Gorgeous Christmas Party Centerpiece Using Handmade Trees

This Christmas party centerpiece came to life with a combo of fresh DIY trees and all the ones I’ve been hoarding—I mean saving—to create the perfect Christmas dinner table decoration.

When you’ve been crafting for as long as I have, you start building a tiny forest of leftover centerpieces, so why not put them back to work?

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For our church Advent dinner, we needed 35 tables dressed and festive, so I pulled out my stash, added a few new favorites, and created a cozy woodland tablescape that looked like it took a designer budget, but didn’t.

This tablescape is a mix-and-match forest of trees: paper trees, wire trees, burlap trees, string trees.

Basically, if it could be shaped into a tree, we made it happen.

This setup is simple, warm, and full of charm, with a mix of textures, lights, greenery, and handmade trees that each bring something special to the table.

So go ahead—grab your stash, make a few new trees, and build a centerpiece that looks straight out of a Christmas party ideas magazine without the stress (or the price tag).

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More festive tablescapes

Dress up your holiday tables with easy, show-stopping ideas that make your guests say “whoa” before they even see the food.

🎄 LED Bobo Balloon Banquet Setup – Make your whole banquet glow with light-up balloons that look way fancier than they are.

🎈 Christmas Balloon Centerpiece Printable – Grab this free printable and whip up a high-impact balloon centerpiece in no time.

⛄ Smiling Snowman Table Decor – Add a jolly snowman to each place setting for instant winter wonderland vibes.

✨ Christmas Banquet Centerpiece Ideas – Elegant, budget-friendly centerpiece inspiration perfect for church or big gatherings.

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Trees Christmas Party Centerpiece Materials

Here’s everything I used to create this cozy, woodland-style centerpiece. A mix of textures, lights, and handmade details—all simple materials that look beautifully festive when they come together.

Materials for the Christmas Tablescape Base

• Wood slice pedestal
• Rust-colored organza fabric runner, cut about 3-4 feet for each centerpiece.
• Fairy lights
• Fresh greenery (From the tree farm cuttings)
• Small pinecones
• Berry picks
• Mini bottle brush trees
• Table number star cutouts

DIY Tree Styles Used for this Christmas party centerpiece

• Origami Christmas tree
• Paper-napkin tall white tree
• Wire Trees
  • Styrofoam cone form
  • 16-gauge wire
  • Brown metallic paint
• String Trees
  • Baker’s twine or thin white string
  • Mod Podge
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Small styrofoam cone form
• Burlap Trees
  • Cereal boxes (for DIY cones)
  • 3″ Burlap ribbon or cut burlap (folded in half to avoid fraying)
  • Hot glue gun

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Making the Different Trees

1. Origami Trees

This cute little paper tree adds structure and color.

I used my origami Christmas tree tutorial—link it up and you’re set.

For each centerpiece, I made one green and one brown. (Well, I had the girls in youth group make them… teamwork!)

Make several in different greens if you want a fuller forest.

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2. Paper Napkin Tall White Tree

Light, airy, and surprisingly elegant.

This one comes straight from my paper-napkin tree tutorial.

It adds great height and a soft, snowy texture to the centerpiece.

I also made green ones for home. They look awesome.

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3. Wire Tree

This one looks fancy, but it’s honestly one of the easiest trees in the whole forest.

Grab at tall styrofoam cone to use as your form and start wrapping 16-gauge wire around it from bottom to top and back down. Keep it snug, but not tight enough to dent the foam.

Once you get back to the bottom, wrap the wire several more times to create a base and slide the wire off the cone. Give it a gentle upward stretch to create that pretty open spiral shape.

You might recognize them from my winter wonderland table decorations. But this year I sprayed them with a brown metallic paint.

Finish it off by wrapping fairy lights around the wire.

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4. Mini String Tree

This little cutie adds the softest warm glow to your whole tablescape.

Start with a small styrofoam cone and wrap it in plastic wrap (this keeps everything from sticking where it shouldn’t).

Brush a generous layer of Mod Podge over the plastic, then wrap the cone with string or baker’s twine in whatever pattern looks good to you.

Let it dry completely—like, totally dry—then slide it off the form to reveal your delicate little string tree.

Pop a tiny light inside and it turns into the sweetest, coziest glow you’ve ever seen.

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5. Burlap Tree

A Rustic and cozy addition to our forest.

Skip the store-bought cones—cereal boxes work perfectly and cost exactly zero dollars. Roll them into a cone, tape them tight, and you’ve got the perfect base.

Fold your burlap ribbon in half so the edge looks neat and finished (no frays, no fuzzies).

Now start at the bottom and hot glue the burlap on in rounds. Cut each round as you go and glue a small seam in the back before moving up to the next layer.

This keeps every row straight instead of slowly spiraling uphill.

And one last tip: stagger your seams so they’re not all lined up in the same spot. It keeps the tree looking smooth and intentional.

This one brings all the texture to the table.

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6 – Napkin Tree Fold (for Each Plate)

If you want to take your table from “pretty” to “Pinterest-level adorable,” add a napkin Christmas tree to each plate. It’s simple, classy, and gives every place setting its own little moment.

All you need are square napkins—cloth or high-quality paper both work. Fold them into a tree shape and fan the layers for that perfect little tiered look.

Instead of writing out every step (you know I love you, but napkin origami can get… detailed), I’m linking my favorite YouTube tutorial so you can follow along fold-by-fold.

I had a bunch of ladies do them, and some were more successful than others. 😊

The result: a mini forest right at every guest’s seat—and trust me, people notice these things.

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Putting The Christmas Tree Table Decorations all Together

Here’s the magic formula we used to make the Christmas centerpieces for 35 tables (so trust me—it works!):

1. Lay down your fabric first. The rust organza adds warmth and makes everything feel intentional.
   TIP: Don’t just lay it flat, give it some waves.
2. Add your wood slice in the center as the anchor.
3. Arrange your trees—mix tall and short, rustic and shiny.
4. Add fairy lights weaving through the bases.
5. Tuck in fresh greenery around the trees.
6. Scatter small pinecones and berry picks to fill any gaps.
7. If needed, slip a table number in a photo or wire holder and you’ve got an easy, festive way to mark your tables. I used a simple cutout star with a number.

The result? A cozy Christmas forest that feels homemade in the best way—warm, welcoming, and perfect for your Advent dinner or any Christmas gathering.

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