How to Make Christmas Centerpieces Using a Large Tray

Sometimes a tray is the perfect thing to fill a table, and for Christmas you can turn it into a festive centerpiece or fun piece of holiday decor. Here’s how to make Christmas centerpieces using a large tray in 3 ways.

Read how to make 3 Christmas centerpieces using a dough bowl here.

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The tray I am using is 33.5 inches long, and you can find all the details about it and purchase it here. A tray this long might feel intimidating to style because there’s so much room to fill, but it doesn’t have to be. And it makes an eye catching display that has a big impact when it’s done!

How to Make 3 Christmas Centerpieces Using a Large Tray

1. Fill it with lots of bottle brush trees

I went with shades of green, but there are of course lots of colors to choose from with bottle brush trees. It makes a cute whimsical Christmas forest on your tray!

How to style a tray for Christmas? Fill it with bottle brush trees.

Bottle brush trees in shades of green used to style this tray for Christmas

Using bottle brush trees to style a tray for Christmas

Some of these trees I had collected over the years, then I added 2 packs of these trees from Target this year. They come in lots of great color shades!

Shop Bottle Brush Trees

2. Line up star sculptures and add some greenery

I love stars when decorating for Christmas, and when I saw these metal star sculptures I was excited to use them! Add the big and little ones to the tray in a pattern in a row and add some greenery around the bottom.

Using star sculptures to style a tray for Christmas

Shop Star Sculptures

Edit: These were from 2023 and no longer available. Here is a similar option from 2024

3. Use a large set of candles and add greenery and garland

This set of 9 flameless candles that I used was a great deal on Amazon and filled the tray perfectly. They flicker, have a remote and are thinner than typical pillar candles which I love. That way you can fit more and that makes quite an impact! Add some greenery and some beautiful garland, it’s so easy. This star garland that I used is one of my favorite things that I have gotten this Christmas season, I love it!