5 Simple Ways to Add Festive Flair to Your Holiday Table — For Pennies!
Experts share clever ideas using around-the-house finds and decorative extras
The secret to making your Christmas dinner table extra inviting for guests and loved ones? Dressing it up with a stunning table runner display! We rounded up our favorite designer-worthy Christmas table runner ideas that use items you likely already have on hand so you don’t have to waste time shopping or spend a fortune creating one.
“So many items you already own can make a perfect centerpiece,” notes Laura Cassell Fischer, vice president of merchandise and product development at tabletop products company Over&Back. From using backyard pine boughs to gift wrap and serving bowls, read on for easy, affordable ways to turn around-the-house finds and a few home- and craft-store staples into wow-worthy Christmas table runners and centerpieces.
Christmas table runner ideas #1: Evergreen runner
It’s easy to create a traditional Christmas runner that’s filled with surprising festive flair. The secret? Updating a classic red-and-green color palette by weaving in pops of gold, sparkling seasonal accents and fresh woodland extras. To get the look, top a wooden table with a satin green runner, like CV Linens Elegant Emerald Green Satin Table Runner (Buy from Amazon, $3.70). Next, layer on fresh pine boughs and pine cones (gathered from the backyard), glass candle pedestals, gilded ornaments and mini wooden Christmas village houses. One to try: Mud Pie Boxed Mini Christmas Village Set (Buy from Amazon, $34.50). It’s a perfect spot for spreading cheer!
Christmas table runner ideas #2: Whimsical display
“All you need are a few festive items to throw this pretty centerpiece together,” says Jamie Bare of TheCraftingChicks.com (@craftingchicks on Instagram). She created this lively display by mixing a fun candy cane-inspired color palette with pretty patterned accents and whimsical flair. To get the look, top a dining table with a red-and-white runner snipped from gift wrap. Line up small green and white sisal trees and a paper chain garland down the center of the runner, then add eye-catching DIY cranberry-kissed Christmas trees! To make the trees: Pierce fresh cranberries with toothpicks, then press picks into various-sized foam cones until completely covered. No time to craft? No problem! Try faux cranberry cone trees, like Threshold Artificial Berry Cone Tree Red (Buy from Target, $10).
Christmas table runner ideas #3: Gorgeous gilded runner
For a sparkling Christmas scene that’s invitingly warm, combine twinkly lights and candles with fragrant evergreens, fruit and gold extras. To start, lay a shiny gray runner, like Grey Jacquard Tassel Decor Table Runner (Buy from Shein, $9), on the table, then set a glittery gold fringe placemat on top. Next, position battery-run fairy lights, like Siuholi Fairy Lights Battery Operated (Buy from Amazon, $5.99), atop the runner. Layer on glass pillar candle holders, serving bowls filled with evergreens, pine cones, evergreen boughs and a duo of gilded trees. (To make, cut leaf shapes from shiny gold scrapbook paper and hot-glue them to Styrofoam cones.) The result? A gleaming setting perfect for making guests feel warm and welcome!
Christmas table runner ideas #4: Festive farmhouse scene
Setting up a cozy, country-chic Christmas tabletop display like this one styled by Andrea Mathis, founder of BeautifulEatsAndThings.com, is simple. Here, she layered a crisp white cloth with a red and black buffalo plaid runner. (One we like: B-COOL Buffalo Plaid Table Runner, Buy from Amazon, $11.80.) Next, she topped it with a pair of vintage-looking red trucks, like Vintage Red Truck Christmas Decor With Lit-up Christmas Tree (Buy from Amazon, $21.96). To finish, she added a large teal candle lantern, a pitcher filled with faux berry branches, pine cones, evergreens and bitty white vases. It’s a perfectly inviting scene that’s sure to bring comfort and joy!
Christmas table runner ideas #5: Festive floral arrangement
“Adding in floral elements (real or faux) is an easy way to create a festive centerpiece,” says Fischer. Poinsettia, which represent good cheer in the language of flowers, are a perfect choice. To re-create this look, add a red tablecloth to the dining table, then place an extra holiday wreath on the center of the table. No wreath on hand? Opt for a grapevine wreath decorated with faux gold and red berries. One to try: Waterproof Burgundy and Gold Faux 18″ Berry Wreath (Buy from Blueberry Lane Shop, $27.95). For added ambiance, wind a strand of battery-run fairy lights around wreath. Remove a poinsettia from its plastic pot and drop into a gray ceramic pot. Nestle in center of wreath to finish.
Looking for more Christmas decorating ideas? Check out these stories:
Christmas Mantel Ideas: 7 Ways to Add Festive Style to Your Space – For Less!
Decorating Pros: Brilliant Hacks That Make Putting Up Christmas Tree Lights Easy
Dazzling Holiday Doorway Ideas: 7 Ways to Add Festive Style to Your Front Porch
