Simple Christmas Table Ideas

Look no further for simple Christmas table ideas! This tablescape features a festive red and white color scheme, fresh greenery, assorted candles, and vintage mercury glass ornaments.

Do you love decorating with pops of red at Christmas time?

Me too!

Red is probably my favorite color during the holiday season.

So when I saw these beautiful red and white plates with a pretty Nordic floral pattern, I knew they’d be perfect for my simple Christmas table settings.

view of table set for Christmas with red and white plates, burlap runner, boxwood garland, white candles and mercury glass ornaments

There’s something about the simple red and white that just screams Christmas to me.

It was so much fun putting this Christmas tablescape together!

A Simple Christmas Centerpiece

I don’t keep my table set throughout the holiday season, but I do like to have a pretty centerpiece.

I’ve recently discovered having a centerpiece has the unexpected side effect of keeping my whole kitchen tidy!

I’m gonna call that a huge win.

After all, if the table looks pretty, we all make an effort not to drop backpacks, mail, and other random stuff on it.

Maybe I need a centerpiece like this all year round?

view of Christmas centerpiece of boxwood garland, white candles, and vintage mercury glass ornaments on burlap table runner

I started with a simple burlap table runner.

Last year I bought some boxwood garland at a HUGE discount from Hobby Lobby to use on my mantel and staircase.

I love finding new ways to use my decor each year!

It’s so fun to get creative. And the best part? It keeps things fresh without having to buy all new decor.

To make it interesting, I curved the boxwood garland instead of leaving it straight.

I topped it with this simple garland of vintage-looking mercury glass ornaments.

The curves in the boxwood garland gave me the perfect spot to nestle a variety of candles.

I used short votives to add some sparkle down low. Then for height, I used taller white pillar candles, sparkly white Christmas tree candles, and a few simple tapers in cut glass holders.

To see how the centerpiece looks with the candles all lit, check out my candlelight tour.

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Simple Christmas Place Settings

Day to day, we generally just use our simple white plates.

But for special meals (like the rare occasion all my kids are home at the same time…), it’s fun to dress it up a bit!

Christmas place setting with silver fluted charger, white plate, red and white patterned plate with floral nordic pattern, white napkin rolled and tied with red ribbon and sprig of fresh cypress greenery

The place settings are very simple. They start with a scalloped silver charger. I love how they complement the mercury glass ornaments in the centerpiece.

Then I layered our day-to-day white plates topped with the festive red and white plates I bought this year.

For a budget-friendly option, you could use red napkins tied with some white ribbon on white plates instead of buying red plates..

I also wanted to bring the green from the centerpiece into the individual place settings.

To do this, I rolled the napkins and tied them with a bit of red ribbon, then tucked in some fresh greenery I clipped from my back yard.

Simple and inexpensive!

But I think it adds such a nice touch, don’t you?

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Putting it All Together

table decorated for Christmas with a simple centerpiece and windows with red berry wreaths hanging

I love how the red berry wreaths I’ve hung throughout my home complement the red plates of my simple Christmas tablescape.

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I hope you liked my simple ideas for a Christmas centerpiece and table setting!

How are you setting your table for Christmas this year? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Simple Christmas Table Ideas | Centerpiece and Place Settings