Creating a Table Centerpiece for Any Holiday

Creating an elegant centerpiece for your holiday table doesn’t have to be difficult. There are a few basic rules you can use to build a centerpiece for any holiday you want to commemorate; the rest, as they say, depends on you.

First of all, make sure that whatever centerpiece you design isn’t so tall that it will interfere with people seated on opposite sides of your table seeing and speaking with each other. There’s nothing worse than trying to unobtrusively crane your neck to see around a centerpiece that blocks your view! Think low and wide rather than tall and narrow.

Then choose a container to hold the main body of the centerpiece. This can be anything that catches your fancy; perhaps a unique wicker basket, your grandmother’s heirloom fine china compote or a fabulous art pottery bowl. Inside this main container, place another, slightly smaller leak proof plastic or glass “liner” container with a profile sufficiently lower than the main container. If there’s enough space between the two containers to allow the liner to wiggle, stuff the space with foam or wadded up newspaper to keep everything stable.

Place as large a chunk of florist’s foam as will fit inside the liner with about an inch above the rim to spare, then fill the liner with water and let the foam soak it up, adding more water if necessary until the foam is saturated.

Now, it’s time to begin your arrangement. Choose flowers and greenery appropriate for the season: Daffodils and irises in the spring, roses in the summer, chrysanthemums and small branches of bittersweet in the fall and evergreen boughs and holly in winter. Cut two similar flowers or branches to the same height and insert them into each end of the foam. Then build your centerpiece using a combination of the fresh flowers and other plant materials you’ve selected. Keep “layering” your different floral ingredients until the container appears filled.

Depending on your home, the holiday or special event and your decorating style your new table centerpiece can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. Keep in mind that if the flowers are coming from the florist, the larger your arrangement, the more expensive the project will cost you. However, don’t forget to look in your own backyard for natural elements such as twigs, boughs and pinecones to add a distinct and eclectic feel to your arrangement.

Tip: Trailing greenery such as shoots of ivy is wonderful to include at any time of the year. Place them along the sides of the foam between the floral components and allow them to drape gracefully over the side of the container; place several in between the larger flower stems as well. You can also use a few small pre-wired gold or silver ornaments, small fancy wired ribbon bows or an inexpensive garland of sparkly stars to add a festive seasonal note.

©2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard. All Rights Reserved.