See how to make a Christmas tree centerpiece with pine, cypress and fresh roses! A small tabletop Christmas tree is an excellent holiday decoration for small spaces and a beautiful Christmas table centerpiece. You also learn small Christmas tree decorating ideas and tips for extended vase life.
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Christmas tree centerpiece – Cute tabletop Christmas tree idea
I’m so excited to share this Christmas tree centerpiece tutorial with you because, well, CUTE! While this small holiday tree looks a little fancy, I’ll show you how to make and decorate a tabletop Christmas tree, and you’ll see how easy it is. Grab some evergreen, whatever ornaments you want to add and let’s get to it!
I work as a florist and love holiday flower arranging projects. These decorated miniature Christmas trees sell like hot cakes during the holiday season, and I create quite a few of them every year. So I thought you might enjoy this Christmas tree decorating idea, too.
This DIY holiday craft project is a little more advanced and takes 2 to 3 hours to finish, but I walk you through every step and share plenty of tips along the way. And even if you don’t make this project, you’ll learn how florists create the intricate mini holiday trees that you see in shops and on websites.
The post consists of two parts:
- First, I show you how to build your own Christmas tree centerpiece from scratch using fresh pine and cypress.
- Then, I’ll show you how to decorate a mini Christmas tree.
So, if you already have a small Christmas tree and just need small Christmas tree decorating ideas, skip the first section and scroll down to decorating portion of the post, where you will find inspiration and tips for decorating small Christmas trees.
What is a Christmas tree centerpiece?
A Christmas tree centerpiece is essentially a handcrafted flower arrangement that looks like a mini Christmas tree. But instead of using a live tabletop Christmas tree, this DIY holiday tree is constructed
from evergreen twigs, which are inserted into floral foam. I made mine with pine and cypress clippings, but you could use other conifers or boxwood, too.
Making this type of Christmas table centerpiece gives you full control to customize the tree size to your needs. Need a 3-foot tabletop Christmas tree? Check. Looking for Christmas decorating ideas for small spaces or tiny Christmas decorations? Check.
With this holiday flower arranging project, you can craft creative Christmas trees for small spaces and tabletop tree centerpieces.
How do you make a Christmas tree centerpiece?
How to make a small Christmas tree? Creating a small Christmas tree takes a little time, but is pretty easy, and I promise it’s well worth the effort.
Here’s how to make a Christmas tree centerpiece at home:
Cut and soak the floral foam
First, we need to trim 2 pieces of floral foam. Cut away 3 triangles at one end of the floral foam to form a tip as you can see in the pictures.
Next, soak the floral foam in plenty of water, for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Then push the round floral foam base into a round container or bowl. Insert 4 long skewers and stack the rectangular foam pieces on top.
Push a few skewers diagonally through the floral foam to connect the two pieces and trim the skewer ends that stick out.
Now we have the base of our Christmas tabletop centerpiece.
Arrange the evergreen
Now cut evergreen branches or Christmas tree clippings into smaller twigs.
First, put 1 twig at the very top. This twig will be the tip of the mini Christmas tree and define the height. My mini Christmas tree was 2 foot high, but you can make yours can be shorter or taller.
Next, insert 4 long twigs at the very bottom on opposite sites of the tree. These will determine the width of the tree.
Then fill in the tree with more twigs. Start at the bottom of the mini holiday tree, cutting the twigs shorter as you go up. Think of the tree as a triangle and try to create a triangular shape.
Use small twigs to fill in the top of the tree.
Tips: When arranging the green, I constantly mixed the pine and cypress to create visual interest. While making the mini holiday tree, step back occasionally and study your creation from various angles to see if there are empty areas to fill.
Finally, use garden shears or scissors to trim any twigs that stick out too much.
How to decorate a mini Christmas tree
How do you dress up a mini Christmas tree? Small decorated Christmas trees look so festive and cute! Here is the step-by-step for how to decorate a small Christmas tree:
Fresh flowers
Since the tree is built around floral foam, we can use fresh flowers to decorate your mini Christmas tree centerpiece. Fresh flowers are a great way to create a truly unique Christmas tree. I used large roses ranging from apricot to light pink.
It’s best to use flowers with a sturdy stem since the stem has to be pushed into the floral foam. Cut the flowers at a flat angle and insert them into the foam. Aside from roses, you can also use lilies, carnations or chrysanthemum. These blooms are relatively long-lasting and should stay fresh for at least a week if freshly harvested.
If using a small live Christmas tree, use silk flowers instead of fresh blooms.
Large ornaments
The next step is to dress up our mini holiday tree with larger ornaments, spacing them evenly around the tree. I used a few bauble ornaments in pink and dark red, some matte, some shiny, and a few powder pink star ornaments. The goal here is to fill in any empty spots between the roses and create a harmonious arrangement.
Be sure to use only lightweight ornaments as the small pine and cypress twigs won’t be able to support heave decorations. The best way to secure an ornament is to tie it on a branch.
Mini Christmas tree ornaments
Working your way from the top down, fill in around the large ornaments with small- and mini-size decorations. It’s a good idea to put some ornaments closer to floral foam to create depth and interest. They will reflect light and make the tree sparkle from the inside.
I used hot glue to adhere the tiny ball ornaments and glitter snowflakes, which allowed me to put them on the very tip of a twig.
Christmas tree topper
I simply used a pretty satin ribbon as an easy Christmas tree topper idea. This mini Christmas tree won’t hold lager and heavy tree toppers, but if you attach an ornament (e.g. a star) on top of a skewer, you can insert as a topper.
More small Christmas tree decorating ideas
This Christmas tree centerpiece is super easy to customise, and you can use almost any decorations you have to dress it up! Right now I’m loving dusty rose and glitter ornaments. It looks fresh and modern but still cosy and cute and makes for an elegant Christmas centerpiece.
Of course, you can also go for a classic red and gold theme, or try or make a snowy flocked Christmas tree with snowflake ornaments and silver accents. Another possibility would be to use Christmas cookies, cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices as decorations.
Using ornaments from one colour family in several sizes and textures will give the tree a continuous look from the tip to the truck. Even an eclectic Christmas tree will look better when the colours compliment each other.
Let me know your suggestions to decorate a DIY tabletop Christmas tree in the comment section below. I can’t wait to hear about your ideas!
How do you display the Christmas tree centerpiece?
Display the tree in a cooler place out of direct sunlight and away from a radiator. This is the best way to ensure that the mini Christmas tree centerpiece doesn’t dry out but stays fresh and beautiful. You can also replenish the floral foam every 2 to 3 days, by watering it with a watering pot.
Can I change the flowers?
Yes, of course! As I mentioned, the flowers should last for about a week. After that, you can replace them with new flowers to continue the tree looking stunning.
Over to you!
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Irena xx
Beautiful job congratulations thanks
Thank you, Mary!
Hi! Was wondering if I could use water tubes instead of the foam or both maybe? Would the flowers stay fresh longer in tubes than in foam?
Thanks!
Hi Mary! I don’t recommend water tubes for 2 reasons:
1) Floral foam is needed to build and support the centerpiece, so you’ll always need that.
2) Your roses will have access to more water in the foam. The water supply in tubes is somewhat limited.
Good-quality roses should stay fresh for 10 to 14 days. To ensure they last long, be sure to soak the floral foam (at least 1 hour) and water the centerpiece very 2 to 3 days.
I hope this helps you out and happy making!
Thank you so much for your advices! I can’t wait to try it! ❤❤
Thank you, Crina! I hope you enjoy this project!
I usually make centerpiece arrangements for friends at Christmas time but am going to follow your directions to make mini trees this year. BONUS – I can do this project with my 6 year old granddaughter!
Thank sounds like a lovely gift idea, Helen! I hope you and your granddaughter enjoy this project!
A great idea for a small space in the home. I love your tree, and lm going to have a go.
It looks fabulous , thank you for your tutorial
A keen flower arranger. X
Thank you so much, Gillian! I hope you enjoy re-creating this project!
This is so beautiful, I missed this for this year so I’ll have to make it for next Christmas.
Thank You so much for sharing this. And I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Thank you so much, Ruth! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
This is an absolutely stunning little tree! All my Christmas decorations are Victorian dusky pink and silver so this will fit in perfectly!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Please take care and stay well!
Thank you so much, Lynne! Dusky pink is such pretty color. Take care and Merry Christmas!
SO pretty, I am going to make two, one to give away and one for myself! I love the floral idea and how simple you made it to make. Easy to follow too 🙂 I bought some beautiful mercury glass pots today and they will be the perfect base. Thank you! Merry Christmas
Thank you so much, Kate! I’m glad that you find my tutorial helpful. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!
Where do you buy the pine an cypress twigs?
Hi Valerie! Flower shops, garden centers, and sometimes supermarkets sell assorted bundles of pine and cypress twigs. I hope this helps and happy making!
I can’t believe you made your own tree with floral foam and greenery! A Christmas tree as a centerpiece is a great idea. I love the shabby chic vibe!
This is such a beautiful tree, and thank you for the how to!
Thanks a lot, Jeanne!
Wow!!! This is amazing and I want one. Those roses and colors are so pretty, I would just sit and stare at this all day. Thanks for the great tutorial so I can make one.
Aw, thank you so much, Jenny! I’m so happy to hear that you find this tutorial helpful.
Awesome post.
Thank you!
Wow, wow, wow! This is stunning and I can see why these sell like hot cakes. So pretty and a good alternative to decorate other small areas of a home too. Pinned.
Thanks a lot, Erlene! This centrepiece really is a good option for small spaces.
Oh my goodness, so stunning! The step by step photos and tutorial is wonderful too.
Thank you so much, ladies!
What a stunning centerpiece! Gotta try this for my dining table! 🙂
Thanks so much, Natanja!
This is an absolutely beautiful centerpiece! I’ve been wanting a real Christmas tree this year but my husband is against it. This looks like a nice compromise! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Thanks a lot, Roseann! This centerpiece is really like a miniature Christmas tree. We wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas, too!
Your tree is absolutely adorable! The tutorial on how to make it is great and the choice of soft pink ornaments has me sighing.
Thank you, Rachelle! I couldn’t not resist to make a girly Christmas tree with pink and glitter. 🙂
Gosh, I’ve enjoyed doing this Christmas tour with you! Your work and posts are ALWAYS stunning and so beautifully done. This gorgeous fresh Christmas Tree centerpiece is another example of that. It’s so pretty! Pinned 🙂 Wishing you both a beautiful Christmas!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Marie! It was wonderful to connect with you and we wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas, too!