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I feel like it’s “idea week” here on the blog… we had Christmas centerpiece ideas on Monday, crafts on Tuesday, and tablescape ideas today. And tomorrow, I’ll be posting my full 2022 Christmas tablescape, though there’s a sneak peek of it included at the end of this post. 🙂

Each of the tables here has its own blog post, which I’ll link for you so you can see more photos and get all the details. The best part is, everything used in these Christmas tablescapes is secondhand: handed down, thrifted, found at antique malls or flea markets, occasionally scored on Ebay, or occasionally not secondhand but for sure found on clearance – hey, ya-girl here is CHEAP, so… everything I do is affordable and represents another victory in “the thrill of the hunt”!

Ok, on with the parade of Christmas tablescapes!

First up, two tables for two!

This one is a very simple setting featuring “Woodland Santa” salad plates.

And here’s another look at the table for two I just shared a few days ago, featuring vintage Royal Ruby salad plates by Anchor Hocking, in the unique square shape called “Charm.”

Next, here are my favorite casual Christmas tables!

This one features “Christmas Ribbon” by World Bazaar:

Here’s more of the “Woodland Santa” coordinated dinnerware set. These were created by illustrator/artist Debbie Mumm. Be sure to click through to the full post to see all the chores Santa is doing outside!

Next, here are a few more elegant Christmas tables!

This very simple table was envisioned for a Christmas luncheon and features two different sets of antique transferware: “Shannondale” by Ridgways of England, and green “Roxbury” by Alfred Meakin, also of England.

You’ll see that I really love going over the top with gold – this table is a favorite (even though the flatware is placed incorrectly – horrors!) because of those amazing dinner plates. They are not marked, but the wide gold shoulder is just amazing!

The next table was photographed on an overcast day so the color of the dinnerware didn’t come across very well but they are a deep maroon with the beautiful white blooms. The pattern is called “Splendor” by Sakura.

Johnson Brothers “Windsor Fruit” was the featured dinnerware pattern in this table – the deep purple tablecloth echoes one of the hand-painted shades on the plate, and I had fun folding and decorating the napkins on this one!

Finally, here are two Christmas tables featuring “Old Country Roses” by Royal Albert, my all-time favorite pattern.

I collect “OCR” very slowly from Ebay, making sure I always get the oldest backstamp because this pattern came out the same year I was born. The tables look similar, but there are some beautiful differences. This one is from 2020:

And here’s a preview of this year’s Christmas with Old Country Roses table – no link yet for this one, but I’ll update this round-up as soon as the individual post is up.

Hope these will each give you one or two ideas to steal for your next tablescape, and hope you have FUN putting together your table this year!

For much more Christmas tablescape inspiration, please join us over in the Facebook group, Thrifty Tablescapers, where you’ll find a very creative group of kindred spirits who share the love of creating beautiful tables on a budget!

Here’s an image to Pin if you’d like to save this post for future inspiration – and, I’ll be linking up over at Susan’s beautiful blog, Between Naps on the Porch, for Tablescape Thursday.

I have a lot of fun putting together centerpieces for my tables – to me it’s one of the most creative aspects of tablescaping! I admit I do go over the top sometimes, and not just at Christmas. 🙂 I’d like to share a few Christmas centerpiece ideas and inspiration pictures with you, not in the spirit of suggesting you copy them exactly (unless you want to!) but in the spirit of illustrating that centerpieces can be creative, fun, inexpensive, and imperfect – and still add to the beauty of the table and the enjoyment of the meal!

Also, note that everything shown in these photos has all come from thrift stores and other second-hand sources – so I feel like it’s “no harm done” to the budget when collecting these items, many of which can be re-used in other seasons.

Here are the types of centerpieces I usually create:

Quick, simple containers:

These are super-easy! I’ll generally “shop the house” for a vase, bowl, or other container and fill it with silk flowers (or real, if I’ve splurged!) or other items that enhance the theme of my table setting or evoke the season. Now granted, I shop thrift stores often for these types of containers so when I “shop the house” I’m very likely to find something suitable – but that’s the fun of thrifty tablescaping: buying stuff on the cheap so you have lots of options when the time comes! Here are some examples of easy container Christmas centerpieces.

Runners and ramblers:

I’m not sure if there’s a “real” name for this style, I just call them runners or ramblers because they run a portion of the length of the table or just ramble down the middle. I usually start with a bed of something: maybe greenery or a piece of fabric, and then just build on top of that with items that support my theme or colors. These are always fun because you can tuck unexpected little items into them. Here are a couple examples:

Symmetrical Style

Another favorite – and very common – Christmas centerpiece style I like to use is just a symmetrical arrangement with a center “feature” element flanked by (usually) candles or other smaller elements. Here are a couple examples of that!

Epergne Elegance

You might have to actually search Google for “epergne” images to see what it’s supposed to be (and how it’s pronounced – “eh-pearn-ye” in French, “eh-pearn” in English?) … to me an epergne is a tall-ish thing with a vessel at the top for holding flowers or food, and maybe even smaller vessels (attached) surrounding it to hold more flowers or food. There are a lot of beautiful antique silver ones out there, and I have tried to cheat this look on a couple of occasions. Although my efforts would never put Gilded Age hostesses to shame, I really love the “budget look” I’ve been able to achieve. While neither of my epergne examples are technically a Christmas centerpiece, I’m sure you can easily envision how they could be adapted:

Hopefully these pictures have inspired you – to build a second-hand stash of your own, shop your house for containers and other elements, cheat your favorite high-end looks, and above all have fun playing with seasonal elements to create a less-than-perfect centerpiece that brings you Christmas joy and gives you something to talk about around the table!

Do you have a favorite style of centerpiece you enjoy creating? What is your go-to container for fresh or faux flowers? What will you create this Christmas to spark conversation at your dinner table? Please share in the comments!

Here’s an image to Pin if you’d like to save this post for future Christmas centerpiece ideas!

A recent thrifting trip yielded this gorgeous set of Royal Ruby “trios” (snack plate, saucer, and tea cup) by Anchor Hocking, in the somewhat unusual square shape called “Charm.”

Although it was missing one cup/saucer combo (only 3 each of those), it inspired me to do a table-for-two using the snack plates in a traditional red/green Christmas color combination. It turned out lovely – especially in candlelight!

The place settings consist of dinner plates by Baum Brothers Formalities called “Bernadotte.” I always seem to forget I have this pattern, until I find it while searching in the cupboard for inspiration and it just never disappoints. Its ivory tone-on-tone design is so subtle and of course those scalloped gold edges – elegant perfect!

Now originally, this was going to be a table for four. But glassware proved to be a challenge! I’m beginning to really really love the look of crystal, and of course I have a few options there including with and without gold rims. I set out several and played a game of “These… or these?” for a solid 15 minutes. But I’ve used those pieces fairly often lately, and I was trying to do red and green for this table. I thought the glassware could be a great opportunity to pull in both colors. So I stood and stared at my glassware cupboard for a few more minutes, and then I realized: I have two each of these, so why not do a table for two instead!

Napkins are a fairly recent thrift store score and the sparkly rings have been in my stash for a long time. Flatware is Americana Golden Heritage by International Silver, also a secondhand score several years ago.

I have some Christmas decor displayed on the nearby sideboard, and I literally pulled all the items for the centerpiece from that collection. What could be more classic than Christmas trees and Santa?

Here are a couple more views:

Even prettier in candlelight – keen observers will notice something I haven’t shared yet, acquired AFTER I had set and photographed this table! More on that soon!

I’m sharing my Royal Ruby Table for Two for Tablescape Thursday over on Susan’s fabulous blog, Between Naps on the Porch. Click through for much more tablescape inspiration!

And, here’s an image to Pin in case you’d like to save this “Royal Ruby Table for Two” for future ideas!