Pinecone "flowers" with glowing centers fill a simple vase in this exquisite arrangement.

Candles adorned with beeswax trees create an enchanting winter landscape on the tabletop.

Use decorative wrapping paper in festive colors to make an entire Yuletide forest for the mantle or dining table.

These glittered candleholders are elevated on glass cake stands, then dusted with faux snow.

Dress up the table with a fragrant and bright pomander of oranges or grapefruits.

A combination of vintage and contemporary vessels holds white spider mums, seeded eucalyptus (available at florists), and blue Atlas cedar branches lightly frosted with silver floral spray paint. For a change of scene, line containers down the middle of a table.

Add a bit of romance to your holiday table with resoundingly red decorations.

Red-and-white amaryllis recall classic candy-cane stripes and thus inspired this container. Cylindrical glass vases are wrapped in pearlescent paper or vellum and finished with red ribbon. Pure-red amaryllis anchor the grouping, and dishes of peppermint candies set off the display.

Plant a forest of place cards on the holiday kids' table.

Red holly-leaf place cards welcome holiday guests to their seats with cheer.

Hurricane vases and votive candle holders can be wrapped in star-punched paper in the color of your choice -- an easy way to suffuse your party with warmth.

Small wreaths designed to encircle a pillar candle make warm-looking centerpieces.

With the help of these candle and flower centerpieces, the whole table will shine.

Evoke a Victorian Christmas with place cards that resemble elegant paper scrolls.

Pears sprinkled with with edible gold dust look straight out of a fairy tale. Magnolia leaves are also transformed with gold, in the form of floral paint. A beribboned, gold-dusted fruit welcomes each guest to the table.

The abundant loops of this pom-pom-like bow make it a fanciful adornment around cloth napkins. Satin ribbon has a radiance that highlights this bow's contours.

Fill a glass vase with cranberries for a festive touch at the holiday table.

Vintage or new silver ornaments give a table luster. These pinecone-shaped examples are nestled in a basket, clustered among eucalyptus leaves and sprigs of cedar. Juniper enriches the frosty colors of the arrangement, as the blue-gray berries play off the silver ornaments.

Glistening red berries shine inside a woodland basket. The base started life as a birch-bark bowl but became a basket with the addition of a pine handle.

A green-and-red extravaganza of Gala and Lady apples, hazelnuts, and chestnuts fills this double-handled basket.

Bold accents such as a carnation centerpiece or red napkins pop against white table linens and plates. 

Martha's festive centerpiece consists of roses, lilies, and holly.

Small carrots, red and white potatoes, turnips, and radishes rest on a bed of sheet moss.

Stars twinkle against a darkened wintry sky. Tiny lights shimmer in shop windows. At this time of year, everything seems to gleam. Echo this holiday luster at home with this bird centerpiece bedecked with tinsel and glitter.

These versions of the yule log, a quintessential symbol of the Christmas season, are actually favor boxes; they resemble birch logs, thanks to our clip art wrapped around paper-towel rolls.

Tie these seasonal faux flowers in with crepe-paper napkin rings to personalize each place setting at the holiday table.

Decorate inexpensive pillar candles and you will have a display for your table and presents, too.

Using carnations to evoke a snow-covered tree, this centerpiece transforms the tabletop into a fanciful winter garden.

Filled with sparkly trimmings, these garden cloches add radiance to any tabletop.

These candles light up the room even without a flame, thanks to a dusting of superfine metallic glitter. To make: Place a few candles in a large box and coat with spray adhesive (sold at crafts stores). Spoon glitter over the candles to coat; let dry overnight.

Adorn a place card with a sprig of evergreen.

Mark place settings with handsome red cardinals, symbols of luck in many European countries.

Paperwhites look lovely when fitted into a round, rustic basket.

What could be sweeter? Cut out 3-inch ovals from colorful card stock. Using a hole punch, make a hole at each end, and then neatly write your guests' names on the ovals with black ink. Thread ribbon scraps, each about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, through the backs of the place cards. Notch the ribbon ends, and set a card at each place setting.

A little sparkle transforms inexpensive toys into shimmering decorations for the dining table.

These playful candlestick collars of evergreen, bay-laurel, and juniper leaves are a much less formal holiday version of glass bobeches. 

Create a serene winter tableau with this simple arrangement: birch bark wrapped around glass cylinders filled with plants found easily at this time of year.

The distinctive plate-gold and brown of these pincecones is the result of bleaching. For contrast, we coated this new basket with green spray paint, and then lined the edge with a garland made from budded incense cedar.

Bring a snippet of your Christmas tree to the table.

When you're chopping firewood, set aside branches that are too thin for logs and too thick for kindling. Use them instead as the base for this festive holiday place card.

Perfect for a children's table, these demure angels are made with 6-inch plain-white paper plates.

Is it an ornament? A place setting? A take on the English Christmas cracker? This clip-art tree, filled with candy, is all of the above. So plant several around the holiday table this year. After eating the sweets inside, each guest can take one of the paper trees home and hang it on the real thing.

Dress up the dinner table with napkin holders made from felt holly leaves and a jingle bell.

This unusual pairing features two items with similar budlike shapes: creamy-white roses and emerald-green ornamental kale.

Add a festive jingle to everyone's place with these crepe-paper bells.

Tree-shaped napkin rings cut from pretty patterned paper set a seasonal tone that's fitting for both formal and casual tables.

Turn paper into a distinctive pop-up centerpiece for the holiday table.

Wrap a plain Ball jar in silk taffeta to add a festive touch to table arrangements.

Complete any table setting with a stunning wax bowl centerpiece filled with floating candles, mini pinecones, and dried greenery.