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4 Christmas Decor Hacks You Can Do On A Budget

    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!

    Simple and Affordable Christmas Decorating Ideas with lanterns filled with Christmas decor

    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

    (Affiliate links are provided below for convenience. For more information see my disclosure, here.)

    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!)

    dining table decorated for christmas

    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.

    Simple Christmas Decor Ideas - Mason Jar Candle Holder

    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.

    Christmas decor using 3 glass lanterns filled with twinkle lights, Christmas ornaments and pinecones

    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.

    Christmas decor using a glass lantern filled with pinecones and pine tree clippings

    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!

    Christmas decor ideas using a glass lantern filled with mini ornaments

    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.

    Christmas decor idea using a lantern filled with twinkle lights

    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:

    Christmas decor ideas using twinkle lights in the shape of a tree with holiday cards

    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).

    Twinkle Light Card Display as christmas decor

    close up Twinkle Light Card Display for christmas decor

    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.

    close up of Twinkle Light Card Display with christmas card

    twinkle Light Card Display shaped like a christmas tree for a simple Christmas decor idea

    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:

    Christmas decor idea using a vase filled with christmas ornaments

    Like I mentioned in tip #2, ornaments make a great option for vase fillers!

    Christmas decor idea that has a table centerpiece with pine wreath and christmas ornaments

    Use ornaments to add a festive touch to any tablescape by simply scattering them randomly along the length of a table.

    christmas dining table centerpiece with mason jar candle holders and ornaments

    …or try grouping them together in a shallow basket.

    christmas decor idea on the coffee table with bowl full of ornaments and magnolia journal

    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!

    Easy DIY Christmas Decor

    Simple and Affordable Christmas Decorating Ideas