Fresh Table Decor for Holiday Dining

By Erna

As Christmas draws closer, so do our relatives. Hosting is as much a part of the holidays as gift-giving and tree-trimming, and is just as much of an art. Creating a comfortable gathering place takes a little extra planning and thoughtfulness that guests often don’t expect. Here’s how to decorate a holiday table that will set the tone for a warm and welcoming occasion:

Christmas Centrepieces

If we choose just one Christmas table decoration this season, it should be the centrepiece! There are so many creative possibilities for creating DIY holiday centrepieces that are both beautiful and inexpensive:

Birch Logs and Pillar Candles: Christmas tree farms are a great place to look for cut birchwood stumps, which can be repurposed as rustic candle stands. Arrange several with different heights and widths to create a “candle forest” arrangement.

Illuminated Evergreen Clippings: Arrange a garland of cedar or pine down the centre of the table and decorate with nature-inspired

accents, like pinecones, winterberries, or flocking. To bring in some light, try adding candles or LED fairy lights to the arrangement!
Decorated Bare Branches: For those of us who prefer the graceful silhouette of bare deciduous tree branches over traditional, lush evergreen needles, these arrangements look stunning. Arrange small clippings of bare tree branches into a vase and decorate them with lightweight, coordinating ornaments or twinkling mini-lights. Dogwood’s natural red colour is especially on-theme for this idea with stems as red as a Christmas sleigh!

Fruits of the Season: Glass vessels filled with holiday clementines make a zesty display paired with sprigs of evergreen or eucalyptus.

Holiday Succulent Garden: Re-pot succulents into a small distressed-wood box arranged with more traditional holiday greenery. This is a surefire way to put a contemporary twist on a traditional Christmas centrepiece!

Holiday Table Decor

Table decor comes down to coordinating colours and materials for a harmonious look. These easy holiday decorations provide a backdrop for our dinner table’s biggest moment of the year.

Table Linens: For minimalists, white crochet table runners are very on-trend

right now and contrast evergreen centrepieces and accents beautifully. For something a little more luxe, try pairing two table runners of different widths to create depth and richness. Rustic neutrals, like burlap, paired with a bold fabric, like a plaid or shimmering gold tulle, create a warm, homey look. For a fun look, an extra-long holiday scarf can work just as well!

Napkin “Rings”: We love the trend of wrapping napkins in ribbon or twine with a cedar clipping and a cinnamon stick tucked in the middle. It’s perfect for putting a natural, woodsy element on the table to match the rest of your decor.

Christmas Cutlery: It’s been easier and easier lately to find quality cutlery in holiday-friendly shades, like gold and matte black. Choose a set that works with your table’s colour palette to add the look of precious metal or a visually interesting element of contrast.

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Table Favours for Holiday Gatherings

There’s no better time than the season of giving to place table favours for your holiday guests! These customized tokens acknowledge each guest, helping them truly feel that they have a place at the table.

closeup of holiday decorated porch pot with berries, lights and pinecones

Cranberry Wreaths: A little fishing line, a large sewing needle, and a bag of fresh cranberries are all that’s needed to assemble these quick and pretty table favours. Cut butcher paper into miniature banners to make labels for each guest.

Custom Cookies: Baking a batch of sugar cookies? Use holiday-themed cookie cutters, cookie glaze, and a fine-tipped icing tube to customize each cookie with guests’ names.

Mistletoe: Whether fresh or artificial, mistletoe is a holiday tradition that has grown so old, it’s new again. Write

guests’ names on elegant gift tags to tie into each sprig to place on each guest’s napkin and expect to witness at least one sneaky kiss!

closeup of red berries in winter porch pot

Your winter porch pot and coordinating decor will make your whole home look more inviting while lightening the spirits of all who pass it – and we all know that during these short winter days, we could use all the light we can get!

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