Written by Jaimè Bell

My latest foray into DIY Christmas decorations is as a lovely rustic centerpiece for my dining table. I was surfing Pinterest (just using Christmas decor as keywords) when I found an image of a reclaimed wood trough with three mason jars containing votive candles trimmed around with pinecones and holly. I used this as inspiration for my centerpiece project.

How to Make a Rustic Christmas Table Centerpiece

Step one: find or make a trough.

If you don’t have a workshop in your garage and a handy husband like I do, you can always buy a wooden crate or box from a craft store that may work. I had my husband whip up a trough of scrap wood about 7x18x3 with a thick bottom and dark stain and a reclaimed look with chunky bolts that button up the sides.

To get the reclaimed look, you can beat up the wood with a hammer then wipe the dark stain off before it dries to make it look weathered.

Step two: mason jars.

Most people have mason jars in their pantry, but if you don’t, you can use any old jar… an empty coconut oil or jam jar would do fine. They don’t even have to match size or shape… Be eclectic! You can also buy empty jars at the grocery store. I put decorative ribbon around the jars, but you can add whatever you want. Instead of going out to buy ribbon, just look around your Christmas decor in your home to see if there is anything that you aren’t currently using or could up-cycle into this Christmas centerpiece.

You can fill them with sand as I did or with cranberries, or pebbles, or nothing except the votive candle. I used three mason jars, but you can use as many or as few as fits your box.

Step three: decorate!

This part was easy for me. There are so many options and you can spend as much or as little as you want. The cheapest option would be to find pinecones and branches in your own backyard if you can. I bought one pine branch at Joanne fabrics and two small branches of red berries. I used a few pinecones I found in my yard. I also included fir scented Sensi-sticks to make it smell like the real deal.

The great thing about this trough DIY table centerpiece is that you can redecorate it for many seasons: small gourds and leaves for fall, fake branch of cherry blossoms for spring, overflowing wildflowers for summer.