by Bonnie Martin

Created on: October 19, 2008   Last Updated: October 28, 2008

The Art of Christmas decorating, an exciting, yet daunting and often expensive task. We all have high hopes of our glittery Christmas season. But, many of us run out of money long before we run out of ideas. What about Christmas decoration on a budget? There is plenty you can do to make your home beautiful for the holidays without spending all of your gift giving money. Make the decorating a family tradition, bring the whole family in to do it together. It will be a memory your all treasure.

Take part of nature indoors by bringing in pine boughs cut from your own trees. These can be sprayed with flocking for a snow effect or left as is. Tree branches, now void of leaves, can be spray painted gold or silver. Pick up an inexpensive grape vine wreath from your local hobby store and paint it to match. Glitter can also be added for a festive touch.

Everyone loves the nostalgic touch of those old style glass colored Christmas decorations. The plain colored glass balls. They are amazingly cheap and you can do a lot with them. Fill a large clear glass bowl for a great centerpiece. Just set them around in different arrangements, on tables and shelves in colored groupings, teaming them with lights is a nice idea. They are still a great addition to any tree as well, offering wonderful color and sparkle.

A wonderful outdoor idea is to decorate the entire house as a package. Buy a wide red or green ribbon, a foot wide is great. Find a way to run the ribbon straight down from the roof to the ground. Use a staple gun to attach the ribbon. Then put another across horizontally near the middle of the house. This will make a big plus sign on the front of the house. Then get a large matching bow and tack it where the two meet. Put a spot light on the house and this is really all you need.

Bring your holiday touches throughout the home. Small arrangements in the guest bedroom and the bathrooms give the holiday feel all over the house. Holiday decorating can be a great family tradition that doesn't need to break the bank. The most important thing is, have fun, and enjoy the holidays with your family.

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