My favorite time of the year is Christmas. I love decorating and hearing the carols on the radio, baking cookies, and seeing my kids’ faces light up whenever a Christmas commercial comes on. I love purchasing and wrapping presents. One way I’m constantly changing and being imaginative is in decorating. I used to do the very same thing every single year till I finally got tired of taking a look at the same décor. I needed a change.
Our house needed a Christmas transformation. While it’s challenging, in reality, tricky, to make Christmas come any sooner, there are means that you can bring the Christmas spirit right into your house before the holiday gets here. Decorating your home for Christmas is the way. But you also don’t want to go overboard with the spending. Here are some creative ways to Christmas decorating on a budget.
Inspiration
I start looking for some Christmas decorating ideas in craft shops, online, and in magazines. But, no matter what Christmas coloring ideas I came across, I can’t let go of my passion for traditional colors.
I’ve incorporated different pieces from thrift stores, antique stores, gifted things from family, or DIYs throughout the years. I try to buy one piece of Christmas decor each year. I deck our house with stuff we all love—usually something whimsy and fun. As far as our Christmas tree, some years we buy a real tree and some years we’ve taken out old faithful, the artificial tree we’ve had for several years now.
I take everything off the shelves before decorating for the Holidays. It gives me a clean slate to work with. I used to work around the everyday decor like pictures and books, but I found it’s easier to take everything off. And I get to add more Christmas stuff to each shelf. It’s nice to see them filled up with holiday decor once October hits.
Traditions
A tradition in our house is to decorate the weekend right after Thanksgiving; we blast Christmas music, bake cookies, drink hot cocoa, and trim for Christmas! It’s a lot of work, but the kids love helping and get so excited by it all.
Like I said before, I tend to stick to traditional reds and greens. My darling, on the other hand, is a simple man. He loves neutrals. His only request at Christmas time is that the tree has white lights. The rest he leaves up to me. He has questioned my decorating taste, but once he sees my vision, he gets it. Last year we added tinsel to the tree. This year I found artificial snow in a bag. It’s messy but fun. I love the way the snow makes the tree look.
The Nutcracker King and Nutcracker Fairy are an homage to a tradition my daughter and I have. We go on a date to the Orpheum Theater during the holiday season to watch The Nutcracker Ballet. The building is beautiful. It was built in 1929, and it hosts plays, ballets, Broadway shows, and concerts. And the ballet, magnificent! Highly recommend checking it out. We love dressing up and going down there. Since she turned 18 and no longer lives with us, the tradition will continue more than ever. It’s nice to have traditions like this with our young adults.
Unique Finds
This Santa head was gifted to us by my mother-in-law. She sent it to us a couple of years back, and we love it! But, unfortunately, I have yet to see one like this in the stores.
I spotted this ornament ball below one year while shopping for another item and knew I had to get it. It lights up, and best of all, I got it for about $25 at TJMaxx! This was a great find. You can find great discounted items at stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross.
The boot on top is my dad’s Christmas stocking when he comes over. He’s a Mexican cowboy by heart, so naturally, I had to get him a cowboy boot stocking!
These deer figures and white branch trees worked well. They’re the right height for that space. The trees light up, but I don’t bother lighting them. There’s no way I’ll be using a step ladder to light those bad boys up every day, no thanks. I also added some poinsettia flowers, ornament balls, and pine cones around artificial evergreens, which I got from the dollar store and JOANN.
Renew, Reuse
My mom made this Ceramic Christmas Tree back in October of 1990. As you can see, she added her initials to the bottom of the tree. When I was 10, we used to go to Agua Prieta to a ceramic class once a week and made various ceramic figurines. The whole process was so much fun. She made a couple of these trees as gifts and gave me one. It’s missing a couple of lights but has held up pretty good for being 30 years old. I’ve seen a version of these in different stores, but nothing beats homemade.
This Feliz Navidad sign I’ve had for over 15 years. It used to light up, but once it ultimately died, I cut the plug and continued using it. ASo another Christmas decorating idea is to rework old items, especially if it’s a piece you love, instead of getting rid of old things that don’t work anymore.
My mom gave me the nativity scene years back. Our families gifted a lot of our decor pieces to us, which means less buying for us.
Kid’s Touch/DIYs
As you can see, Elf on the Shelf, aka Sprinkles Pancake, has made his way to our house. The boys get such a kick finding him hanging around the house every morning. He became a tradition a few years ago. I try to buy elf on-the-shelf outfits every year, so it doesn’t break the bank. It can get pricey. You can get creative and use what you have on hand instead of buying the accessories they sell at the store. I use twine and command stick hooks to hang him around places. I get old Christmas cards and make little presents and add fun sayings to them as well.
Having kids brings out the kid in me when it comes to decorating. As a result, I’ve never ventured out to do one solid or a neutral color. Instead, I tend to stick to the traditional Christmas colors year after year. A tip is to choose a color you want to work with, then start incorporating that color; the decorating gets a little easier.
Some of the Christmas decorating ideas that I had stumbled upon suggested utilizing a child’s creativity to shine through. So handed my boys a set of scissors and some white tissue paper and informed them to make me some snowflakes and other artwork. They hung them on the windows and doors throughout our home.
The two trees next to the Jack Skellington Nutcracker I made about ten years ago. They’re made out of magazines. It took me forever, well, a long time, to fold each page, but in the end, it was worth it. I made three, but only two made it out this year. I can’t remember where I stored the third one. They’re a bit beat up, but after all these years, they’ve held their shape pretty well. Adding DIYs to your Christmas Decorating Ideas is a fun and creative way to fill up your home.
Now, these little guys above are all grandmas doing. She loves sending the boys these Christmas stuffies that sing and dance. Unfortunately, we’re running out of space, so they ended up on the staircase this year, which the boys love. I have yet to put batteries in all of these because, well, it’s a loud concert all day, every day. But at some point, they’ll all be singing and dancing.
Antiques
Antiques add something to a space whether they are for Christmas or not. I love adding old with new. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law gave us the Dallas Cowboy House and the hanging ornament which are both from antique stores.
This Santa globe I just got this year up in Pine, Arizona, at Fancy Finds. It’s one of my favorite antique shops, and every time we go up, I try to stop in to see what new or antique items they have. They usually have a combination of both and a slew of Christmas decorating ideas.
These Hunting Nutcrackers were also given to us by my mother-in-law. The sleigh and the artificial wood came from our local Fry’s grocery store. Another tip is to get items after the holiday season. I bought these after the holidays at discounted prices and saved them for this year.
This piece of furniture above was my Nana’s dresser, which has been in the family for over 70 years! I took the attached mirror off, changed the handles, and turned it into a banquet. I kept the mirror and the old handles if I wanted to restore them to their original state. It stores the boy’s school items on the left side and my mom’s china and kitchenware on the right. I love this piece and how versatile it is.
Festive Kitchen
The kitchen area is one more space that you could quickly enhance for the Christmas holiday. With the kitchen, there are various affordable items to get your decorating done. Did you know that you can purchase Christmas-themed pot holders, oven gloves, as well as kitchen towels for just a pair of dollars each?
For a bit even more money, yet still a relatively economical cost, you can buy matching sets of bowls, plates, and mugs that feature pre-designed Christmas styles.
The kitchen I keep pretty simple. First, I dressed up the bar area on the island. Next, I added Christmas-colored towels and coasters along with garland and a festive plaid runner. The kitchen cabinets also have lights underneath them that I change to red and green to give them some flair. It looks pretty when it’s lit up.
Decor in Every Room
I always try to buy a big poinsettia plant. The bigger, the better. The secret to keeping them alive is keeping them in the shade. They can bear the heat, but they don’t like direct sun. They can also grow to be 6 feet tall! Hopefully, I can keep this one alive longer than last year.
Hanging Decor
You can string ornaments, wreaths and hang them around windows, banisters, entryways, and doorways. Play with the items around your home and see what you like. I add a Christmas banner in between the dining and kitchen area. This area is where I usually add banners for any holidays or birthdays. The kids expect to see something up there every year.
When it comes to decorating for Christmas, many people emphasize one area and one room only. While it’s essential to enhance your Christmas tree and the room that it’s in, think about decorating the remainder of your home.
One thing I love about the holidays is decorating and finding new Christmas decoration ideas! Not only do the kiddos love it, but I secretly enjoy it more than they do, if you can’t tell. It can get overwhelming and pricey to decorate your home, but it can be easy and fun with a combination of old, new, budget-friendly, and DIYs!
If you desire to embellish your whole residence for Christmas, go right in advance; you will likely be pleased with your choice to do so. However, a straightforward Christmas tree is all the Christmas spirit they need to have for some individuals.
In addition to decorating the areas inside your home, you may want to consider decorating beyond the inside as well. If you’re trying to find a new way to show off your Christmas spirit, you could quickly run Christmas lights along the outside of your home. If you want to do, even more, you might want to decorate your yard for Christmas. A few Christmas backyard signs might be excellent; however, you can also go more prominent than that. Several retail stores offer big inflatable Christmas trees, reindeer, or Santas. No matter how much or just how little decorating you do beyond your house, it might be an excellent way to showcase your love for Christmas to your whole area.
Finished Product
Every year after we decorate, I always take a step back, look at it all, and pat myself on the back. It’s a lot of work, but the kiddos love and enjoy it. My job is done. Let your creative side come alive this season and develop some of your own Christmas decorating ideas. No matter your budget, you can discover and produce some creative ways to Christmas decorating on a budget.
I hope you found some inspiration with my Christmas Decorating Ideas! You can make the holidays memorable without breaking the bank if you get a little creative and repurpose any festive items you have on hand! Happy Holidays!
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Last Updated on 09/09/21 by Darlingdew Lifestyle Staff