by Karen Chaffee

Created on: November 21, 2009

Nothing sets the tone and atmosphere of your Christmas gatherings quite like the table or buffet centerpieces. Let's get creative with some ideas for inexpensive homemade Christmas centerpieces. These are easy on the budget, and a feast for the eyes. Choose something that reflects your personality or if you have a Christmas dinner or party theme, you can make a centerpiece that sets the tone for that.

Inexpensive Homemade Christmas Centerpieces - Nature Themes

-Fill a large, wide-mouth clear glass container with varying sizes of pine cones. Set the container on a red or green cloth place mat and surround the base of the container with real or artificial Christmas greenery. Scatter some raw cranberries and acorns here and there amidst the greenery, and you have a simple nature themed center piece that creates a homey and welcoming focal point.

-Fill or cover the drainage holes in the bottom of a large clay pot and fill nearly to the top with sand or gravel. You can cover the dirt with pretty stones or small pine cones, or leave it plain. Anchor a sturdy bare branch, tall enough not to hinder conversation around the dinner table, in the gravel or sand. Decorate your branch with old fashioned garlands of popped corn alternated with raw cranberries, or with varying sizes of paper snowflakes. For sparkly, you can cover each flake with a thin layer of glue and dip it in clear glitter. Set your center piece on a place mat centered in your dinner table or party buffet. If you decorated it with the garlands, it can go outside after the holidays and become an instant bird feeder.

-Fill a large glass punch or salad bowl with raw cranberries, acorns, and pine cones for a simple, but beautiful centerpiece. Place numerous votive candles (beeswax or soy are non-toxic and eco-friendly) around or on either side of the bowl, and light them just before serving dinner. The candles will create beautiful reflections in the glass of the bowl.

Inexpensive Homemade Christmas Centerpieces - Edible Creations

-Fill a large bowl with, or place on a large platter, shiny red and green apples, oranges or tangerines, and mixed nuts in their shells. Surround bowl or platter with Christmas greens.

-Purchase colorful votive candle holders at the Dollar Tree. Fill each with silver or gold foil-wrapped chocolate candies. Set in groups of three on a large place mat in the center of your table or buffet. Intersperse candy groupings with large clear ornaments from which you've removed the tops and filled with glitter or colored sand. Replace ornament tops. Add sprigs of silk holly here and there.

-Purchase one large styrofoam cone and several smaller ones. On large cone, anchored with toothpicks, place pieces of cubed green and red melon, or green and red seedless grapes. On smaller cones, again using toothpicks, alternate green pimento olives and small cubes of cheese. Wind around and between the cones an artificial Christmas pine garland. Add a few votive candles for sparkle.

Last Note On Inexpensive Homemade Christmas Centerpieces

Whichever homemade Christmas centerpiece you choose, several things are always beautiful additions: candles floating in glass bowls of varying sizes, Christmas blooms scattered here and there, votive candles, or shiny ornaments, large or small, placed in glass dishes.

Another beautiful centerpiece is a display or your favorite Christmas collections: angels, small antique toys, retro ornaments, nativity figurines, etc.

Enjoy your Christmas holiday.

Source: Personal Experience

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