The entry table is the first thing anybody sees when they walk in my door.
It’s also where the keys land, where the mail piles up, and where Biscuit plants his nose to sniff whoever just showed up.
So when it gets dressed for Christmas, it still has to do all of that.
A gorgeous table that eats your keys is not a win.
Here’s how I’d do one for the holidays: three heights, a lamp instead of the ceiling light, garland that doesn’t fight the front door, and greenery that’s fine if a dog gets curious.
Most of it costs next to nothing if you shop your own house first (and the thrift store, obviously).
Leave a Landing Spot for the Keys First
Before anything festive goes on, decide where the everyday stuff lives.
One tray or one bowl, near the front edge, on the side closest to the door.
Something around 10 inches across is plenty on a 36-inch console, and it won’t swallow the rest of the table.
Keys, sunglasses, the clip end of the dog leash.
That’s its whole job.
Do this first, because if you style the entire surface and then try to squeeze the keys in, they end up sitting on your garland.
Ask me how I know.
A shallow tray works best.
Brass, wood, an old ironstone platter, whatever you’ve got.
Even a little scalloped ceramic dish does the job, like the one in that photo.
Two pine cones next to the keys and it suddenly looks like Christmas.
Two, though.
It still has to hold your stuff.
Get a lot of holiday cards?
Give the mail a spot too.
A small basket or a letter rack at the back keeps the cards from sliding all over, and honestly, a stack of cards from people you love is decor all by itself.
Build Three Heights, Back to Front
Every console I’ve ever saved on Pinterest does the same thing: something tall at the back, something medium in the middle, something low in front.
It’s the oldest styling trick out there, and it works because your eye moves up and down instead of reading one flat row of stuff.
That mantel shows the idea in one glance.
A big clock up top, then three black candlesticks, each a different height, stepping down in front of it.
Swap the clock for a mirror and the mantel for a console and you’ve got an entry table.
For Christmas, it breaks down like this.
Tall, at the back: a 24-inch mirror or a big framed print leaning on the wall, a wreath hung on it, or a few branches in a tall vase.
A big jug of cut evergreens counts too.
Middle: a lamp around 20 inches tall (more on that next), a pair of candlesticks, or a little tree.
Low, in front: your key tray, a bowl of ornaments, a short stack of books with a brass bell on top.
Keep it kinda lopsided.
Tall thing on one side, lamp on the other.
Perfect symmetry looks formal, which is great in a big foyer, but on a skinny hallway table it can start to feel like a hotel lobby.
My vote is always slightly uneven.
Why Warm, Low Light Matters More Than the Garland
I will die on this hill: overhead lighting is a crime, and in an entryway at Christmas it’s a felony.
That one harsh ceiling bulb flattens everything you just spent a weekend styling.
Look at that front step.
A little lit tree and three lanterns, all glowing low and warm, and not one ceiling light in sight.
That’s the feeling you want inside the door too, and a small table lamp with a warm bulb gets you there.
Look for 2700K on the box, the warm white that reads cozy instead of like an office.
Put it on a cheap plug-in timer set for about 4:30 in December, so it clicks on before you get home, and walking up to a glowing window on a dark December evening is kind of the whole point of decorating.
No outlet near the table?
A battery string of fairy lights wound through the greenery gets you most of the way there.
Look for one with a built-in timer, or you’ll be swapping batteries every weekend until New Year’s.
And honestly, if you’ve got a lamp already, don’t buy a new one.
Swap the shade for a pleated one, or just change the bulb to something warmer.
Same lamp, totally different mood.
Garland and Lights, Plus the Boring Safety Part
Garland on an entry table should look relaxed.
Lay it along the back, let one end spill off the side by 6 inches or so, and don’t try to cover every inch.
It needs to leave room for the tray, remember.
Tuck the lights in after the garland is down, not before.
It’s way easier to hide the wire that way.
Now the boring part, which I promise is short.
Use LED strings.
ENERGY STAR says a certified LED light string uses about 70% less energy than an incandescent one, and that LED strings are cool to the touch, which lowers the fire risk.
On a table full of dry greenery, cool to the touch is exactly what you want.
Check them before they go up.
The U.S. Fire Administration says to inspect holiday lights every year before you put them up, throw away any strand with frayed or pinched wires, and read the manufacturer’s instructions for how many strands you can connect.
It also points out, from NFPA’s numbers, that almost one-third of home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems.
I have a box of old strands in the basement that I swear I’ll fix someday.
Don’t be me.
Toss the sketchy ones.
Real Candles Need 12 Inches of Clear Space
I love candlelight by the front door.
I also know how close a candle ends up to a garland on a table that’s barely a foot deep.
That photo is gorgeous, and it’s also exactly the setup this rule is about: pine needles tucked right up against four open flames.
The U.S. Fire Administration’s rule is to keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns, and to blow them out when you leave a room or the house.
That’s tricky on an entry table, because everyone walks right past it on the way out, coat on, keys in hand.
The same agency says that on average, 20 home candle fires are reported every day.
So here’s my honest take.
Real candles in the entryway only while you’re standing around talking at a party.
The rest of the season, go flameless.
The USFA itself suggests battery-operated flameless candles, and the good ones look surprisingly real now, especially inside a hurricane glass or a lantern.
If you do light the real ones, use stable holders and put them where a coat sleeve or a wagging tail can’t knock them over.
That last part matters a lot in my house.
Pick Greenery That’s Safe if Your Dog Gets Nosy
An entry table sits right at sniffing height for a medium dog.
Biscuit has personally investigated everything I’ve ever put on mine, and that Lab parked in front of the tree has the same look.
Wherever the new green stuff goes, a nose follows.
So before I buy greenery, I check the ASPCA’s plant list, and a few classic Christmas plants don’t make the cut.
Here’s what the ASPCA says about the usual suspects:
- Holly is toxic to dogs and cats (horses too, it adds). It lists vomiting and diarrhea among the signs, though it rates the leaves and berries as low toxicity.
- Amaryllis is toxic to dogs and cats. Gorgeous in a pot by the door, just not in my house.
- Eucalyptus, which is in half the fancy garlands I see, is toxic to dogs and cats too.
- Christmas rose (hellebore) is on the toxic list as well.
- Poinsettias have the scary reputation, but the ASPCA says the sap irritates the mouth and stomach and that the plant is “generally over-rated in toxicity.” I still keep mine up high.
The good news?
The ASPCA lists both Christmas cactus and rosemary as non-toxic to dogs and cats.
A little potted rosemary trimmed into a tree shape is one of my favorite tricks for a small table, and it smells amazing every time you brush past it.
I’m not a vet, obviously.
If you think your pet ate something it shouldn’t have, the ASPCA says to call its poison control line at (888) 426-4435 or your local vet as soon as possible (it notes a fee may apply).
On a Small Table, Give It One Star
Not everyone has a big console.
Some entry tables are a half-moon that’s barely 12 inches deep, with room for a lamp and not much else.
On a tiny surface, pick one star and let it carry the whole show.
That could be a mini tree in a basket or a pot.
A bowl of ornaments in two colors, like the white and silver ones piled in that gold wire bowl (just two colors, or it starts looking like a junk drawer).
Or one big lantern with a flameless candle inside and a little greenery around the base.
Then stop.
A small table with 3 things on it looks styled.
With 9, it looks like you’re storing Christmas there.
Thrift stores are great for this kind of thing.
Glass bowls, old brass candlesticks and vintage ornaments tend to show up right when you need them, and Facebook Marketplace usually has a few tabletop trees from people who changed their minds.
Way cheaper than buying new, and they look like they’ve been in the family forever.
Look Up at the Wall and Down at the Floor
The table isn’t the only thing guests see.
Look up, then look down.
Above it, hang a wreath on the mirror with a ribbon looped over the top of the frame, so nothing gets nailed into anything.
The shop door in that photo does it with one long red ribbon, and the bow sits right on top of the wreath.
If you’re in a rental, that’s a no-holes win.
A wreath 4 to 6 inches narrower than the mirror looks better than one that hides the whole thing, because you still get some of the glass showing around it.
Below it, a basket for boots or a stack of throw blankets turns the empty space under the table into part of the look.
A basket around 15 inches tall slides under most consoles with room to spare.
In winter, that basket really earns its keep, because the wet boots are going to be by your door anyway.
Might as well give them a home.
If your entryway is really a hallway, I’ve got a whole post on hallway Christmas decor.
Want ideas for the outside of the door too?
Here are my favorite Christmas front door looks.
And once the holidays are over, the same table can go back to its everyday self with these entryway table decor ideas.
Start with the tray, add the lamp, then decorate around them.
That’s the order.
Your keys will be right where you left them, and the first thing anyone sees when they come in from the cold will be a warm little glow instead of a bare bulb.
Related read: Things I Wish I Knew Before I Decorated My First Home — Instant PDF + Kindle download. Secure checkout by Stripe