Ways To Decorate The Christmas Tree

If you’re looking for inexpensive ways to decorate the Christmas tree here are a couple of creative ideas that don’t cost a ton.  Think of things you can use that you already have when trying to decorate on a budget.

Low Cost Decorating For The Christmas Tree

During the holidays some people can’t afford, or just plain don’t want to buy a lot of fancy decorations for the tree.  Decorating your tree doesn’t have to be expensive.  You can have a beautifully decked out tree on a budge without sacrificing style or beauty.

Snow Covered Tree

A great, inexpensive way to create a fantastic looking tree is to make a White Christmas Tree, or Snow Covered Tree.  Use cotton balls as big lumps of snow and place them on the tips of the branches.  Sprinkle the cotton balls with white glitter to give them a glistening snow effect, or cut silver garland into tiny specks to achieve the same effect.

Of course, you’ll need a tree top on your Snow Covered Tree.  A cookie snowman will work well.  Take a snowman cookie and cover it entirely with white icing.  You can use chocolate chips for eyes and an orange gumdrop for the nose.  Add a smile to his face by piping chocolate.

Add a tree skirt by taking a large piece of cardboard and cut it into an arc.  Then, take two or more cups of flour and mix in water to create a paste.  Paste the flour onto the cardboard to create the illusion of freshly fallen snow.  Add white glitter before it dries to create a sparkling effect.

Tree Covered In Cookies

Make a delicious tree covered in cookies.  You can get really creative with this and use all kinds of shapes and sizes.  Give the cookies an extra splash of color and appeal by using non-pariel ranbow sprinkles.  Prepare the cookies for hanging on the tree by inserting a piece of rolled cardboard (size of a dime) into the top of the cookie before baking.  This will make sure the hole stays open during baking.  After the cookies are baked and cooled, insert ribbons and hang them on the tree.

As a tree topper you could use a large gingerbread man with a Christmas light in the center.  Follow the same procedure as the cookies by inserting a piece of rolled cardboard into the center while the cookie is baking.  Dress up the gingerbread man by adding white icing with red food color.

Make an adorable tree skirt by using an apron that has a pattern or photo of images that fit with your theme, cookies would work well of course!

However you decide to decorate your tree this holiday season, remember it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to look beautiful.

Kids Can Make Christmas Decorations!

Making Christmas Decorations With The Kids

Chistmas holidays are like no other time of year, filled with family and friends.  It’s also a happy occasion because the kids are home from school and it’s a time when great memories that last a lifetime are made.  Taking some time to make Christmas decorations with your kids will be something they will remember for a long time.  Here are some ideas how to start:

1. Christmas Card Holder:  Everyone gets lots of Christmas cards and it can be a challenge figuring out where to store them.  Use an empty tissue box for storing holiday cards.  First, cut the top off the box, then wrap it in Christmas paper.  You can also decorate the outside with holly, ivy and ribbon.  Put your holidays cards inside and you’ve got a great looking storage container for them.

2. Table Centerpiece:  An affordable and easy craft you can do with the kids is to take Christmas ornament bulbs of different colors and sizes.  Take a large glass bowl or vase and add the bulbs, you will need to assist smaller kids in doing this so they don’t break the bulbs. You could also add some holly to decorate it more. This makes a beautiful and colorful holiday centerpiece for the table.

3. Paper Chain:  Take several colors of construction paper and cut them up into strips.  Attach the ends together to form a circle and glue, staple or tape them together.  When you make the next one loop it into the first one to form a chain.  You can do this in Green and Red or just let the kids pick whichever colors they like.  If you want you can wrap it around the tree when it’s long enough.

4. Tree Skirt: You can easily make a tree skirt by taking some felt material that is cut to the right shape, add some bows, sparkles, beads or whatever you have available to make it an original skirt.  For an added touch you could decorate it with trim.  The kids would maybe like to have pictures of Santa and put them along the rim of the skirt.  You could also make a skirt from a quilted type pattern, using different colors and plaids.  This skirt could also be used for a base for poinsettias.

5. Chain of Candy: Kids have fun stringing popcorn and beads around the tree, why not use Lifesavers candy?  Let the kids choose the colors and you could even make it a little lesson by making patterns.  Different color ribbons and twine will give it a Candlyland touch.  You can use candy canes as well.  Since both candies can come wrapped individually, you can take a needle and ribbon (twine or whatever you use) and run it through the wrapping.  When the holidays are over, you get to eat the fun candy chains.

Creating decorations a great way of expressing that the holiday spirit is alive in your home.  Kids love making crafts, the holiday ones will have special meaning and they’ll be proud to display their work.  By creating your decorations your home will be a reflection of who lives there instead of just full of bought sentiments.