While there are literally thousands of Christmas ornaments and decorations available for purchase, make decorating your home for the holidays a family affair by utilizing items easily found around your home or which can be picked up affordably in your hometown.
NATURE’S BOUTY: Drape your exterior doors and windows in pine or spruce branches. (Most tree lots give away leftover branches for free! Or take a trip into the woods, to cut your own.) To keep them fresh, use a spray bottle to spritz the boughs daily with water.
Have lots of shells from your summer vacation? Spray them gold or silver, or leave natural, drill a small hole, and string them as ornaments for a seaside-themed Christmas tree or turn into a garlands of shells. Shells also can be attached to wreaths.
Make a free-form table runner using leftover pine branches, votive candles in holders, ribbon, battery-operated twinkle lights, nuts and fruit. Be extremely careful to make sure that the candle’s flames and heat don’t come in contact with the branches. Also, be sure to place a clear, plastic runner under the arrangement to avoid tree sap or fruit drippings from ruining your table or cloth.
Gaps in trees can be decoratively filled with floral sprigs, garland, bows, large (real or silk) flowers or extra fir tree branches.
Another great way to display treasured ornaments is to gather a bunch of bare branches (you can spray paint them white to give them a snowy, winter feel), into a vase or planter. Then hang the ornaments from the branches.
TOY TREASURES: Gild small castoff toys with gold spray paint and tuck them into branches or wreaths of fresh greens. Add a gold string or ribbon to use as hanging ornaments.
Mismatched mini-items such as toy plastic tools, tea cups, trucks, small, stuffed animals, game pieces and puzzle pieces can create totally personalized and whimsical ornaments.
Fill a shiny red wagon with holiday packages and use as a decorative display under your tree or at your home’s entrance.
Tie a festive plaid or holiday-print bow around the necks of your children’s stuffed animals or dolls and pose them prettily around your home for a Santa’s Workshop feel. Or, place the animals in an antique-style child’s baby carriage.
CHRISTMAS CREATIONS FROM YOUR CUPBOARD: Wrap small cardboard containers (pasta, rice and cereal boxes work well) as gifts, in waterproof papers, plastic tablecloths or decorative bags, then hang with ribbon on tree branches or shrubs in your yard.
For mini indoor tree decorations, wrap small boxes such as those that are used for raisins, juice, individual cereal portions, or jewelry to create charming tree ornaments.
White, liquid shoe polish is a great substitute for temporary glass paint to use to stencil designs on your windows.
Spray dried pasta in holiday colors and let children string the pieces together with colored ribbon or string to use on your tree or around your room.
Customize smaller trees with collectibles such as sports cards (in plastic protectors,) souvenir spoons, cookie cutters, bells, mini-dolls, costume jewelry or fancy hair ornaments. These small trees can be gathered on a shelf or mantel for maximum impact. Or, let your child decorate his or her personal tree to be placed in his or her room.
Plain, paper sandwich bags can become free holiday décor. Use a paper punch to create a Christmas design no more than three-quarters down the length of the bag. Fill the bottom quarter of the bag with sand or kitty litter. Insert a votive candle (in a candle holder) and line your walkway with a flickering and festive welcome.
CHILD’S PLAY: Decorate the doors to your children’s bedrooms as large gifts using wide ribbon and paper specially sized for the job.
Make paper chains of metallic or colored wrapping paper strips and swag them over windows, doorways and on stair rails.
Place a small tree in each child’s room to decorate as he or she dreams it.
Save and display your children’s hand-crafted holiday cards and holiday photos in picture frames.
Create ornaments using your child’s photo, one for each year. When it is time for that child to decorate his own home for the holidays, present him with the entire set.
DESIGNER DÉCOR: Have special blown glass ornaments you want to showcase? Insert the ornament’s end into a candlestick holder. Gather a group for great visual impact.
Use permanent markers or paint pens to paint festive designs on cast-off or inexpensive, heat-resistant beverage glasses. Tie a pretty ribbon around the glass and use as votive candle holders to make a festive collection on your holiday table. Gather a collection of these holders on a mirrored tray or place in front of a mirror to double the lights impact.
If you display all your gifts under your tree before the holiday, color coordinate your gifts’ wrapping paper with the rest of your seasonal decor. For a festive and frugal approach, decorate gift box tops only which can be used year after year.
Drape holiday-design napkins over your drapes to create a decorative valance.
Hang strands of white, mini lights behind your sheer curtains to create a shimmering effect that can be enjoyed both inside and outside of your home.
There’s no rule that says your Christmas decorations must be limited to traditional green and red. Choose colors that match your homes décor. Just be sure to use designs in customary shapes such as snow flakes, trees, candy canes and so forth to convey the holiday theme. You can do this with hand-painted designs, stencils or holiday-design appliqués. These can be temporarily affixed with double-side tape, light stitching, or temporary, washable glue.
Want to add a festive touch to your throw pillows in minutes? Just tie holiday ribbons around them and create a festive pillow package.
Leftover fabric can be used as an elegant gift wrap substitute. Extra wallpaper also can be used to tie in your gift display to your décor.
Turn your artwork into Christmas designs by wrapping the frames with gift wrap and ribbon. Or, pop the picture out of the frame, wrap in plain paper, then use gift wrap or card cutouts to create a Christmas collage and then put back into your frame.
If you’re having a Christmas dinner party, paint each guest’s name on an ornament and set into a small pile of coarse salt to create a “snowdrift” and a way to stabilize the round ball. Now you have décor, a place card and a take-home gift all in one!
Loop unused ornaments onto ribbon and tie to dining chair backs.
Ribbons also can add a decorative touch to pillar candles. Candles also can be made more festive with spray glue and glitter or sequins. Or, dig through your hardware collection and insert decorative thumbtacks or cabinet pulls into the candle’s wax to create an ornamental design.
Venetian blind slats can become an ideal place to use a way of displaying your Christmas card collection.
Replace curtain tie-backs with holiday garland, ribbon or reinforced paper chains.
Small pictures in frames can be tied to your tree or wreaths.
Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to cost a bundle. Best of all, the ideas contained in this article can bring the family together to create a holiday home you can all be proud to show off to relatives and friends.
About the Author
Phyllis Cambria, Coconut Creek, FL, USA
PartyPlansPlus@aol.com
Learn more about Affordable Christmas Decorating
Phyllis Cambria is an award-winning event planner, wedding coach, author, speaker and party planning expert. She's worked as a spokesperson for multinational corporations and has appeared on dozens of national radio and TV talk shows. Her advice has appeared in hundreds of national newspapers, magazines and websites worldwide. Together with Patty Sachs, she owns PartyPlansPlus.com, SpeakersWritersPlus.com, WeddingPlansPlus.com and WeddingCoachPlus.com.
