How to Add Greenery to your Holiday Centerpieces
Gathering around your table with loved ones is one of the most important moments of the holiday season. We share food, stories, and make new memories. Adorning your table with a lush green centerpiece is a wonderful way to bring some holiday spirit right to the hub of your home sweet home. The right focal point can delight the family and add, not distract, from your special time together. Here are some ideas and inspiration for your own beautiful holiday centerpieces.
Centerpiece Considerations
Before gathering your supplies, take a few things into consideration: Where will you be putting the centerpiece, and how much space do you have available? If it will be where you gather to eat food, make sure you have room for passing around delicious mashed potatoes, along with all the usual dishware you would set the table with. You’ll also want to be sure that the centerpiece isn’t at eye-level. Nobody wants to duck around a poinsettia in order to have a conversation with Uncle John! Consider keeping it nice and low.
Adding lighting accents that can add a cozy or whimsical feeling. Use battery-operated or “flameless” candles for a safe and easy way to add some warm ambiance, or weave a string of tiny fairy lights into the greenery for an enchanting feel.
Greenery for Centerpieces
Depending on your needs and your personal preference, there are many different types of greenery to include in your centerpiece. Stick with one, or mix and match! Evergreen, Cedar
Eucalyptus and Boxwood are a few that embody the holiday spirit and can add a divine scent to your table. Think of your greenery selection as a base with which to work with. What else do you want to add to your centerpiece? Start with greens and go from there! Mini-wreaths and garlands are great ways to incorporate evergreens at your table.
Greenery and florals go hand-in-hand. Remember some of the most beloved Christmas florals: Poinsettias, carnations, roses, peace lily, amaryllis, mistletoe, and holly. The sky’s the limit when it comes to showing off the best holiday blooms!
Color in your Centerpiece
There are countless ways to insert a little Christmas color into your centerpieces. First, you may want to choose the color palette for your entire table and place settings: dishware, napkins, chargers, and table runners. From there, you can sprinkle a seasoning spice of color into the rest of your table decor. Accent colors: Gold, silver, red, deep green, or berry shades like cranberry or blackberry. Or, you could keep it classic with an all-white winter wonderland. If you love the unexpected, throw in a hue like vibrant purple or pale pastel pink. Just use it sparingly so it can shine. Festive fruits like holly, juniper, mandarins, persimmons, pears, berries, pomegranate, or clementine can add a brilliant pop of color to any centerpiece.
Another way to add a pop of color to a centerpiece is to incorporate festive beads or baubles in glass jars or vases. It’s a great way to show off even more decorations!
Fresh Foraged Centerpieces
Bring the great outdoors in by foraging for your own supplies. If you cut your own greenery, make sure you hydrate them properly and keep them at the right temperature for each type of plant. Evergreens do well when soaked for 24 hours and then kept cool as long as possible.
Pinecones can usually be found in abundance during the colder months. They add a rustic vibe to any decor. If brown isn’t in your preferred palette, spray paint them any color or give them a glittery finish.
Wooden logs can act as a vessel for fresh greenery or flowers right in the middle of your table. For a chalet feel, saw rounds off of a log and use it under plates as a charger.
If you can forage berries, twigs, or nuts (even if you just forage in your own pantry), they make for beautiful displays in glass jars at your table.
Involve the Kids
Getting kids involved with decorating is a great way to keep them busy and add a fun family touch to this year’s centerpiece. Go back to the classics by asking your kids to cut Christmas shapes out of leftover wrapping paper like snowflakes or holly leaves. These cutouts can act as a table runner underneath your centerpiece or as placemats.
The best decor is the edible kind. Whip up a batch of your favorite cookies with the kids and wrap stacks of them with some red ribbon. Set them on a sprig of pine or rosemary for a festive finishing touch.
Getting creative with your holiday decor can be simple and fun. If you’re looking for help choosing your Christmas greenery in Saint John, come visit us! We’d love to answer your questions.
