Bringing the Outside Inside for Christmas: Using Greenery on Our Table

I just love decorating for Christmas! The house becomes bright and festive. Neal and I enjoy the warm glow of the Christmas tree, hot cocoa ☕️, tasty treats, time with family, and celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ who is the reason for the season!

Because we host Thanksgiving with our family, we typically decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. (I think we might be the last people who decorate for Christmas!)

I like using live greenery as a centerpiece on our dining room table. However, I don’t add the live greenery until a few days before our family arrives for Christmas. I want it to be fresh and lush for our Christmas meals together.

Initially (until I add the greenery), I use a glass tree in the middle, a ring of red berries, silver candlesticks with red candles, antique elf figurines (our Emmy’s initials prior to her getting married were ELF), and three strings of silver beads. Using strings of beads always make me think of my mother; she would expertly lay strings of beads around our nativity scene, candles, and figurines when I was a child. It gave ordinary decorations that extra Christmas sparkle!

The picture below shows my centerpiece prior to adding greenery. (Can you tell I have a love affair with burlap?) Our initial centerpiece is nothing spectacular, but Neal and I enjoy it as we eat dinner each evening (and we always sit at our table enjoying Neal’s good cooking).

The day before our family arrives, I add the greenery. Neal and I bundle up and take a walk through our neighborhood, which is heavily wooded. It is sort of our time alone before our house is filled with family members (and many dogs waiting for food to be dropped). I take utility scissors and a large basket on our walk. We clip a variety of greenery. I especially like greenery that has red berries. Fresh greenery smells great and gives the table a natural, but festive look. I layer the pieces with the cut ends towards the center (where the glass tree is located). I continue to layer until the cut ends are no longer visible and there is a variety of greenery. I love the smell and the texture it adds to our table! (The picture below is actually from last Christmas.)

On a side note, I purchased the glass Christmas tree at TJ Maxx a few years ago (2014) prior to Emmy and Keith’s December wedding. I used it as a centerpiece at Emmy’s Bridemaids’ luncheon (all silver centerpiece). It reminds me of Emmy, her sweet girlfriends and her loving husband Keith – – such sweet memories! ❤️ This is why I enjoy using things I already have. It makes me think of the person or takes me back to a special moment in time. Yes, I am a sentimental person who is blessed by having a great family and friends.

I realize that I am not an expert decorator. I just like what I like and enjoy the memories that accompany decorating for Christmas. Our home is not a showplace, but a safe haven filled with love and laughter. I look forward to creating new memories this Christmas!

Thanks for reading this post! May you have a Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Please share how you incorporate special family keepsakes into your Christmas decor?