How to Make An Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece

Looking for a quick and easy way to add to your Christmas table decor? Try this red and white Christmas centerpiece made with candy canes.

Red and white is a traditional Christmas color combination that never gets old. I love using it with gold like I did with my DIY white feather Christmas wreaths that I hung in the windows as part of my living room red and white Christmas decor. Which is why I opted for a gold trimmed ribbon for this candy cane Christmas centerpiece.

How to make a cheap and easy red and white candy cane Christmas centerpiece

Red and White Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece

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I don’t know about  you, but I always seem to be looking for table centerpieces that are easy, inexpensive and small enough that people can see each other across the table.

And my Christmas table this year was no different…

Then I saw this red and white Christmas centerpiece on decoholic.com that was perfect. It’s simple, easy and inexpensive, but still looks elegant and feels “Christmas-y”.

So I set out to figure out how to make something similar…click next to find out what I came up with.

Supplies

Candy cane Christmas centerpiece materials | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece

Materials

  • Tin can or mason jar
  • Double-sided tape*
  • 30 full size Candy Canes*
  • Scotch Tape
  • Red and White Ribbon
  • Velcro Dots* (optional)
  • 3 or 4 Pine Cones
  • 3 or 4 Wood Skewer Sticks*
  • Red and/or White Flowers. I used a hydrangea, red carnations, white mums, and red roses…basically what came in the bouquet from the grocery store.  Of course, you could also do all roses like the original version did.
  • Evergreen Stems

Tools

Prepare The Tin Can or Mason Jar

Stick double-sided tape around the middle of the tin can | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Stick double-sided tape around the middle of the tin can

If your can (or mason jar) has a label, remove it and make sure the container is clean.

Wind the double-sided tape around the middle of the can or jar.  I had mounting tabs on hand, so that’s what I used…but regular double-sided tape would be a little faster. Just make sure to get the thick white type…double-sided scotch tape won’t work.  It doesn’t stick out past the lip of the tin so the candy canes won’t stick to it.

Add The Candy Canes And Ribbon

Stick the candy canes onto the double sided tape | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Stick the candy canes onto the double sided tape

1. Stick the first candy cane to the double-sided tape, making sure that it is straight.  If this one isn’t straight, none of the rest of them will be either 🙂

Keep adding candy canes until they completely surround the can | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Keep adding candy canes until they completely surround the can

2. Keep adding candy canes around the can.  They do come off pretty easily so you may need to re-attach some of them as you go.

Wrap scotch tape around the candy canes to hold them in place | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Wrap scotch tape around the candy canes to hold them in place

3. When you are finished, wrap scotch tape around the candy canes to hold them in place.

Tie a ribbon around the outside of the candy canes | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Tie a ribbon around the outside of the candy canes

4. Wrap the ribbon around the outside of the candy canes so that it hides the tape.  Depending on the type of ribbon you are using, you may or may not want to tie a bow.  If you don’t want to do a bow, you can use velcro dots to hold the ends of the ribbon together (like I did when I was wrapping ribbon around these mason jar candle holders).

Make The Pine Cone Sticks

Stick a wood skewer into the bottom of the pine cone | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Stick a wood skewer into the bottom of the pine cone

1. Stick the sharp end of the skewer into the bottom of the pine cone.  You may need to drill a small hole if the skewer isn’t strong enough to stick into the pine cone (especially if you are using artificial ones).

2. Break the skewer so it is just a little longer than the height of the tin can.

Add The Flowers

Cut the flowers a little taller than the height of the can | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Cut the flowers a little taller than the height of the can

1. Fill the can with water.

2. Cut the flower stems so the flowers are just taller than the height of the can.

3. Remove most or all of the leaves from the stem. When you have a small container like this, the leaves tend to get in the way.

3. Cut the evergreen stems so that they are about the same height as the flowers.

Add the flowers and fill in with the greens | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Add the flowers and fill in with the greens

3. Add the flowers to the tin.

4. Fill in the gaps between the roses with the greens.

Add evergreen sprigs and pine cone picks | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Add evergreen sprigs and pine cone picks

5. Add the pine cones.

The Finished Red and White Christmas Centerpiece

Candy cane Christmas centerpiece | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Candy cane Christmas centerpiece

The finished centerpiece is very festive looking and doesn’t take long to make!

The centerpiece on the table | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
The centerpiece on the table

It looks great on my table.

The candy cane Christmas centerpiece | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
The candy cane Christmas centerpiece

It doesn’t take up too much room, but still makes a statement.

The finished centerpiece | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
The finished centerpiece

It would make a really pretty hostess gift, too…

Red and white Christmas centerpiece | Add some holiday spirit to your Christmas table decor with this red and white DIY candy cane Christmas centerpiece! | DIY Quick and Easy Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece
Red and white Christmas centerpiece


Have comments or questions about our quick and easy red and white Christmas centerpiece? Tell us in the section below.

This post was originally published on December 20, 2016 but was updated with new content on December 16, 2023.


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10 Comments

  1. I love this yummy looking centerpiece. Happy holidays!

    1. Thanks, Ivory! Hopefully I’ll be able to keep the candy canes from being eaten until after Christmas 🙂

  2. This is adorable and elegant at the same time, Wanda!

    1. Thanks, Cyndi! Now if I can just keep the candy canes from disappearing… 🙂

  3. Elaine Ritchey says:

    Do you keep the cellaphane on the candy canes and do you spray the finished project with a clear adhesive to keep the canes from getting sticky or eventually melting?

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Elaine…I left the cellophane on and the candy canes are still fine (I’ve had it for a few years now). If you didn’t want to leave the cellophane, then I think you would need to coat them with urethane.

  4. I love this and plan to make it for my Christmas dinner party table. I’m curious about what size the can is. Is it a 15 oz. or a 28 oz.can?

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Barb…I used a 15-ounce can. But if you want it to be bigger, a 28 ounce can would work, too. You would just need more candy canes (and make sure they are tall enough to cover the can).

  5. I’m so glad I found your instructions. I was getting very frustrated trying to attach the candy canes to my glass container with a glue gun. The double sided tape will make this so much easier to do. Thanks for sharing how you made yours. Merry Christmas!

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      I’m glad you found it helpful, Virginia! Merry Christmas!