Christmas table centerpiece with greenery and apples

Age: 6+ · Time: 45 min · For: Ages 6–9 Ages 10–12

A centerpiece of fresh greenery and shiny red apples makes the Christmas table smell like a forest. It is natural, cheap and made without floral foam, which is a plastic that does not break down. Children can do most of the arranging, and the result looks beautiful.

What children do, where you help

Children: polish the apples, arrange the branches and decorate.
You: cut the branches and make the holes in the apples.

Tips

Ask at a Christmas tree stall: they often give away offcuts for free.
Mix different greens like fir, pine and ivy for a fuller look.
Keep it low so everyone can see each other across the table.

You need

a large flat dish, a tray or a wooden board
a bunch of fir or pine branches, from the yard or offcuts from a Christmas tree seller
3 to 5 red apples
a few pine cones
cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices and a little moss (optional)
pruning shears (for the grown-up only)
an apple corer or small knife (for the grown-up only)
LED tea lights or a small battery string of lights

Steps

A grown-up cuts the branches into pieces of about 6-8 inches.
Lay the branches on the dish in a long, loose garland, all pointing roughly the same way, so the dish disappears under the green.
Polish the apples with a cloth until they shine. A grown-up makes a hole in the top of each apple with the corer, big enough for an LED tea light.
Nestle the apples among the branches with the LED lights in them.
Fill the gaps with pine cones, cinnamon sticks, orange slices and moss.
Weave the string of lights through the greenery if you have one, with the battery box hidden underneath.