Christmas is just around the corner, and some of your more ambitious neighbors already have a mechanical Santa Clause propped up on their faux snow-covered roof with a cardboard Nativity scene displayed on the front lawn. Are you kicking yourself for not taking advantage of the post-Christmas holiday decoration sales last year?
Fortunately, there is no need to drop loads of cash on holiday decorations when you can get festive with the stuff you already have lying around the house. Here are 9 tips to decorate your house with holiday decor without breaking your wallet. 
1. Ask your family and friends for second-hand Christmas decorations. Chances are some of them will be more than happy to get rid of the boxes of Christmas lights and ornaments gathering dust in their garage and closets. Or do Christmas decoration swaps with friends, neighbors or even people on Craigslist to get new stuff without the extra cash.
2. Decorate your door and walls with old Christmas cards. Instant holiday cheer that can be put up and dismantled very easily. For a fancier effect, put them in inexpensive wooden frames.
3. Fill a clear bowl or jar with holiday-colored candy. Mint M&Ms, anyone? Or how about some Christmas-colored Hershey’s kisses? Especially for holiday parties, this is a crowd-pleasing decoration you really can’t go wrong with. Just be careful not to eat the whole thing yourself when you are all alone.
4. Wrap Christmas-colored ribbon around lamps, vases and candles. You can even tie a pretty bow on your door knobs and wrap your stair railing with ribbon as well. No need to buy new holiday accessories when all you need is a roll of pretty-looking ribbon.
5. Bake Christmas cookies. You may not have the money to buy red and green matching kitchen accessories all over again, but you probably have enough money to buy red and green cookie sprinkles. When all is said and done, few things are as festive as the smell of sugary sweets baking in the oven. Before you eat them all yourself, put them into bags for family and loved ones with a ribbon on top.
6. Re-consider buying big Christmas tree. You can decorate your pre-existing houseplants with little ornaments, too, and even wrap the pots with gold or shiny red foil. Speaking of ornaments…
7. Display extra Christmas ornaments in a large clear bowl or platter. Add a homemade spray-painted acorn or two, and you are good to go!
8. Less is more. Rather than decorating every square inch of your home in lots of red and green accessories, focus your decorating energy in one room or one area. You’ll spend less money on useless knickknacks if you prioritize, and you’ll make a more dramatic impact if you aren’t overwhelming people’s eyeballs with Christmas kitsch overload.
9. Keep it all in perspective and be festive from the heart. Will buying a Santa Clause apron really make feel you more festive when you could be spending that money on a family member’s present or giving it to Goodwill? Why drop limited cash on something that’s going to be stuffed in a cardboard box a few weeks from now anyway? We’ve heard it all before but it’s worth repeating again and again: no matter how many Christmas lights or plastic reindeer models you own, true holiday cheer is something that ultimately comes from within.
Have other cheap Christmas decorating ideas? Share them with the community in the comments below!
Great suggestions, Yumi! Thanks for sharing these creative festive decorating ideas. The other night strong winds knocked down some branches off the pine trees where I lived. I collected them an placed them in some water in a large clear vase. Instantly I had a beautiful holiday decoration…free (since I already had the vase).
*Yumi*…delightfully fresh…creative and inventive…love it…thanks!
I agree, great stuff Yumi!
Thanks guyz! Michelle, how wonderful that the strong winds spontaneously produced a wonderful holiday decoration for your home.