Use the word “cheap” during the holiday season and you’re likely to be labeled “Scrooge” or “Grinch.” However, not everyone can afford to bleed through wads of cash in order to deck halls, make merry and spread holiday cheer.
Fortunately, there are ways you can get into the spirit of the season without spending a ton of money. One way is to stick with a theme. There are a slew of holiday-friendly themes you can use to spice up your home in time for Christmas. For example:
Hawaiian Holiday: You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars importing fresh flowers from the tropics. Rather, if you want to turn your home into a piece of paradise this holiday season, stock up on plastic lei from the Dollar Store and use them as garland to decorate your tree. You can further embellish the branches by making paper flowers or cut-out cardboard fish and decorate them with bright colors and glitter.
Mexican Fiesta: Use inexpensive dried chili peppers for garland on your Christmas tree. Or, make like Snoopy’s brother Spike, and trade the fir for an affordable cactus. You can decorate the spiny plant with Mexican straw and tin ornaments you can make from leftover soda cans. Another cheap option is to press gumdrops featuring colors associated with Mexico (red, green, yellow) onto toothpicks, and then insert them into Styrofoam balls. You can then attach ribbon and hang them on your tree.
Hobbies: Have your home reflect your hobbies during the holidays. You can turn your passion into affordable décor with a little creativity. For example, if you are a sports fanatic, decorate your tree with duplicate trading cards. All you need to do is laminate the extra cards or place them in plastic sleeves, punch a hole at the top of each one, slip a hook through, and place them on your Christmas tree. Or, if you are an avid cook, you could use extra cookie cutters threaded on ribbons as inexpensive ornaments, and then supplement with garlands made from popcorn and cranberries.