The Holiday Table: Make an All Natural Centerpiece
Are you planning a holiday shindig? This year, we have family coming into town on Christmas Day. Since we don’t host family gatherings very often, I wanted this one to be extra special. We’ve got the menu all planned, and we’re going to spruce up the table with a sweet, simple holiday centerpiece to add a little ambiance.
A floral bouquet is a pretty traditional centerpiece, but cut flowers are usually not so hot for the planet. They come from far away and require lots of pesticides and water to grow. No, thank you! Instead of a floral arrangement, try some other centerpiece ideas straight from nature!
After putting lots of thought and energy into planning a menu and choosing the right wine, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time on your decor. I’m a big believer in creating simple, elegant decorations that you can whip up quickly, so that you can focus your time and energy on your family and put the finishing touches on your meal without too much holiday stress.
To make this lentil centerpiece, all you need includes:
- A shallow dish. I used a vintage Pyrex piece, but any shallow bowl will do. Glass would be really pretty!
- Lentils. You need enough lentils to fill your bowl almost to the top. I used red lentils, but green, brown, yellow, or a combination would be pretty, as well!
- Tea lights. Remember to be sure you’re choosing healthy candles!
To make your centerpiece, just fill up your bowl with lentils, nestle in the tea lights, and you are ready to rock. Easy peasy! The bonus with this decor piece? As long as the candle wax doesn’t get into the lentils, you can actually rinse off those little beans and cook them up in a meal!
More Holiday Centerpiece Ideas
Are lentils not your thing? Check out these pretty holiday centerpiece ideas made from natural materials!
- Wheat Grass – We used this at our wedding, and it would be lovely on the holiday table. Just nestle tea lights into small flats of wheat grass as your centerpiece.
- Sprigs of Pine – Grab a small vase and take some trimmings from the back of your Christmas tree. Place the trimmings in the vase for a simple, seasonal decor piece.
- Pinecones – In a shallow bowl, arrange some found pine cones along with a handful or two of fresh cranberries for a burst of color. You could also stick some pine sprigs in here, if you want to get a whole red and green thing going on.
- Pomegranates and Pinecones – Grab a big glass vase, and fill it with pomegranates and pine cones. So simple and so pretty!
Have you created any pretty natural centerpieces that don’t rely on cut flowers? I’d love to hear your ideas for the holiday table in the comments!
Image Credit: Photo by Becky Striepe
