Making Holiday Centerpieces from Candles

Are you having a big family dinner for thanksgiving or Christmas? I know I am. The holidays are a time to get everyone in your family together. Just to be together. To spend time with one another. Part of that is having a warm, welcoming and inviting table for everyone to be together. A centerpiece of your holiday festive that is meant to bring everyone together. And i want my table to be as pretty as i can manage. I want it graceful, pretty, to add to the mood and theme of thanksgiving and Christmas. A long time ago i was told to use a basket of fruit, nuts, and berries. Sure it seemed creative, at least a bit, but it wasn't really what i wanted.

What i wanted was candles. Candles light up a room in a way no other light source does. They bring this warmth and homey feeling. That was something I wanted for my meals. Recently i discovered a way to arrange candles so they would make a pretty centerpiece. With a few adjustments it was holiday themed, and customizable depending on your desires, theme and home. Not to mention, i made it with things i had laying around the house.

I started with a cake tray i wasn't using. Its a pretty one. Crystal with flowers etched into it. . I then added 3 candles red, white and green, the colors of the holiday season. At first i started with the same height.. But later on i used several different sized candles. I arranged them in a tripod. And here is where your creativity comes into play, you have to find ordinary objects that can make your centerpiece special. After i had my three candles, i put some fresh vines from one of my plants around it. While that was pretty, the green and yellow of the vines really didn't come across as the holiday theme that I wanted.

Other things that would look pretty would be pine cones, fake flowers like poinsettias or roses and sticks of berries. Fake of course. For a Christmas feel you could use real or fake pine branches decorated with holly berries. For a fall of thanksgiving feel, fruits, fake leaves in golds and reds even some glitter tipped ones would look especially nice when the candles are lit.

My second go at creating a centerpiece involved 2 candles of the same height and a third that was about half the size of the 2. I then decorated it with votive in shades of red all the way around. While i used red votive, any colors could be used. My last attempt at a centerpiece was made with fresh fruit and 3 candles of the same height. I decorated with apples, plums and kiwis, although many different fruits could be used.

Fruit is especially a good idea if you want to use this for a Thanksgiving type centerpiece. You could add in berries and nuts as a way of symbolizing the feast of plenty which we call thanksgiving. You could even use small decorative gourds in a verity of colors, paired with some walnuts, hazelnuts, and dates could make a nice centerpiece. Pretty little things could go easily for Christmas. You can buy small ornaments, the ones that go to the mini trees. Simply arrange the small ornaments around the candles for an instant Christmas feel.

Remember to always practice candle safety. Never leave a candle burning unattended or around small children who could touch it. Putting a small plate under the candles will help catch any dripping wax before it pools on your cake tray. It will also help keep the wax off of your decorations which can be ruined if hot wax touches them. If you happen to get wax on something you don't want it on. Simply put the object in the freezer, wait a few hours and the wax will easily be chipped off. Most objects will not be ruined by the wax, however it does stain fabrics, its also difficult to get wax out of fabrics. So always be aware of what you put near your candles. Scented candles also, should be avoided. The scent can interfere with the smells of the cooking dinner. It can also alter taste. To be safe, you should stick with unscented candles when decorating your table.

With items you often can find around your house, you can make a warm and inviting table for your holidays. Be creative and see what items you have laying around that can make a beautiful table.