How to Decorate Your Coffee Table for Christmas Without Making It Look Like a Craft Store Exploded

How to Decorate Your Coffee Table for Christmas Without Making It Look Like a Craft Store Exploded

Decorating a coffee table for Christmas seems simple until you’re standing there with seventeen ornaments, three candles, and absolutely no clue where anything should go.

I’ve been there—staring at my coffee table like it personally offended me, wondering why my “festive arrangement” looks more like a yard sale than a holiday display.

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of trial and error: your coffee table doesn’t need every Christmas decoration you own.

Why Your Coffee Table Matters More Than You Think

Your coffee table sits dead center in your living room.

Everyone sees it.

It’s the first thing guests notice when they walk in, and it sets the entire mood for your space during the holidays.

Get it right, and your whole room feels festive and pulled together. Get it wrong, and it’s just clutter with tinsel.

The Rule of Three (No, Seriously—This Changes Everything)

Forget everything complicated you’ve heard about design.

The magic formula is three.

Three heights. Three colors. Three main elements.

I arrange mine like this:

• Tall element: A pillar candle or small decorative tree
• Medium element: A Christmas wreath laid flat or a medium bowl filled with ornaments
• Short element: A scatter of pinecones or a small decorative item

This creates visual interest without looking like you ransacked a holiday warehouse.

Your eye naturally moves across the arrangement instead of landing on one chaotic blob.

Start With a Tray (Trust Me on This)

I resisted trays for years.

Thought they were fussy and unnecessary.

Then I tried one, and suddenly my coffee table made sense.

A decorative tray does three critical things:

1. Contains your arrangement so it doesn’t spread like a holiday virus across your entire table
2. Protects your table surface from candle wax and water rings
3. Makes the whole thing movable when you actually need to use your coffee table

Go for something neutral—wood, gold, silver, or white—so you can reuse it year-round.

Size matters here: aim for a tray that takes up about one-third to one-half of your table surface. Any bigger and you’ve got no functional space left.

The Foundation: Greenery That Doesn’t Scream “Trying Too Hard”

Real or fake—I don’t care, and neither will your guests if you choose quality faux greenery.

Here’s my approach:

Option 1: The Wreath Base

Lay a medium-sized wreath flat in your tray.

Not standing up against something—actually flat, like a nest.

This becomes your anchor point for everything else.

Option 2: Loose Greenery

Grab some faux pine branches and arrange them loosely across your tray.

Tuck in some eucalyptus or cedar for texture variation.

Layer pieces at different angles—this isn’t a geometry class.

What to avoid:

• Perfectly symmetrical arrangements (too stiff)
• All the same type of greenery (boring)
• So much greenery you can’t see the tray underneath (overwhelming)

Candles: The Non-Negotiable Element

Nothing says Christmas like candlelight.

I keep three different heights of candles going:

Tall: 8-10 inch pillar candles in the back

Medium: 5-6 inch candles in the middle

Short: Tea lights or votives scattered at the front

Color strategy: stick with two colors maximum.

I usually go white and gold, or cream and burgundy.

The moment you add a third candle color, things get messy visually.

Pro move: use mercury glass candlesticks for an instant upgrade.

They catch the light beautifully and work with any color scheme.

The Finishing Touches (Where Most People Overdo It)

This is where restraint becomes your best friend.

Pick two or three accent pieces:

Ornaments

Don’t just dump a bowl of ornaments and call it styled.

Choose ornaments in coordinating colors and scatter 3-5 intentionally throughout your arrangement.

Tuck them into greenery, nestle them next to candles, or place them on small risers.

Natural Elements

Pinecones, berry stems, cinnamon sticks—these add texture without adding visual noise.

I grab a handful of pinecones from my yard (free!) and spray paint half of them white or gold.

Small Figurines

A tiny reindeer, a small Santa, a miniature bottle brush tree—pick one character element.

Not a whole village.

One.

Books

Stack 2-3 Christmas books and place a small decoration on top.

This adds height variation and makes your table feel lived-in.