Create an Evergreen Table Runner / Centerpiece the EASY Way!

Using evergreens to the deck the halls or the table is one of my favorite ways to add a bit of ‘freshness’ and nature at the holidays! Just-picked and freshly-cut greenery makes the house so fragrant, especially if you’re using an artificial tree!

While you can always use a ready-made garland on your table, I like to create an evergreen runner the easy way, no wiring required.

We have cedar, juniper, Leyland cypress, pine and magnolia around our home, and I’ve been known carry a pair of gloves and clippers in the car and do some judicious ‘pruning’ when I run across some scrub pine or cedar out in the country!

For a Christmas table, I started with some greenery clipped from the trees and shrubs~ boxwood, juniper, Leyland cypress, magnolia leaves, along with some pine cones as the base for the runner/ centerpiece.

I laid the greenery down the center out of the table, starting with the cypress, then mixing in other bits and pieces of other greenery to fill in, adding some different textures and shades of greenery. Don’t hesitate to cut your longer pieces of greenery apart, piecing them back together so they’ll lay flat on the table.

Cut more greenery than you think you need and keep it in a bucket of water until you’re ready to assemble. Having all your greenery ready to go, makes for quick and easy assembly, without having to stop to gather more greenery if you run out.

If you have access to Leyland cypress, it’s an ideal evergreen to deck the halls or table with, since it doesn't have a sticky, sappy residue like pine or fir. 

Evergreens vary in their sap production, one cedar tree can differ than another. I find pine and fir the most sappy/sticky and use other greens like juniper, cedar and cypress so check what you’re cutting before using it on the table.

Alternatively to keep sap off your table, layer your greenery on a piece of wax paper as a barrier between the greenery and the surface of your table or tablecloth.

For the other elements of the runner / centerpiece, I used some red Christmas ornaments, red and green mercury glass votives, candy canes and some beaded garland from my Christmas tree stash that we’ve used to decorate the tree in previous years. I reuse candy canes in my Christmas decorating from year to year. I store them in a ziploc bag in a closet, away from heat and humidity to help them last.

I used glasses as vases for candy canes with an ornament and sprig of boxwood, at both ends of the table. . .

And a larger glass compote holds candy canes and red ornaments in the center of the table. A pair of reindeer and a some decorative salt and pepper shakers finish out the runner / centerpiece.

This is a favorite method to add evergreens or create a centerpiece for a Christmas table. You can see a different version using the same method on my Plaid Tidings Table using apples, pine cones, nuts and ornaments, mixed in among the greenery.

*Dash* or *Prance* over to HERE for table sources and to see more of my A Visit from St. Nicholas Christmas Table. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!