Simple Christmas Decor Ideas
Looking for simple Christmas decor ideas on the cheap? These 4 tips will help you decorate for the holidays without breaking the bank!
It’s no secret that I love to bargain hunt and will choose the option to DIY whenever I can. So when it comes to Christmas decor, I’m determined to keep my spending to a minimum.
Today I am sharing 4 simple, budget friendly decor ideas to turn your home into a cozy Christmas wonderland.
4 DIY Christmas Decor Hacks
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1. Mason Jar Candle-holder
Mason jars are often a go-to when it comes to crafty DIYs. Pinterest is full of fun and creative ways to use these inexpensive jars, so it’s no surprise that they make a regular appearance in my Christmas decor.
We always have an abundance of these jars around the house (including in the cupboard for drinking glasses), and my guess is you probably do too!
I decided to use a few of them as candle-holders in a simple centerpiece for our long farmhouse dining table. (By the way, I get asked all the time where our table is from: you can shop for it here!)
To create the look of snow, I poured a few scoops of sugar into each jar. To me this looked just as “realistic” as the fake snow you see in stores, and it was something I already had on hand.
Simple and cheap!
I then placed the candles in the jars and pressed them down into the sugar to make it look like they were in a mound of snow. I used these battery operated flameless votive candles that I got from Amazon.
They can be set on a timer so that they turn on automatically, run for 6 hours and then shut off on their own – which I love! They also come with a small remote that controls all of them simultaneously in case you want to turn them ON/OFF manually.
GET THE LOOK
2. Christmas lantern/vase – 3 Ways
Using lanterns and vases is one of my favorite ways to decorate for the seasons. They are so versatile!
You can easily switch out the fillers as often as you like without having to spend a lot to change up your decor.
Here are 3 ways that I dressed up mine for the Christmas season.
Natural Elements:
Get creative here! Go outside and collect clippings or use pieces from your garland and wreaths.
I did a combination of both!
I found a couple of pine cones outside and combined them with some of the artificial pine garland clippings that fell off while I was attaching it to our staircase.
The red beads are from some of the Christmas stems I picked up at Michael’s, I just popped a few of them off and added them to the lantern for a hint of red.
Mini Ornaments:
This idea was sort of an accident – don’t you love when that happens?!
I originally bought these mini ornaments to adorn the mini tree in our entry way, but after getting it setup I liked the look of the bare tree. So instead I plopped these into one of my empty lanterns and voila!
I think this is such a cute idea, and it is extremely affordable!
Twinkle Lights:
This Christmas I have been adding twinkle lights everywhere! Bottling them up in a lantern or vase gives a simple Christmas effect with very little effort.
You can use battery operated or plug in lights and instantly create a cozy lighted lantern! I love these battery operated mini lights from Amazon.
GET THE LOOK
3. DIY String Light Card Display
Speaking of twinkle lighting all the things, this next idea is probably one of my favorites!
I was trying to come up with a simple way to display everyone’s Christmas cards using things I already had – so I did what anyone would do… I got on Pinterest. (Follow me on Pinterest to see what I’m pinning lately!)
There were quite a few cute card display ideas, but as soon as I saw twinkle lights in the shape of a tree, I knew I had to try it!
Here’s how mine turned out:
It is such a simple and budget-friendly idea, and really easy to create! Plus it gives our friends’ and family’s cards some extra sparkle! 🙂
To recreate this for yourself, all you need are some command hooks, your favorite twinkle lights, and whatever clips you want to use to hang up the cards (I used these cute paper clips in the shape of a star).
Tip: When you go to create the shape of your tree (or whatever shape you choose), start by taping the twinkle lights up where you think they will go. That way if you have to adjust your design, you’re not having to remove and replace the command hooks over and over.
This twinkle tree would be cute displayed anywhere in your home (even without Christmas cards)!
If you do use it as a card display, make sure to pull the string lights taught in between each hook. This will give the cards something sturdy to clip to, without weighing down the lights.
(Also, you can see in the photo above that I opted for plug-in lights for this display. That way I could have the lights on all day without having to replace batteries! All of the other twinkle lights around our home are battery-operated and set to a timer.)
4. Ornaments beyond the tree
This is such a simple and affordable way to add Christmas cheer in your home. You most likely have an abundance of ornaments that don’t always make it on the tree, so why not use them as decor throughout the rest of the house!
Here are a few ideas:
Like I mentioned in tip #2, ornaments make a great option for vase fillers!
Use ornaments to add a festive touch to any tablescape by simply scattering them randomly along the length of a table.
…or try grouping them together in a shallow basket.
GET THE LOOK
Happy decorating!
I hope these ideas gave you some inspiration for how to decorate your home for the holidays on a budget! Be sure to checkout our Christmas Home Tour to see how I have incorporated some of these ideas throughout our home!
You can find all of my Christmas related posts here!
Do you have any favorite Christmas decor ideas? I’d love to hear all about them in the comments below!
