10 Quick Cheap Christmas Decor Ideas

Do you love to spread Christmas cheer all over the house? Store-bought holiday decorations can be budget-breakers, but I have 10 quick cheap Christmas decor ideas for decorations that will help you create a festive home affordably!

Top 10 Affordable Christmas Decorations for Any Home

Recently, I shared our Christmas house tour along with a bunch of other super talented bloggers. I received several questions from readers about my holiday season decorating process and how I decide what to bring in.

There were also requests for tips about low-budget decor, so I thought it’d be fun to share my top 10 budget-friendly Christmas decor tips!

1. Front Door Christmas Decorations

A wreath and a doormat can go a long way toward making your home merry.

If you use a real evergreen wreath, you’ll have to throw it out. However, if you use a faux wreath, you can use it for several years (making next year even MORE affordable!).

We don’t actually get a ton of foot traffic at our front door since our family normally comes in through the garage. If our doormat isn’t gross by the end of the season, I’ll store it away for next year.

Aren’t those Christmas trees on the mat adorable?

2. Strands of Lights

Light strands are about as festive as they come! Place them properly, and you can get away with having them on display all year long.

Now hear me out. I’m not saying to be the person who has red and green flashing Christmas lights in their yard all year round. Nor am I saying that they should be on your Christmas tree all year, either.

But, I do think a few tastefully placed white light strands can add a bit of whimsy and romance as well as some holiday cheer for less than $10.

Windows, bed frames, and the fireplace mantel are great locations to display string lights!

3. Holiday Season Garland and Banners

Stand back, Christmas trees! A tree may be the standard in many homes. However, garland and banners are some of my top Christmas decorations to use during the holidays.

You can make your own, but if you’re like me and run out of time, Target or any craft store has plenty of affordable options.

Buy faux garlands (with lights!) and use them year after year as you celebrate the holidays!

This year I hung several – a white mitten banner for the fireplace and another banner over our built-in bar.

I also had some pompom garland that I made last year displayed in a pretty metal bucket by the fireplace.

4. Chandelier Christmas Cheer 

I saw something new to me recently…all the creative ways people decorate their chandeliers for the season!

I gave it a try, keeping it simple with a red beaded strand just to add a touch of bright cheer.

Safety Note: I will say that I gave myself a pretty nasty burn from a lightbulb doing this. Maybe decorate your chandelier during the day when the bulbs are turned off. 😂

Also, some material can be flammable and not appropriate to be anywhere near a light source! Be careful!

5. Fireplace Mantle

The fireplace mantle is my favorite place to add Christmas decorations! Why? I think it’s probably because our last house didn’t have a mantle, so I’m really loving playing with this one.

I change it up seasonally, but this year I decided to go with something fairly simple. A pretty lit garland adds just the right amount of twinkle with greenery.

I didn’t add candles to it this time, but they would look lovely in front of the garland. Or, if you aren’t a fan of candles, you could add these decorative cone trees!

Even if you don’t have a mantle, you can still join in on the fun! Simply pick a shelf to decorate or hang a floating shelf in the middle of your living room and turn it into a mantle.

6. Display Books

I know I’ve said it before, but books are one of my all-time favorite home decor go-to’s.

First, I have a reading problem and always have at least 100 books lying around (a ready-made supply!) 😉

Second, even if you’re not a big reader like I am, you can always find inexpensive older books to use as decor at used book stores or thrift stores.

I took two Christmas books I had and displayed them both on the coffee table.

7. Ornaments

Ornaments aren’t just made for trees! They’re another super affordable, fun way to decorate your home for the holidays.

You can find them in almost any color and sheen, and it’s easy to group them together in colorful clusters in many different ways.

This year we used a gold and silver ornament palette on our tree, but I have plenty of colorful ornaments leftover from previous years.

I decided to use some on our dresser by putting them in some glass canisters that usually hold make-up and hair accessories. Instant pop of festive color!

8. Trays

Trays are another multi-purpose item you can use to decorate for any occasion. There’s something so fun about corralling a group of items together on the counter.

We got really lucky this year since we happened to be in London a few weeks ago and got some Christmas tea that clearly was very festive (and tasty)!

You don’t need fancy tea for your tray, though. Packets of Swiss Miss, a jar of marshmallows, and a few cute mugs are super fun!

Who doesn’t love a good hot chocolate station?

9. Dining Table

I love creating tablescapes on our table! Some years, I go fancy, and other years, I prefer to keep things more simple.

This year I went with a gold shimmery tablecloth contrasted with simple white plates and fresh branches cut from our Christmas tree.

This is an area where you can really let your personality shine. If you want more inspiration, you can see some of my other favorite tablescapes.

10. Chalkboard or Wall Art

Pretty self-explanatory, but if you have a chalkboard in your home, it’s easy to deck it out with a Christmas phrase or image.

Likewise, if you have some favorite pieces of Christmas art or photos from previous Christmases, you can quickly change the photos in your frames to make your home feel even more joyful.

Frequently Asked Questions about Affordable Holiday Decor

Here are a couple of questions I frequently see from readers. If you have a question but don’t see it down below, please leave it in the comments so I can answer it for you.

How can I decorate my Christmas tree cheaply?

I didn’t really cover the tree, did I? I usually use a faux tree and the same garland and ornaments from year to year. We might make a new ornament each year.

Since we don’t buy a real tree every year and don’t buy new decorations, our tree is cheap (or free) to decorate each year!

What kind of Christmas decorations can you make?

From ornaments to wreaths and more, you can DIY so many Christmas decorations. Doing that will not only keep your costs down but will also give you unique items to deck your halls!

When you want to go beyond decking out your Christmas tree, I hope you find my 10 favorite ways to add “deck the halls” on a budget helpful! One final thought – I can’t resist…

Haha, smiling is my favorite. What about you? I’d love to hear your favorite items to display around the Christmas season!

More Christmas Inspiration

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• DIY Embroidery Hoop Ornament
• Easy DIY: Create A Christmas Table For Kids
• DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments To Make
• Easy Christmas Craft: Joy Sign