, a birch log can turn into a cute centerpiece if you add a couple of air plants and succulents. In this Sand and Sisal’s picture, the succulents are faux, but I’d rather choose the real thing.
To prevent the log from rolling, you can sand down the base or stabilize it by sticking it to a wood board.
4. Cute and Simple: Pine Cones and Candles
A cozy Christmas table centerpiece that invites us to meditation.
The kids can get involved in its creation, collecting pine cones in the neighborhood or the park. Add some cinnamon sticks for an aromatic and inspiring Christmas table.
5. Upcycled Bottle Christmas Centerpieces
At Neutrall we strongly support glass upcycling. And discarded glass bottles and jars can also be repurposed and transformed into beautiful Christmas centerpieces.
Add some foliage inside: lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary are perfect for this DIY decor. Crown your creation with regular or scented candles and enjoy the joys of the forests at home.
6. Upcycled Jars with Infused Water
Fill a jar with water and add your favorite fruits and herbs.
Put a candle on top, floating on the infused water. The candle will liberate a lovely aroma. An original and colorful Christmas decor that will get many compliments.
7. Scandinavian Inspired Christmas Centerpiece
If you adore Scandinavian decor, this frugal yet bright centerpiece will blow your mind.
You just need a wood board thick enough to perform holes, which will work as candleholders. Pine branches and cones will do the rest.
For people who love to make it simple.
8. Orange Peel Christmas Ornaments
If you love citric scents, Orange peel ornaments are beautiful and can be prepared in the twinkling of an eye. Children can help you cut the shapes and...Voilá! Your Christmas centerpiece will look even more gorgeous.
I got this recipe from an Instagram account I follow, @uselessplastic:
How to make them: Peel your orange carefully so that you get wide stripes. Cut them with a cookie cutter (if necessary, make a small hole into them for a string). Dry them on the radiator or put them on a tray with baking paper. Bake them at the lowest temperature your oven allows. Check them regularly, not to burn them. You can also make a garland from them.
9. Christmas Napkins with Cinnamon Sticks
To give your Christmas napkins an elegant touch, tie them with sisal strings and place two cinnamon sticks and a bouquet of your favorite aromatic herb.
10. Upcycled Christmas Napkins
Upcycling means repurposing something that would end up in the trash and transforming it into something new and more valuable. These upcycled napkin rings are made from tin cans… aren’t they lovely?
To give them a Christmas spirit, invite the children to decorate them with bright colors or orange peel ornaments.
Bless the Earth
I hope you enjoy these eco-friendly Christmas centerpieces and decor ideas and make them your own, adding your spark to fit your home -or your Christmas shop windows, if you own a store.