DIY Advent Table Decoration: A Fresh Greenery Centerpiece From Your Garden

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An easy DIY Advent table decoration made with free greenery from your own garden. Step by step: a lush four-candle Advent centerpiece anyone can make.

For me the Christmas season starts with Advent. Tomorrow is the first Advent, so what better way to start the season than with an Advent centerpiece. It is a nice alternative to a traditional Advent wreath. And the best part: almost everything in it came out of my own garden, for free.

I hadn’t made a Christmas arrangement like this in years. And I used to do it all the time. My mom really had two green thumbs and a truly creative mind, so she used to decorate our whole house with beautiful fresh arrangements in every shape and form over Christmas.

She started to teach me how to do it when I was about six. Maybe even earlier, but that is where my first memories come from.

I distinctly remember that we had a small wooden sleigh to use as a container. Of course that was my favorite. I would spend the entire afternoon filling it up with as many decorations and ornaments as I could cram in it, while my mother was clipping greens and building beautiful displays specifically designed for the buffet, the dinner table, the hallway table, the coffee table, etc.

After a while I started to follow her example: build with the greens and the natural elements first, put the ornaments in last.

My attempts became better and better until that Christmas when I had my proudest moment. My sister who lived out of town came home for Christmas, and she couldn’t tell anymore which one my mom made and which one was mine.

I felt so proud. It truly was a badge of honor.

So building this one brought back a lot of lovely memories. Of kitchens filled with all kinds of greens, of the house smelling of pine and candle wax, of my mom and her able hands, and of my childhood home filling up with siblings and love during Christmas.

Want to make one yourself? It really isn’t difficult. It is all about the preparations. Come on, let me show you how to make one.

How to Make a DIY Advent Table Decoration

Want to know how to make your own Advent centerpiece? Well, let me show you the step-by-step instructions that I used to make this fresh Advent arrangement. You will not need a lot of materials, and I am sure you will be able to get most for free from your garden or the local woods.

Somehow my Advent decorations set the tone for all my Christmas decorations, so let’s see what this one is telling me about the direction I am taking…

The first of Advent, the first light in a dark time with the promise of more light to come.

(this was actually a ‘mistake’ shot when I hadn’t adjusted my camera settings yet. But I love it).

Ok, let’s move on to some proper photography.

This Advent table decor is so rich and abundant with fresh greenery. I think I used at least 10 different kinds in there. It all came from some scavenger hunting in my own garden, the woods, and a bit of discreet clipping in a local park.

You can use floral foam for a project like this. But that doesn’t work so well with the large pillar candles I wanted to use. So I used chicken wire instead.

If you’d like to know more about creating floral arrangements with floral foam, I have written a post with all the instructions (the proper preparation is essential) and lots of examples. See my fresh Christmas arrangements here.

The chicken wire in the shallow tray holds all the fresh green clippings in place, and the rim on the tray holds the water to keep the arrangement fresh and last longer.

I stapled two pieces of chicken wire to some wood and scrunched it up into two rolls. And I hammered in some big nails to form candle skewers. The wood also helps to lift the candles a bit, so they’ll look longer.

Then it was time to fill her up, baby!

Start at the bottom layers, and set the diameter with those. Work with small branches, clip them down if they are too big. Be patient and keep going round and round, sticking in different greens each round. Don’t be afraid to take something out again when it doesn’t work.

Use things like ivy leaves and moss to fill up the holes and disguise the chicken wire.

My Mom’s One Rule

Ornaments and embellishments go in last. Always. That is the rule she lived by and the rule that makes the difference between a centerpiece that looks styled and one that looks stuffed. Greens first, structure first, beauty last.

For decorations, you can of course use ornaments and Christmas balls, but I stuck with the pinecones because I found so many of those lovely tiny pinecones that were still attached to the branches.

The tags I used for the numbers are made to look like vintage enamel tags. I think I succeeded pretty well, they really look like the real thing.

How to Make Faux Enamel Tags

They are really only paper tags with some embossing.

• Punch a circle out of sturdy white cardboard
• Add a sticker number
• Color the edge of the tag with a black marker or sharpie
• Add clear embossing powder to the tags and heat with a heat gun
• Repeat last step until desired thickness and shininess has been achieved.

If you want an even simpler version of these number tags, you can see some paper ones in my Advent candles in bottles project. No embossing involved in that one.

My Advent table decor is not a wreath in the traditional sense. If you are looking for an idea for a more common Advent wreath that will last all season long, check out my faux Advent wreath idea. But if you are into original and unique holiday decorations, then check out my hanging Advent wreath and the super easy rustic Advent vignette.

So what is your Advent table decoration saying this year? Did someone teach you, or are you the first in your family to build centerpieces? I would love to hear your story in the comments. The mom stories especially.

Pin this one for the first Sunday you want your table to smell like pine and candle wax. Future you, one candle lit, will be grateful.

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