Decorating your tree & home for Christmas doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive! I’ll share budget-friendly, creative ways to make your tree sparkle, whether it’s your first Christmas or your 34th!
Hear the author read this article on the Bildirimlerim podcast with Rita Joy here:
Beautiful Christmas Decor – Even When the Budget Is Tight
When I look back at our early Christmases with our young family, the reality was that our budget was ALWAYS tight. My husband and I were very much on the same page about not overspending beyond our means, yet I still wanted a cozy home for our family.
I’ve always said that a tight budget and determination can bring out the most creative ideas. The truth is, we can create beautiful things from the humblest materials, things that cost next to nothing but the time it takes to make them.
For many years, my husband and I worked together making things to sell at local Christmas craft fairs. I researched and studied all year long for ideas that wouldn’t cost much to make, and those ideas inspired our own Christmas decor, too.
The Academy Awards for the Most Memorable Budget-Friendly Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas
If this were an awards show for favorite budget-friendly Christmas decor in our home, the most memorable winner would be the Carolyn Ingalls Christmas tree.
That year, a terrible storm hit our island, with trees and power lines down everywhere. We were without power for days. As I kept heating water on our wood stove to wash dishes (and even learned to bake a cake on it!), I kept thinking those days must have been a bit like life for the pioneer families in the classic prairie stories.
So that year, I tried to think of things that might have hung on Carolyn Ingalls’ tree. What might she have sat and created by candlelight in the evenings? I ended up making a ruffle tree garland from cheap white cotton fabric, a burlap star tree topper made from cardboard and a piece of burlap our local coffee roasters were throwing out, paper star ornaments from old book pages, and fabric bird ornaments from fabric scraps. I loved that humble tree decor.
Other honorable mentions in my DIY Christmas decor include:
- Coffee Filter Christmas Tree (What??!!)
- A ruffle wreath made with a pool noodle as its form.
More budget-friendly Christmas decor ideas
To get your creative ideas flowing, I’ve put together some ideas for Christmas tree decorations and Christmas decor that don’t have to cost much but still create a cozy atmosphere ready for celebrating.
Dried orange slices
Baked orange slices are so much fun and make great Christmas tree ornaments and garlands. They can be stored safely for years, and I find they even get better with age!
Decorate only key spots
Choose the spots in your home that will have the most impact, and focus on those. You don’t need to decorate every inch. (That Christmas tree pillow was fun to make!)
Choose one thing as a starting point
Find one item to be the starting point for your Christmas decor. It might be a fabric in a pillow or an ornament. Build everything around that one thing. For example, last year I chose a table runner as my jumping-off point.
04Use paper for decor!
You can do so much for Christmas tree decor with simple paper, such as old book page ornaments, a paper garland, snowflakes, and even a paper table runner for your Christmas dinner table!
Wrapped gifts as decor
If you find a wrapping paper you love, remember that wrapped gifts can double as decor. One year I set our gifts out all over the place, and they became delightful decor. Taking them down after Christmas was much easier, too! ;)
More budget-friendly Christmas decorating ideas
Here are some more money-saving ideas to help you deck your halls without spending a fortune.
- Use DIY Christmas ornaments as gift toppers, too. A few examples: try this best easy gingerbread cookie recipe for ornaments, a dollar store Christmas craft snow globe decoration, and fabric Christmas tree ornaments.
- Limit how many Christmas decor items you’re willing to store. It’s a great way to keep decorating from feeling overwhelming.
- Choose neutral staples you can use again and again for years, even decades. The things I use constantly are faux garland, neutral Christmas tree balls in golden-brown hues, gold, white, and red, mini lights, and sentimental pieces from our families.
- Shop the sales after Christmas one year and tuck items into your box for the following year. Opening that box next year feels like an early Christmas when you see what you picked up!
- Small items, like ribbon, are easy to swap out to match your style and taste. Let go of things you no longer use or love. For example, I loved and used aqua blue and white for years, but I passed them on to someone else to make room for neutral colors.
- Use ripped fabric scraps as bows for the tree.
- Rather than using many spools of ribbon around the tree, try my ribbon trick! (Watch it here.)
- Dried hydrangeas from your garden can be tucked into the tree for decor. They can even be spray-painted for a different look.
- If you’re a grandma, consider starting a tradition of giving your kids an ornament every year. When they leave home, they have their own “starter set” of ornaments to decorate a little tree on their bedroom dresser.
- Use paper to make paper star ornaments.
- Incorporate printable wall art. I have a whole free printables library you can sign up for below.
- Reuse gift bags year after year. It cuts back on waste and is so much easier than wrapping gifts!
- Use seasonal pillow covers to switch out your living room throw pillows for a new season. You can sew your own DIY accent pillow covers or buy them ready-made.
- Make a macramé wreath.
What are your favorite Christmas tree decorating & decor ideas?
Do you have a fun idea for Christmas tree decorating and decor that you use every year? Or a new one you’re trying this year? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Have fun cozying up your home for Christmas!
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