Slay Your Tray: Quick and Simple Holiday Tray Decor

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s a wonder some of us had the chance to finish (or possibly start) decorating the place we dwell in.  There’s all sorts of “last minute” things we can do and believe it or not, decorating is one of them.

If you couldn’t carve out time from your busier than busy schedule to deck your halls with some cool décor, don’t trip love…I got you.  You can still put together a quick and simple holiday tray that will at least leave a trace of the holidays in your home.

So come on - let’s slay your tray!

1. Choose a tray 

If you’re a lot like me, then you absolutely love trays and you don’t have to go searching too far to find one!  I’m not only a sucker for a pretty room, but I’m also addicted to having things organized…soooo…enter “the tray”.

A decorative tray is nice to have around because it contains a lot of our stuff.  Whether you have one on your living room coffee table or on your kitchen island, you can add pretty to it while knowing where all seven of your remote controls are at the same time!

I always like to start with what you already have.  It saves time and money in most cases.  You may already have one or two that you’re using, so begin there.  Turn both of them into holiday goodness or maybe you feel one is plenty.

If you are not a proud tray owner, don’t sweat the small stuff.  You can always go out and purchase an inexpensive one at your local Walmart, Target or home décor store.

Round, square, or rectangle?  What’s your favorite color?  Do you want it to fade away in the background or be the focal point?  It doesn’t matter.  There are so many options and you get to choose!

2. Use a decorative bowl

Now that you have your tray, look around your house to see if you can find a decorative bowl to use.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or have a holiday theme or style to it.  You’re going to create your own holiday theme.  Just make sure it’s big enough to fill it with something.

Can’t find a bowl?  It’s all good!  Get your creative juices flowing and think outside the box.  You can use glass jars, hurricane candle holders, or maybe perhaps used tin cans (washed and cleaned) that you can wrap in pretty gift wrapping paper!

The possibilities are endless and they just may be all inside your home!

3. Bowl filler

Remember when I said make sure whatever you decide to use is big enough to fill it with something?  Well this is where a bowl filler comes in.

You can use pinecones right from your yard or store-bought ones that smell like cinnamon.  If you have extra ornaments, they can fill your bowl while adding color and sparkle to the look! 

Some of your family’s favorite Christmas candy can also be a good choice as well.  Plus, it’s not only a decorative element, it becomes an edible delight! Yum, now I want to eat some sweets!

Again, get creative here and try to use what you already have.  Have fun with it!

4. Add some greenery

There’s nothing that screams the holidays like a tree!  Add a real or faux mini Christmas tree to your tray.  They come already decorated or you can get a plain one and customize it by decorating it with your own style.

If a tree is too traditional for you and you want to switch it up a little, go with one of your favorite plants and decorate it with all of the “tree trimmings”.  You can put it in a decorative planter or wrap it in some burlap for more of a rustic feel.

Simple may be the route you want to go.  If that’s the case, then gather up some tree branches in the yard or use some decorative sticks you may already have.  You can put them in a vase or tie them together with pretty ribbon.

Rules?  What rules?  Play around with it and see what works for you.

5.  Light it up

Lastly, we can’t ever forget the lights!  Try an arrangement of three candlesticks in some stylish candle holders in varying heights to add interest. 

Use colorful candles or go for a monochromatic look by using one color or the same color in different shades.  Sexy, isn't it?

Battery-operated candles are also a good option if you don’t want to worry about wax drippings or if you have small children or pets.

The one option I love to use are LED string lights.  They look so elegant in all types of settings and give off a soft, subtle light.  It just feels so Christmas-y!

You can wrap the string lights around your tray setting to ground it, wrap them around a mini tree, or place them inside hurricane candle holders with or without candles.

I’m obsessed with how they look at night when all of the lights are off and you just see the twinkling of their light in a room!  Doesn’t it just make you want to cozy up on the couch with a blanket and watch your favorite Christmas movie right now?

See how simple that was?  Don’t fret my dear.  You still have time to get your home holiday-ready.  It doesn’t have to be overdone and it doesn’t have to be what everybody else is doing. 

Don’t make it a chore…don’t you have enough to do already?  Keep it simple and let it reflect your personality.  Take a few minutes of your time to look around your house and see what kind of magic you can create.  

You’ll be surprised at what you already have to work with.  And you’ll LOVE that you didn’t have to break the bank to do it!  Yaaassss!