Fresh Ideas for Holiday Centerpieces

Thank you to California Grown for encouraging me to connect with California growers and encouraging California consumers to "Choose California Grown" when they can.

So have you broke out all the boxes and totes and started decorating for the holidays? Oh, please tell me you’re not one of those rightafterThanksgivingIputmytreeup kinda people, ok? Sheesh!

Well, I have a confession for you – when it comes to holiday decorating I’m the Fairy Godmother of Faux. Fake tree. Fake pine garland. Fake wreath. Fake flowers.

Until this year.

You see, the Hubs’ favorite fruit is pears, which also happens to be my favorite fruit to paint and decorate with. But I had always used fake pears until I got this incredible goody box from a local grower in Courtland, CA.

With a personalized note. From the grower! Telling me which variety each pear is. Talk about great service!

If you’re a pear lover (or avocado, cherry, kiwi, or – hello? – fresh flowers) you just gotta check out the California Grown website. You’ll ‘meet’ the actual farmers and find out about their crops and varieties. It’s so cool I embedded a video below about Virginia. She grew my luscious pears. Yep, I feel like I almost know her now.

I nearly had to hide these pears from youknowwho until they ripened fully. Do you know how to tell if pears are ripe? Just gently push against the neck with your thumb and if it gives in a bit, they’re ripe!

Holiday Centerpieces

So, lemme share a totally easy and fresh centerpiece for your dining table, or even coffee table.

Ok, this isn’t it but I wanted you to see the gorgeous colors on these pears. Golden yellow, warm honey and blushes of red, all in different stages. Ripe for eating, but also yummy for decorating too!

For a while I just placed them on a clear platter and stacked a candy dish on top and enjoyed their colors while they ripened.

But then, the boxes and totes in the garage were calling. I snagged one of my ‘lovely’ faux pine wreaths to put under the pears.

I grabbed a couple pieces of woven Sinamay ribbon that have some of the same colors as the pears.

Here’s where using faux pine is just awesome in my book.

Just grab two pine sections and twist around the ribbon. Work your way around the wreath, or however long your piece of ribbon is.

Now I was totally getting into the spirit and ditched the glass platter for some candles and just the wreath. Yum, just look at those pears with the ribbon and pine!

And why use just one ribbon if you have more? At least, that’s my motto for holiday decorating!

And I always have more ribbon. And a few berry clusters too. But you could use ornaments, or pinecones, or some fresh greenery sprigs. Nearly anything works!

Since it’s a wreath, every perspective is decorated.

Now for the final touch . . . the pears.

I like to create levels – different heights – when I decorate to add visual interest. So I just grabbed a plastic cup.

Place a pear on top and then pull some pine or ribbon in front to camouflage the plastic cup.

Then fill in with some Bosc, Taylor’s Gold, and little Seckel’s and you have a gorgeous centerpiece. And when certain people who shall go nameless grab a pear to munch, no worries. You’ll still have a beautiful arrangement when all the pears are gone!

Pear & Spinach Salad

And right now a few are going missing ‘cause I’m slicing a couple of pears to top some baby spinach leaves, crumbling some gorgonzola cheese on top, tossing in some walnuts and dried cranberries, and drizzling everything with some balsamic vinaigrette. I’m all out of raspberry, my first choice. But this pear salad still rocks.

California Grown

Now, I’m a California gal. Born and raised. There are a lot of reasons I love living in Northern California. In less than two hours I can either drive to the clear, crisp mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, or head West to San Francisco, arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And the climate here is awesome – four seasons every year. I love California and feel incredibly blessed to have lived here my entire life.

Another blessing is having California grown produce. It’s something I try not to take for granted because it’s always so plentiful in our stores. I know this because there are little labels that say CA Grown. (If you don’t see a CA Grown label on your produce, ask your grocer which produce is from California.)

I hope you take a minute to check out this video on Virginia who grew these incredibly yummy pears.

 

 Do you use fresh fruit for holiday decorations? What’s your favorite fruit to decorate with?

Thank you again to California Grown for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about all of California Grown growers. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #CleverCAGrown #spon