Christmas has a way of getting expensive quickly. The last thing you want is to blow your entire budget on decorations and end up having to skimp on gifts!
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to decorate your whole house for Christmas. Many Christmas decorations are easy to make with things you have lying around. While you may need to buy some decorating supplies, you can use these tips to keep your Christmas decorating under budget.
Decorate Your Own Festive Candles
You have so many options when it comes to decorating your own festive Christmas candles. Fill mason jars with Epsom salt and glitter to simulate sparkling snow, then place tea candles on top of the snow or push taper candles into it. Glue peppermint sticks or cinnamon sticks around a pillar candle. Arrange some pillar candles of different heights in a large bowl and tuck Christmas ornaments, garlands, and sprigs of greenery into the bowl around the candles. You can even arrange some greenery around a few jar candles such as those found here from Candlelore for a pretty Christmas centerpiece; the beautiful flames in addition to festive scents given off by the candles themselves can do a lot to enhance the festive mood.
Harvest Your Own Greenery
Branches from evergreen trees and holly shrubs can make great Christmas decorations, and make your house smell nice, too. Scout out local parks and walking trails for evergreen trees and holly shrubs you can prune. Ask your neighbors if you can snip some branches off of their fir trees or holly shrubs. While you’re at it, look for pinecones lying on the ground to spruce up your indoor greenery displays.
String Your Own Garlands
Christmas garlands are easy to make and present the option for endless variations on your Christmas decor. String together popcorn and cranberries, or make a paper chain with construction paper and spray paint it silver or gold. If you have access to enough greenery and some old ribbons lying around, you can even make your own evergreen garlands.
Make Your Own Tabletop Trees
Christmas trees are a staple of holiday decor, and you really can’t have too many of them. Make your own tabletop trees by creating and decorating paper cones and mounting them in floral foam. You can bring in sprigs of greenery, arrange them in a vase or jar, and hang some ornaments from them. You can even grab some sticks from outside, spray paint them gold or silver, place them in a vase, and hang ornaments or tinsel from them.
Hang an Ornament Curtain
Got more ornaments than you need for a Christmas tree? Don’t let your extra ornaments go to waste. Hang them from lengths of ribbon in front of a window to create a curtain-like display.
Wrap Your Picture Frames
One easy way to decorate your whole house for Christmas is to take down all the photos and works of art you have on your walls, wrap them up in Christmas paper to look like presents, and then hang them back up again. Don’t forget the ribbons and bows!
Create Your Own Advent Calendar
An advent calendar is a fun way to count down to the holiday, especially if you have kids. But you don’t have to spend a fortune on a pre-made one. Design your own advent calendar. Place treats inside brown-paper craft bags and hang them from the wall or even from your Christmas tree. If you’re careful with the bags, you can reuse them year after year.
Sew Your Own Stockings
You can’t have Christmas without hanging stockings, and sewing your own is a good way to use up any scrap fabric you have lying around. Don’t know how to sew? Cut out both sides of the stocking and use fabric glue to glue them together. Glue holiday appliques to the front of the stocking to make them more festive, and use glitter glue to write your family’s names on them.
Upcycle Brown Paper into Gift Wrap
You’ll be getting a lot of brown craft paper in your Amazon packages this season, but instead of wasting it, upcycle it into homemade wrapping paper. Have your kids draw holiday pictures on the paper to wrap family gifts, or make your own potato stamps for a more finished look.
DIY an Alternative Christmas Tree
If you don’t have room for a traditional Christmas tree, don’t have money to buy a tree, or you’re simply looking for a more sustainable option, consider making your own alternative Christmas tree. Arrange greenery into the shape of a Christmas tree on the wall, or buy a large piece of green felt and cut a tree shape out of it. You can even decorate your alternative tree with your traditional ornaments and lights.
Christmas decorating doesn’t have to blow your entire holiday budget. All it takes to decorate your entire home is a little creativity – you might even already have all the things you need to make this Christmas as festive as ever.
