If you’re looking for ways to decorate your home in a glorious holiday fashion this season–without breaking the bank and losing your sanity in the process–here are ten terrific ideas to get you started.

1. You don’t need to climb ladders and hang millions of lights all over your house to make a happy holiday statement. You can create an enticing “Welcome Home” atmosphere by simply placing a special emphasis on your front door, surrounding it with colorful lights and garlands of greenery.

2. You don’t have to use all your decorations every year, especially if you own quite a few. Alternating decorations makes it easier on you, and when you don’t see the same decorations year after year, they tend to have more meaning.

3. You don’t need to add anything to your Christmas tree’s water. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, plain tap water is the best source of moisture for your tree. In fact, the NCTA says that some commercial additives and home concoctions can actually be detrimental to a tree’s moisture retention and increase needle loss. So keep your Christmas tree stand filled with plain water and use the savings to buy a few extra stocking stuffers.

4. You can save money when buying Christmas tree decorations by choosing your tree carefully. A fuller tree uses fewer decorations, because there are fewer holes to fill.

5. You can also save money by buying silk flower boughs and cutting the flowers apart. That way, you get many more decorations for one price. You can use the flowers on your tree, in garlands, and as enhancements to your gift wrapping.

6. You can make your holidays more meaningful, while reducing cost, by considering your personal family heritage when choosing a decorating theme. This includes making homemade decorations, using styles and techniques according to your family’s traditions. Combining ancestral cultures and honoring ancestors by creating handmade ornaments will make the season more meaningful and will help your children develop stronger ties with your family’s unique heritage.

7. You can further personalize the season by bringing your family’s interests into play when selecting a decoration theme. Take a photo of your family involved in a favorite activity, or something used during that activity, and surround it in a bed of greenery. For instance, if you love reading, display special books, bound together with a colorful ribbon. It’s a great way to create a totally unique decoration.

8. Since it’s irritating to have to look through or around large centerpieces while trying to talk to dinner guests, use either low or tall, skinny centerpieces when entertaining, so everyone can see each other’s faces.

9. Don’t forget that you have five senses–and make sure to fill them all with delight at holiday time. Use cheerful warm-colored ribbons to highlight chandeliers and to wrap around vases, play your favorite seasonal music, add cinnamon, cloves, and essential oils to fill the air with holiday smells, share your favorite recipe with friends, and add sumptuous silky fabrics to table cloths, tree skirts, and pillows.

10. And finally, there’s no need to completely redecorate for your New Year’s Eve celebration. When Christmas has past, you can recycle your holiday wreaths and garlands for use in your New Year’s festivities simply by spray painting them silver or gold.

Christmas doesn’t have to be a time of financial and emotional burden. You’ll save money–and possibly your sanity–by using these simple suggestions. Happy holidays!

(c) Copyright 2004 Jeanette J. Fisher All rights reserved.

Jeanette Fisher, Design Psychology Professor, is the author of “Joy to the Home eNewsletter.” Discover innovative Interior Design Psychology and makeover your home to support happiness, productivity, and well-being. Read more about Design Psychology: http://www.designpsych.com/ Upcoming “Joy to the Home” books and ezine: http://www.joytothehome.com/

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Let me say this is my favorite reason to decorate! Here you will find the reason this issue is so special, great ideas for the holidays, all of them easy on the pocketbook, and some of them are free! Have a wonderful holiday, and remember to stop every day to “smell the roses”!

For a beautiful outdoor wreath(or indoor) without spending a fortune on craft supplies, try to remember you need not cover the wreath with decoration to make it special. Try just a few craft store “picks” in one corner, with a big bow. Or get some wire star garland (.69 cents at my store)and just wrap it loosely around the wreath. Hot glue some found pinecones to a corner, or try some old wooden ornaments. You also don’t necessarily need to buy an expensive evergreen wreath to decorate, and inexpensive grapevine or straw wreath can be dressed up as well. Spray paint clay pots and saucers a metallic gold for sparkling coasters and utensil or candle holders for the season.

If you have extra lights after stringing the tree, wind some through your potted plants for a special way to bring the sparkle throughout the room.

For a simple but beautiful centerpiece, set three or five candles of different heights in the middle of the table on a tray, then surround the bases of the candles with seasonal items. Low cost ideas? Cuttings from your Christmas tree, or from evergreen trimmings in your yard are a great first layer. Then how about shiny apples, glass ornaments turned hanger side down, found pinecones, nuts, wire star garland, leftover ribbon… By the way, the same idea can be used for Thanksgiving, just substitute fall leaves, squashes, mini pumpkins, etc…

Buy those bags of cranberries when they go on sale for $1, and fill bowls that hold pillar candles, or fill a simple glass of water with them to just a few inches below the top, and put a floating candle in. Nuts can work the same way, but they tend to be more expensive. However, is you have a nut tree in your yard…

Hollow out the center of an apple as a candleholder, and tuck a few tiny greens in between the candle and the apple. Just be sure the flame never comes near the twigs. A little lemon juice sprinkled on the cut part of the apple will help keep it from browning as much.

Have a lot of scrap Christmas fabric from years past? Use it to make a simple square patchwork quilt as a throw for the couch, and add a lot of holiday spirit to the room! (Hint: use old blankets as batting- if you don’t have any, check your thrift stores. Just be sure to wash in hot water, and dry at least 20 minutes in your dryer. White flat twin sheets on sale make great backing fabric.)
Cut two of a simple holiday shape from felt, then sew or fuse them together, decorate with permanent markers or fabric paint (if you wish), and hang all over the house! Some very simple shapes could include stars, packages(glue or paint on some ribbon), mittens, snowmen, boots, Christmas trees, stockings, candy canes, gingerbread men (trace them from your cookie cutters) and the list goes on! If you have a rustic theme this year, it’s not necessary to embellish them at all!

Place a few inexpensive glass balls in a bowl and embellish with a few sprigs of greenery or some leftover ribbon. If you don’t have an extra bowl (it is the holidays, after all!) try decoupaging a box with leftover Christmas wrap, or cover with a little fabric and glue.

Take down your pictures and wrap them like a gift, then hang them back on the wall for great holiday cheer! You don’t have to do this all around the house, how about just in the entry, or maybe the dining room?

Place votive or pillar candles on a small mirror used as a tray. Tie sprigs of greens or cinnamon sticks on the candles with ribbon or raffia. Be sure the flame is far enough away from the embellishments!

Make paper trees out of a square of pretty paper, preferably use a paper that is a little stiff. Simply roll the paper into a cone, and glue the edge with a hot glue gun. Perhaps some gold glitter or squiggles of paint to dress them up, and they will be beautiful on your mantel or as a centerpiece with greens. Try experimenting with different colors and textures…this would be a great place to use leftover cardstock or handmade paper! You could also do this with a piece of stiffened fabric.

Tie greens or ornaments to the chandelier with a little Christmas ribbon, just make sure they don’t hang low enough for any candles on the table to catch them on fire.

Above all, be creative, and have a wonderful holiday with those you care about!

Kathleen Wilson is an author, columnist, and editor of The Budget Decorator and other popular websites. For hundreds of free budget decorating ideas, visit her at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com, http://www.DecoratingYourSmallSpace.com or for work at home info, at http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com

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Not only will your home look overstaged but you can’t possibly decorate the whole thing and get through your other holiday activities. Here are a few tips to lighten the workload.

• Decorate only the common areas that will be frequented by friends and family.
• We shouldn’t have to say this, but here goes. If the Christmas tree is against a wall, do not decorate the part that is not seen by visitors.
• Add a holiday bow to a plain evergreen wreath. You can get very nice pre-made bows at any store that sells holiday decorations. Place it on front door and put poinsettias in the foyer.
• Add holiday trim to everyday decorations that are already in place.
• For an elegant but easy-to-do centerpiece, fill a crystal/glass bowl with water, add fresh cranberries, holly and floating candles.
• Stage holiday scented candles throughout the house. They will make the house warm and cozy.
• For outside decorations, take plain white lights and extend them around the railings. Buy a roll of festive ribbon and matching bows. Use the ribbon to secure the lights to the railing by wrapping it around. Attach the bows to the end of the railings.

Remember, this is a season to be thankful and to rejoice. Enjoy!

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles, is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company’s creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net.

© 2005 Indra A Books for ON THE GO 4 U

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