The 3-Minute Costco Centerpiece Hack for Your Thanksgiving Table

When your holiday table is packed so full of delicious main and side dishes, a bulky centerpiece just ends up getting in the way. That doesn’t mean you have to forgo the decorations entirely, though — just do something that doesn’t take up a lot of space, like this incredibly easy DIY we made with Costco ingredients. (It’s seriously so easy, it probably won’t even take three whole minutes.)

Start by finding the right clear vessel: A plain cylindrical hurricane vase is great (that’s what we used here), but you can also use a footed trifle dish or a large glass bowl. You definitely want to stay away from anything too opaque, but a colored glass container could still work as long as you can see through it. Then carefully clean your vessel with hot, soapy water. (Because it will be your table’s focal point, you want it spotless. No dust or fingerprints, please!)

The next step is to choose your bulk ingredients — this is where Costco comes in, as it’ll probably be more affordable than buying your items from a mainstream grocery store. Buy a bag or two (this will depend on the size of your vessel) of kumquats or small clementines, a bag of walnuts (still in their shells), and a bag of cranberries. How you arrange the items is up to you: You can work in layers, keeping the three ingredients separate, or you can mix them for a totally random look. Just put a tall candle in the vessel and add your ingredients as you see fit. Leave a few inches at the top so that there’s room for the candle to burn safely.

If your finished creation feels too simple, you can add a pop of greenery, magnolia leaves, or a festive ribbon tied around the base of the vessel for an extra pop. The combination of colors feels seasonally appropriate and will work well into December. And again, you can probably assemble this centerpiece in less time than it took you to read this story!