How to Display Your Holiday Citrus Votives

One of the best things about this project is how many ways the finished votive holders can be used. Create a glowing centerpiece by arranging several oranges among fresh greenery. Place one at each place setting as part of your holiday table decor. Scatter them along a buffet or dessert table, or use them to add a little unexpected sparkle to a kitchen island.

For an especially pretty display, mix the citrus votives with whole oranges. The combination creates a fuller arrangement while repeating the beautiful natural color throughout the table.

From Thanksgiving Dinner to Christmas Celebrations

Although the star cutout makes these votive holders perfect for Christmas, the basic idea can easily be adapted for other occasions.

Leaves would be beautiful for Thanksgiving, while simple dots, hearts, or geometric patterns could transform the oranges for different celebrations.

That’s what makes a project like this worth keeping in your holiday decorating collection. The technique stays the same, but the finished look can change with the season.

A Simple Detail That Makes the Table Feel Special

Beautiful entertaining is often about the little things. A glowing candle, a thoughtfully folded napkin, or a handmade decoration can completely change how a table feels.

These Holiday Citrus Votive Holders bring all of those details together. They’re natural, inexpensive, festive, and charming enough to make guests wonder how you made them.

And when the lights are dimmed and those tiny stars begin to glow, an ordinary orange becomes one of the prettiest decorations on the holiday table.

Turning a Fresh Orange Into Holiday Decor

The secret to creating a pretty citrus votive holder is taking the time to thoroughly clean out the orange. Removing the fruit while leaving the white pith behind creates a clean shell for the tea light.

Once emptied, rinsed, and dried, the orange is ready for its decorative cutout.

A simple star is perfect for the holidays. It’s festive, easy to recognize, and allows the candlelight to shine through beautifully. A small star-shaped cookie cutter can help create a consistent shape, or the design can be drawn freehand for a more rustic look.

Getting a Clean Star-Shaped Cutout

Because orange peel is thick, cutting out the design requires a little patience. Tracing the star first gives you a clear guide to follow, while a small, sharp craft knife makes it easier to work around the points and corners.

Don’t worry if a little ink remains after the star is cut out. A damp paper towel may remove it. For stubborn marks, I discovered that dipping a cotton swab in a tiny amount of nail polish remover took the remaining ink right off.

Behind the Curtain: Keep the star design fairly simple and avoid making it too small. A slightly larger opening is easier to cut and allows more candlelight to glow through the orange.

More Ways to Bring Citrus Into Your Holiday Decorating

Oranges have been part of holiday decorating traditions for generations, and it’s easy to see why. Their bright color brings warmth to winter decor, while their natural beauty works with everything from rustic farmhouse tables to traditional Christmas decorations.

Use the votive holders as the starting point for an entire citrus-inspired centerpiece. Add whole oranges, evergreen branches, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, or other natural elements you already use in your holiday decorating.

The result doesn’t need to be elaborate. In fact, the simplicity is part of what makes these little glowing oranges so charming.

Create a Different Look for Every Celebration

The star design is perfect for Christmas, but changing the cutout gives this simple project an entirely new personality.

A single idea can become a decorating trick you return to throughout the year.

Make the Glow Part of the Presentation

These citrus votive holders are pretty during the day, but their real magic happens when the lights are lowered.

The glow from the tea light shines through the star-shaped opening and reflects against the bright orange peel. If you’re using several votives on the table, space them throughout the centerpiece rather than grouping them all together. This spreads the warm glow from one end of the table to the other.

For a buffet or dessert table, tuck votives between serving pieces and decorations so their light enhances the overall presentation.

A Holiday Project Worth Sharing

Holiday Citrus Votive Holders would also be a fun project to make with older children or grandchildren who can safely help with the non-cutting parts. Let them choose the shapes, trace the designs, or help arrange the finished votives on the table.

Projects like this are about more than simply creating another holiday decoration. They’re an opportunity to slow down, use a little creativity, and turn something ordinary into something special.

Before You Light the Candles

Since the votive holders are made from fresh oranges, keep them on a heat-safe surface and never leave a burning candle unattended. Make sure the orange sits securely before adding the tea light, and keep the flame away from greenery, napkins, and other flammable decorations.

If you want the same glowing effect without an open flame, battery-operated tea lights are a simple option.

The Finishing Touch for Your Holiday Table

There’s something especially charming about holiday decorations made from simple, natural materials. With their bright citrus color and softly glowing stars, these Holiday Citrus Votive Holders add warmth and personality to a Thanksgiving table, Christmas dinner, or winter celebration.

They’re proof that creating a beautiful holiday table doesn’t have to mean buying more decorations or spending days working on an elaborate centerpiece. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh orange, a little imagination, and the flicker of candlelight to create a detail your guests will remember.

Holiday Citrus Votive Holders FAQ

Have a few questions before adding these glowing citrus decorations to your holiday table? From choosing the right oranges to creating clean cutout designs and displaying the finished votives, these helpful answers will make it easier to create a beautiful holiday centerpiece or place-setting accent with confidence.

1. How far in advance can I make citrus votive holders? Because these votive holders are made from fresh oranges, they are best created close to the time you plan to use them. For the freshest appearance, make them the day of your party or holiday gathering.
2. What size oranges work best? Choose medium-to-large oranges that are firm and have a flat enough bottom to sit securely on the table. Before starting, set each orange on your work surface to make sure it doesn’t easily tip or roll.
3. Do I need to remove all the orange pulp? Yes. Removing the citrus flesh leaves you with a clean orange shell and helps create more room for the tea light. Try to leave the white pith intact against the inside of the peel.
4. Can I use a cookie cutter to cut the star out of the orange? The star-shaped cookie cutter works best as a template for creating the design. Trace around the shape and then carefully cut along the lines with a small, sharp craft knife.
5. What other shapes can I use besides a star? That’s one of the fun things about this project! Try a Christmas tree, snowflake, heart, leaf, or another simple seasonal shape. Just remember that designs with fewer tiny details will be easier to cut from the thick orange peel.
6. How do I remove the pen marks after cutting out the design? Start with a damp paper towel. If the ink is stubborn, I found that a cotton swab dipped in a small amount of nail polish remover took the remaining ink right off.
7. Can I use battery-operated tea lights? Yes. Battery-operated tea lights are an easy alternative to traditional tea lights and still give the orange votive holders a pretty holiday glow.
8. Can I use other citrus fruit? You can experiment with other citrus fruits, but oranges are a great choice because of their size, sturdy peel, and beautiful holiday color. Grapefruit could also create a larger version of the same idea.