The holidays are a time of celebration and decoration. Colors abound. Gold and silver glitter. Lights twinkle. And magic is created.
The problem for many people, however, is that Christmas is also a time of great expensive. Gift giving, parties, and travel can be costly. Add to that the cost of beautiful home decorations and you have a recipe for a financial crisis.
The wonderful news is that you don’t have to break the bank to have a beautifully decorated home at Christmas. With some simple planning, items around your home, and a few inexpensive dime store items, you can make your home look spectacular.
Create a Plan
When decorating your home for Christmas on a budget, you will need a plan. Things can easily get out of hand if you head into a store and just start purchasing items that intrigue you. You will end up spending more than you planned and come home with items that don’t work together.
In order to have your items work together, you will want to determine your theme. Perhaps you want a traditional Christmas theme with Santa Claus and red and green trim. Maybe you’d rather try an old-fashioned Christmas with candles, strung popcorn, and crocheted snowflakes. You might decide on a more modern approach using blues and silvers instead of reds and greens. No matter what you decide, having a theme will help you determine what you might want to do and how you want to do it.
Tips You Can Use No Matter What Theme You Choose
Once you have a theme, it is time to create a wonderland in your home. Here are some tips that can do just that without ruining your budget.
1. Bring the Outside In. No matter where you live, you are likely to have some kind of evergreen tree or shrub available to use to create a festive atmosphere.
- Place pinecones in a basket, bowl, or Christmas bag. You can spray paint them bronze, silver, or gold, or spray the tips with fake snow or simply leave them natural.
- Place branches, magnolia leaves, pinecones, and other natural items along your mantle. You can run small white lights through them if you choose.
- Spray paint twigs and small branches gold and gather them in bundles tied with ribbon.
- Tie greenery to your chandelier with Christmas ribbon.
- Spray paint a large branch, suspend it over a table, and add glittery ornaments.
2. Use Candles. Candles are simple, yet elegant and can create a beautiful, shimmery atmosphere. You can use candles in many different ways to create centerpieces and focal points throughout your home. For instance:
- Fill a jar with cranberries or red candies, place a votive candle on top, making a grouping with several jars of varying sizes.
- Fill a basket with glass ball ornaments with a pillar candle in the middle of the basket. If the basket is large enough, you can use more than one candle.
- Place greenery around a large candle as a centerpiece for your table.
3. Use Glass Ball Ornaments. Find inexpensive sets of glass ball ornaments of various sizes and various colors that match your theme. Place these ornaments in a bowl, basket, or even Christmas box with some greenery or ribbon for a very festive centerpiece.
4. Use Everyday Items. You have many items around your house that can be made into Christmas decorations with a simple addition of some greenery or ribbons.
- Put metal cookie cutters into a bowl with a pretty Christmas ribbon.
- Put a teddy bear on a stack of holiday books
- Wrap boxes and place them in a wagon or on a sled.
- Hang ornaments on a ribbon in your windows
5. Use Fruits and Nuts. Food is a large part of Christmas and you can use fruits and nuts as a natural way to decorate.
- Place apples or oranges or nuts in a glass bowl with a ribbon
- Coat fruit with egg white and roll in silver or gold glitter. Place the fruit in a porcelain or silver dish.
- Mix greenery, pinecones, dried flowers and cinnamon sticks in a salad bowl
- String cranberries and place on the Christmas tree or mantle. You can also string popcorn, orange slices, and apple slices.
Everyone loves to have their homes beautifully decorated for the holidays. The price, however, is often overwhelming. The tips found here will help you create your own Christmas decorations that will not only add a personal touch to your home, but create the atmosphere you desire.
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Here’s a simple idea. Take candy cane sticks and glue them around a pillar candle for a bright holiday touch. Use 3 or four of varying heights, set them on a plate edged in greenery and enjoy watching smiles light up on people’s faces. 
