How to Make Elegant Christmas Table Decor in 3 Easy Ways

by | Holidays, Tablescapes

Setting elegant Christmas table decor doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money! Check out these 3 easy things you can do to create a beautiful table to enjoy all season long!

I love Christmas and I love setting pretty tables.

So you can imagine that creating elegant Christmas table decor is one of my favorite things to do for the season!

Admittedly, I go a little over-the-top with them, but why not?  The Christmas season is so festive and joyful and I want my home to be a reflection of the hope and love of the season!  At the same time, I want them to be inviting and have that seasonal glow for my own family to enjoy too.

How should you dress a table for Christmas?

I love to leave one of our dining tables set throughout the season and almost always have one of them set up with a pretty tablescape.  Though I switch it up, you’ll usually find this dining table looking ready with elegant Christmas table decor, as if we are going to be enjoying a nice dinner.

Are we enjoying elegant Christmas table decor and a fancy dinner every night?  Of course not.  In fact, some weeks, it’s a grab and go kind of dinner all week, as we are in rehearsals and performances every night!

I do love, though, that even on the busy days, our dining room looks pretty and festive. Since I pass through this room 100 times a day, it seems, I am enjoying the Christmas decor!

Fortunately, we have several other places we can sit and eat and we actually can easily eat here by just removing the little green wreath before dinner!  No big deal!

How do you decorate a table for Christmas on a budget?

I thought it would be fun today to share 3 simple easy things you can do to create a pretty and elegant Christmas dining table too!  It doesn’t have to be expensive or even cost you a lot of time!  (We all know that time is actually really valuable during the busy season too!)

The added benefit of elegant Christmas table deco is that no one piles homework, junk mail, or lunch boxes here.  As a result, it stays looking pretty and that makes me happy! 😂

How do you make a simple Christmas table centerpiece?

Actually, there are also a lot of ways you can use easy and inexpensive DIY Christmas table decor ideas to help you decorate your table on a budget.  In fact, you can find 5 of my favorite, budget-friendly table DIY ideas for pretty place settings over on THIS POST!

Next, if you have a few extra minutes to build a DIY, THIS easy build would be a beautiful and simple centerpiece for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

How to Make Elegant Christmas Table Decor in 3 Easy Ways

Step 1 to Create Elegant Christmas Table Decor:

How do you set up an elegant Christmas table?

Start by laying greenery down the center of the table.

To me, winter greenery is the key ingredient for decorating any space for Christmas.  If I could choose only one element to add to our home for Christmas, it would be greenery!

I used 3 different faux garlands to create this look.  However, you could take a trip to a local place that sells fresh Christmas trees.  They are usually happy to give you clippings and branches that have broken off and are laying around…for FREE!

I try to gather some of those and tuck into my faux greenery too. The fresh clippings smell amazing and add another pretty layer to your elegant Christmas table decor.

What should I put on my Christmas table?

Layering is what makes it full and so elegant!

Tip: Create thick layers of faux, fresh, or a mixture of both to get a luxurious look.  Once your greenery is in place, you can easily switch other elements throughout the season, while always keeping that beautiful Christmas look!

Here is how I get that thick, realistic look for elegant Christmas table decor:

I layered these three garlands, taking care to pull branches through so the bottom layers are still peeking out.  Instead of twisting the garlands together, I find that I get a more natural look by laying them on top of one another and carefully pulling a few branches through here and there.

  • Real touch eucalyptus: this is my favorite!  I use it year round and often mix it with fresh flowers or greenery.  For Thanksgiving, Christmas, and winter, I love to intertwine it with my Norfolk pine garlands.
  • Try this faux cedar garland for a beautiful and traditional Christmas look.  It looks so real and I usually hang a couple of these over the big mirror in my music room as well as adding them to my table.
  • This pine garland is also beautiful and also has a realistic look.  In fact, people always walk into my house and touch this to see if it is real or not!  I also love using the matching wreath, found HERE!
  • This faux juniper garland is another favorite!  I have one of these that I love using each year, whether it’s on my table, laid in a large dough bowl, or incorporated into a Christmas vignette.
  • This cedar garland has a little different texture but is beautiful and perfect for layering. I  used two of them on my mantel this year!
  • If you have a really long table or want to use your garland on the mantel, this 180″ Norfolk pine garland is what I ordered myself.  It is incredibly realistic and looks amazing spread the length of the table for elegant Christmas table decor.

Step 2 to Create an Elegant Christmas Table Decor:

Add white dishes.

Seem too basic?  Hear me out on this!

White dishes go with everything! If you have a base foundation for your tablescape with Christmas greenery and white dishes, you can add any seasonal elements.  Additionally, you can use small accents in any color and it will all go together perfectly!

At the same time, creating this base of greens and white will allow you to make small changes throughout the season without the time and expense to change out the entire Christmas table.

Investing in a set of simple white dishes can be a key to budget-friendly table decor not only at Christmas, but throughout the entire year too.

Here are some beautiful options for white dishes:

I’ve had my plain white dishes for 18 years now, but I found some similar ones here.

I also often use vintage white ironstone dishes and mix and match the styles. As long as they are all white, you can’t go wrong and the vintage vibe is so fun.  I found some pretty ironstone dishes here.

My square ironstone dishes are from @whiteflowerfarmhouse.  I wasn’t able to find vintage ones online, but these new square plates are so pretty and would give you a similar look!

Here are a few more ideas:

Another fun and really budget-friendly way to build a collection of white dishes is to watch for them at thrift stores!  

You can often find a variety of pretty white dishes when thrifting or even stopping by yard sales, flea markets, and online Marketplace.  Remember, as long as they are white, you can mix and match different patterns and styles.

You’ll end up with an elegant table that has a fun vintage look and a curated, eclectic twist!

Step 3 to Create an Elegant Christmas Table Decor:

Incorporate brass elements.

If winter greenery is my number 1 must have item for Christmas decor, then brass may be my second!  There are a couple reasons I love using vintage brass at Christmas time:

Vintage brass helps tell the Christmas story.

First of all, I love the subtle reference to the Nativity story when the Wise Men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Little details like that make me happy!

I never really understood that part of the story or why those three things were so important until several years ago when I learned more about essential oils.  Frankincense is an age-old remedy for healing.  I use it on cuts, wounds, or infections for our family!

Myrrh can be used for healing also, specifically to kill bacteria and ease pain or swelling.  It was kind of like a doctor kit for Mary and her new Baby!

No doubt the gold came in handy as Joseph and Mary found themselves in the most unusual and challenging of circumstances too.

Maybe it’s a silly reference in a way, but when I see gold in Christmas decorations, I always feel like it’s so appropriate for the Christmas story!

Brass reflects light for an inviting look.

Secondly, I love how brass reflects light.  Whether candles or twinkle lights, even the rubbed or aged brass with a more matte finish picks up those little reflections of light.  It makes everything feel extra cozy!

How do you make an elegant Christmas centerpiece?

For my brass elements on this Christmas table, I used three different things.

Firstly, In my centerpiece, I used some vintage brass horn candlesticks that I’ve been collecting over a few years.

Secondly, I also tucked in some smaller vintage French horns.  The greenery helps them to stand upright and adds a fun and unexpected element to the table!

Thirdly, I used small brass horns for my napkin rings.  These are more of an ornament size but they work perfectly for a napkin ring!  I’ve been looking for these for a couple of years so I could create this table and finally found enough this fall!

I found a set of six online for you!  Hurry and grab them though!  Larger sets can be hard to find.  However, these give you an instant collection!

I have found all of my vintage brass horns and candlesticks at thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and a few from some antique shops.  They are a lot of fun to hunt for!

If you are looking for some to use this season, I’ll link a few below!

Here are a few beautiful brass options available online for elegant Christmas table decor:

Now it’s time to create your own elegant Christmas table decor!

I hope this gives you some fun ideas for making your table pretty for the Christmas season!  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year and the perfect time to create spaces in our home that reflect the joy of the season!  It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, just whatever brings peace and joy to your home!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterestand Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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