We usually travel on Christmas day to see my family. It turns out to be a whirlwind. On Christmas morning, we open presents, have breakfast and then travel three hours to Schenectady, NY from Rochester. We usually have dinner with my brother and his family and go to my aunt’s house to see her, all of my cousins and their families. And then, the next morning, we go to breakfast with my younger brother, his family, my aunt and cousins then head back home.
This year, we have decided not to make the trip. We have had some health issues in the past few months and with Covid cases spiking, we are going to stay close to home this year. I will be sad not to be with my family for the holiday, but I plan on making a trip in the near future to see everyone.
With the decision made, I was actually getting excited about the idea of having a Christmas dinner at home. I have to admit, my first thought was not about the menu, but how I was going to set the table. Don’t judge. Remember, its been awhile since I could do this.
I had been working on an idea using coffee filters to build Christmas trees and thought they would be perfect to use in my tablescape.
So exciting! Here is a look at how they are made and how I used them on the table…

I started with white poster board. Cut it in half, and then rolled it into a cone shape.

I used tape to seal the sides, but you can also use a glue gun.

It takes a lot of coffee filters to make the tree, so I cut several at a time.

I cut up the side stopping just before the flat bottom of the filter.

Cutting a round circle, I removed the bottom.

I ran a line of glue around the cone and started wrapping the strip. Starting the next strip, a half inch above where the last strip ended and repeat until you reach the top.

I made three trees of various heights to put on the table.

I purchased these plates at Michael’s a couple years ago. The plaid worked well with my color scheme of blue, green, red and silver.

I added a distressed white charger, a blue dinner plate and a white salad plate.

Next in the design were two Lotus Bowls. One was thrifted from Good Will and the other purchased online to match. I made arrangements for both using white tulips, pine greenery and red berries.

This mirror was thrifted from Good Will and was ideal to hold the trees for the centerpiece.

I also added pinecones, greenery, ornaments and fairy lights to the center piece.

To compliment my color scheme, I used a white tablecloth and red runner.

I love the way all the colors play together!

I wanted white roses, but the tulips worked beautifully!


The candlelight made it look magical!

I switched out the center piece to show how changing one thing on the table can create an entirely different look. The gnomes made it more playful and perfect for a family with young children.

You can’t help but smile looking at this family of gnomes!
Happy Holiday’s Everyone!