Pine Cones and Faux Snow

• Add small ornaments for a more colorful display.christmas pine cones image by William Berry from Fotolia.com
  
  Fill a large bowl with pine cones and illuminate the bowl from the bottom with a set of battery-operated mini-lights in white or gold. For added sparkle, sprinkle faux snow over the pine cones. Use pine cones of varying shapes and sizes to reflect nature's diversity. You can also flock the pine cones in white for the effect of freshly fallen snow.
  
  

Candle Scape

• Place bowls in front of a mirror for added dimension and light.wedding decor image by Andrius Grigaliunas from Fotolia.com
  
  Use smaller glass bowls as candle holders. Fill the bowls with anything from decorative stones to coffee beans for supporting color-coordinated votive candles or tapers. For example, if you're having guests over for dessert and drinks, fill five to six bowls with coffee beans and opt for brown beeswax tapers rolled in gold glitter for a display to celebrate Christmas coffee with friends. You can also fill small bowls with white floral stones and short pine sprigs under white votive candles for a simple display that mimics winter in the forest.
  
  

Classic Ornaments

• Stick to one color for larger bowls, and incorporate varying colors for smaller bowls.Red Christmas Ornaments in a Box image by JJAVA from Fotolia.com
  
  Nothing says Christmas like a large bowl full of silver, gold, red or green ball ornaments. This display option makes a statement with very little effort. Use a large bowl and fill it with ornaments of the same shape and size for continuity. Add a string of battery-operated mini-lights for optimizing the sparkle of the ornaments.
  
  

Retro Christmas Bulbs

• Combine a variety of colors in one bowl.christmas lights image by Andrew Kazmierski from Fotolia.com
  
  Before you toss those burned out multi-colored Christmas bulbs, unscrew them from the string and put them into a bowl or cylindrical glass vase for a display that re-purposes otherwise useless Christmas lights. These colorful bulbs are ideal for more casual displays with a hint of retro charm.
  
  

Bird Nest Bowl

• Line the bowl with white batting to resemble a nest in the snow.CARDINAL image by brelsbil from Fotolia.com
  
  Create a glass bird's nest by lining a low, round bowl with grapevine twigs to resemble a nest made from sticks. You can also add a string of battery-operated mini-lights for added warmth. Look for red decorative cardinals or partridges at a craft store and add them to your "nest" for a bowl full of Christmas birds.