Decorating for the holidays can get stressful and expensive! These Christmas decoration ideas though are easy to make and affordable! And don’t worry – all of these simple Christmas decoration ideas are still gorgeous!
Christmastime is officially here, y’all! I put the finishing touches on our holiday decorations a little over a week ago and this week, I’ll be sharing the holiday decor at both the farmhouse and the 70’s landing pad!
I was going through my archives last week though and had forgotten about some of the decorations I’ve done in the past and used to do at our old house. I pulled a few of them together and came up with some favorites that are simple to make and easy on the wallet!
Christmas House Decoration Ideas
Sprinkle ornaments anywhere you can.

Personally, I’m a sucker for just about any vintage glass ornament. Anytime I see them at yard sales or thrift stores, I snatch them up! I use them to make beautiful ornament clusters to decorate with, but I also just sprinkle them all around the house on trays, in vases and more. The colored ornaments in the tall vase on the right are actually ornaments from Grunt’s grandmother. I like them best in the vase because all the colors together are so pretty and they are a bit safer there than on the tree.
P.S. – Find out how to make that elf-topped ornament tree here!
Buy good wrapping paper (on the cheap!), pretty bows, then use the wrapped gifts as holiday decorations.
This one isn’t ground breaking, but it’s definitley one worth mentioning. First off, get yourself some beautiful gift wrapping paper. You don’t have to spend a fortune on it though. My go-to spot for great, pretty and thick wrapping paper is Home Goods. It’s usually $3- $4 a roll and they have a great selection. Then, buy yourself pretty ribbons to coordinate with the paper. I wait till it goes on sale at Hobby Lobby for half-off then I buy the satin rolls of ribbon there. Finally, once you’ve got the presents wrapped, stick a few under the tree of course, but also sprinkle the gifts around the house to act as decor!
Whip up holiday drink stirrers for your parties.
I just shared the super simple DIY tutorial for this the other day. You can make these Christmas ornament topped drink stirrers in under 10 minutes. They are sure to spread holiday cheer while adorning cocktails!
Create a garland for your tree from vintage Christmas storybooks.
I made this vintage storybook garland quite a few years back and it’s still one of my favorite Christmas decor pieces I’ve done. This one is of course a kiddo favorite too! Find out how to make it here!
Decorate your tree for you!
I am a huge proponent of decorating your tree for you! While I do think color-coordinated themed Christmas trees are gorgeous, I think you should have at least one tree in your home that is full of your kid’s ornaments, relics of your childhood, and just special objects that are priceless to you and not just all store bought fancy ornaments.
Make the cabinets pretty.
Give the kitchen a little holiday love by decorating the fronts of the cabinets. I made the cabinet decor on the left by buying one thing of garland at Michael’s, then cutting it into pieces, adding a leaf pick, ornament and ribbon to it. The reindeer one was made similarly with greenery that I cut up. The bottom ones have a more traditional red and green Christmas feel and are just little sprigs of boxwood I cut from my front yard, hot glued together, then used more hot glue to attach a ribbon and tie over the cabinets. I think clustering a few of any of these together would also make a gorgeous alternative to a wreath on your front door.
Throw (not literally) an ornament cluster anywhere you can.
Ornaments clusters are another one of my favorite holiday decorations. I always make mine with glass ornaments because I like the shine, but you can make these with shatter proof ornaments as well. They are so simple to make – find out how here. I put them on corners of tables, my mantel, around lamps and just about anywhere else I can.
Get creative with your Christmas card displays.
I think I end up doing a new type of card display just about every year. A few years ago, I made this raffle ticket Christmas card holder. When we moved though, I didn’t have a place to hang it. Last year, I made this ribbon tiny tree to display holiday cards.
Have fun with your stocking holders.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we are all about having fun with our holiday decor around here! Our stocking holders reflect that for sure! Mine is topped with Barbie, Grunt’s with G.I. Joe and the Circus’ with a horse. It took all of 10 minutes to make them – get the tutorial for them here.
No mantel? No problem. Hang the stockings in the windows.
At our old house, we didn’t have a fireplace or mantel. I used ribbon to hang our stockings from the curtain rod above the windows. I loved the look and we got compliments from multiple neighbors about how pretty they looked as they passed by our house.
Stick greenery and shimmery things anywhere you can.
I really don’t like to completely take all my regular decor down and put it away during the holidays. Instead, I try to work it into the holiday decor as much has I can. One way I do this is by putting greenery and shimmery picks in anything that will hold something – like these cowboy boots.
Get out vintage items with Christmas colors.
At the farmhouse last year, I pulled out lots of vintage pieces that had red and green Christmas colors like this old canteen and used them with the holiday decor. I filled this one with greenery and picks and topped it off with a printed off vintage style holiday Christmas card.
Decorate the lampshades and pull out the old Christmas cards.
I used more of those printable holiday cards to adorn lampshades at the farm as well last year. And that tray is holding a couple of holiday cards that my grandparents had sent out years and years ago!
Create a musical tree skirt.
It doesn’t actually play music, but this record tree skirt was so simple to make and definitely gives off a musical vibe. You won’t need much more than thrift store records and spray paint to bring this idea to life.
Make simple, but eye-catching wreaths.
I love beautiful wreaths for the holidays, but I don’t have time to make elaborate ones. And funny enough, when I’ve tried to make elaborate ones, they always end up hideous! ha! One of my favorites I’ve ever made and that I still use every Christmas is this simple tinsel wrapped one with a vintage Santa in the middle.
That star evergreen might look hard to make, but it’s actually really easy! All you’ll need is loose greenery and some paint sticks! Find out how to do it here!
Hang wreaths in unexpected places.
I don’t know quite why, but I love the way a wreath looks when it’s hung over a mirror – especially when the mirror is reflecting the Christmas tree lights. Really, I just love wreaths hung anywhere and not just on the front door. Look for spots in your living room, kitchen and even bathroom to tuck small little wreaths and add a little Christmas cheer.
Jack your kid’s toys.
If your kid has a wagon, tell them you’re taking possession of it for the holiday season. Pay them rent if you have to. 😉 My daughter has this adorable little Radio Flyer and I adore the way it looks filled with a few small gifts. These little wagons also make great centerpieces on you holiday table! You could even fill a larger wagon with faux snow and miniature villages to create a small winter wonderland!
Turn meaningful items into tree ornaments.
I’ve already touched on this when I talked about decorating your Christmas tree for you; here’s some examples of those meaningful ornaments – old car keys, baby toys, your kid’s first pair of tennis shoes, and your grandmother’s glasses. 🙂
What affordable Christmas decor do you just love?
Want more holiday decorating inspiration?
Christmas at the Farm – our family’s farmhouse decked out for the holidays in traditional colors and touches of vintage holiday decor!
A Colorful Christmas – our very colorful and chic Christmas home tour!
If you want to remember these Christmas decorating ideas for later, just pin the image below!
Stephanie Sheridan says
I love vintage ornaments myself. They are so pretty. One other vintage is bubble lights. Our house is so bare. I have to somethings out. My Fltoad got some new Irish items for Christmas.
Loved Circus tree.
Jenna says
Oh I love those bubble lights, Stephanie!!
Tami Shaw says
Really adorable ideas! I love them all – beautiful and stylish.