Lots of things are eye catching at Christmas time. Of course everyone loves the Christmas lights and the ornaments on the trees. The candles that people put up in their windows, and the often massive outside decorations that people adorn their houses with are impossible to ignore. Nativity scenes, and silver lanes all aglow certainly lead to many a late night journey to look at just what other people are decorating with. For a host or hostess of a big Christmas dinner, no decoration is quite as important as the centerpiece for their dining table.

You can, of course, buy a centerpiece to complete the perfect look for your holiday gathering. However, it is much more personal to create your own. Here are a couple of easy ideas to get the ball rolling on how to create your own special and personal Christmas centerpiece for your own holiday gathering.

A very basic idea is to hand paint a ceramic pot for a Christmas like plant like a poinsettia. Get acrylic paints and some stencils and paint a design that goes with the table cloth and serving items on to a ceramic pot. Around Christmas time, a lot of poinsettias come in a flimsy plastic container. That entire container can fit right inside the right pot, and neatly keep the dirt out of everyone’s way while mixing the old with the new to create an eye catching conversation piece for everyone. With a little more effort, you can create a beautiful bed of flowers for a candlelit atmosphere. At the craft store, pick up a couple of garlands of cloth flowers in pale colors like light pinks or creams. While you are there, pick up three different sized cream colored pillar candles, and a hot glue gun.

At a grocery store or department store, pick up a pizza sized disposable aluminum pan. Once you are at home, affix the three candles to the pan in the middle with some hot glue. One at a time, take the garlands of flowers, and gently run them along the bottom of the pan, hot gluing the vine itself. You want to make sure the you wind the vines around each candle, keeping the flowers very close to the base of the candles, as to avoid a fire hazard. This should not be used in a place where there are a lot of children, or where the fire is going to be burning unattended. This sounds a little strange, but it is by far the easiest of the do it yourself centerpiece ideas. Get a round glass bowl and glass stones at a craft store.

On your way home, you should make a stop at a pet store and pick out a fighter fish or another attractive fish that appeals to your senses. When you get home, place the stones at the bottom of the bowl, fill it with water according the care instructions for the fish of your choice, and let your little buddy in to his or her new home.