Christmas Centerpiece

A gorgeous Christmas centerpiece is the final diy of the 12 Crafts of Christmas

A Christmas centerpiece is a wonderful way to add a touch of festivity to your meal and make it special. Whether you are entertaining for Christmas or attending someone else’s dinner, a lot of the Christmas celebrations revolve around meals.

A great thing about this diy centerpiece is that you can make it as big or small as you wish to fit your dinner table space. If you want to go all out and do a full tablescape, then go for it! Or you can dial it back and keep it simple.

Did you miss Day 11’s mini Christmas tree?

Create a Christmas Centerpiece for your family dinner. This beautiful home decor piece makes a great hostess gift too.

Christmas Centerpiece Supplies

1 Cardboard Box, with a sturdy bottom

White Paint and brush

Wax Paper

Pine Needles, assorted styles

Sparkly Picks

Berry Picks

Bottle Brush Trees

Mason Jar

Fairy Lights

Utility Knife

Create a custom Christmas centerpiece using a cardboard box, paint, wax paper, real pine needles, and some Christmas accents.

Step 1: Cut Box To Size

Chances are the cardboard box you have is too tall to be a Christmas centerpiece as it is. Decide how tall you want it to be and cut it down to size. This one was cut down to about 4″ tall instead of 10″ tall. Since you want your cardboard box to look more professional, you want the top line to be cut straight. By using a ruler and pencil to draw straight lines as a cutting guide, your box will look so much better in the end.

Use a ruler to cut a string line on each side of the cardboard box to give it a clean finish.

This cardboard box is cut down to size to become a container for the Christmas centerpiece. Trim off any loose pieces and make sure the bottom is secure.

Step 2: Paint The Box

Paint the outside of the newly cut down box. A white will go with any design style and home and let the design of the centerpiece shine. If you lightly brush the white paint over the cardboard, you will get a more rustic, white-washed wood look. Or you can completely coat the box for a solid and smooth finish. PS. You don’t need to use white paint, choose whatever color (or colors) you want!

Use paint to transform the cut down box into a festive Christmas centerpiece container

Step 3: Wax Paper Liner

Since the branches and pine needles for the centerpiece are real, you will need to spray them with water regularly to keep them fresh and healthy. You don’t want them to dry out before Christmas and start shedding. The wax paper layer will protect your box from getting soggy, and hold in moisture for your pine needles. So line a layer of wax paper on the bottom of your cardboard box, and up the sides as well. Just make sure to keep it cut shorter than the top so that it’s not visible through the pine needles in the end.

Real pine needles require moisture and water. A layer of wax paper will keep the box from getting soggy and hold in moisture for the plants.

Step 4: Layer The Boughs of Pine Needles

Start with your biggest and fullest boughs. You are going to use these as the base layer of foliage. They will help keep the uppermost layers full. Wrap these pieces around the perimeter inside your box container. You do want to leave the center of your box hollow for your mason jar to fit in later. And you keep following these steps. Keep wrapping your larger pine needle pieces around the perimeter, layering on top of the ones previous. Then move onto your medium-length pieces. Don’t be afraid to trim your pine needles down to the sizes that you need them to be either. If all of your pine needles is long, cut some of them down to a more manageable size. Try and soften the corners some and draw them in more. Save your smaller pieces as final touches and filler pieces at the end.

Use real white pine needles for a wispy appearance in your Christmas centerpiece

Step 5: Center The Mason Jar

The hollow that you left in the center of your box earlier was meant for the mason jar. Place your jar in the center and look at it from all sides to make sure that it is sitting in the middle. Does it feel secure in its spot or unlevel? You may need to prop up one side. I tucked a few pine needles under one side to help level mine. Fluff up the foliage around the jar and pull them in closer to wrap around the jar a bit.

A mason jar, candleholder, or vase gives some height and focus to your Christmas centerpiece.

Step 6: Add Small Sparkly Decor

Your goal is to create a layered look. Don’t lay all the decorative pieces right on top of the foliage. Tuck some deeper into gaps in the pine needles so that the color peeks through. Have some right on top, and some tucked into the dark recesses of your centerpiece to give it depth and interest.

Sparkly balls are a great way to fill in gaps, add glitz, and give your centerpiece character

Berries add a great pop of color to the Christmas centerpiece.

Step 7: Place Trees

The bottle brush trees are kinda like accent pieces in your centerpiece. They are there to give extra interest to the mason jar in the middle and not let it look lonely. Place them on opposing sides of your mason jar. And tuck them into the foliage a bit so they don’t look like an after thought.

Along side the mason jar in the center, place some bottle brush Christmas trees to accent it

Step 8: Add Fillers

Look over your Christmas centerpiece with a critical eye. You’re looking for any open gaps or spots that seem unbalanced. These are areas that you can go back in with some small filler pieces of leaves to create a more balanced look.

Add extra leaves, pine needles, sparkly balls and berries to your centerpiece to fill in any low spots or areas that lack color.

Step 9: Place Fairy Lights

Fairy lights add a magical touch to anything they grace. Also, lights and Christmas go hand in hand. Do you have fond memories of looking at Christmas lights? I do, and it’s a tradition I’m carrying on with my son. Fill your mason jar with the fairy lights. Wrap around the inside of the jar to fill it up. Or if you want to use your mason jar for flowers or a candle, you can place the fairy lights in the foliage too. Just be sure that the on/off switch is easy to reach.

Place fairy lights inside the mason jar or weave into the pine needles around it

Step 10: Set Up Your Table

Place your new Christmas centerpiece on your table. Then set up your table around it to make sure everything fits well. Take the time to admire your work. You made that beautiful centerpiece yourself. Yay!

12 Crafts of Christmas

That wraps up the 12 Crafts of Christmas series. You can see all 12 of the DIY home decor tutorials on the library page for this crafty series. These simple decorations add a lot of style to homes on a budget. They are easy projects for all ages to enjoy. This Christmas centerpiece was the topping on the cake. The favorites so far seem to be the Christmas Joy Wine Bottles, and the Christmas Gnome (adorable!). Thanks for joining along and make sure to share these ideas with your home decor loving friends!