Budget-Friendly Decorating Tips

The holiday season is a costly time of year. There are gifts to buy, parties to prepare for, and any number of other miscellaneous expenses. One expense that can really add up is the money put toward holiday decorations. Here are some budget-friendly decorating tips that go easy on your wallet while also making your home look and feel beautiful.

The Nose Knows

We associate the holidays with certain scents. Pine, cinnamon, and cloves seem to top the list. If your family celebrates Christmas, you've most likely got the pine part covered with your fresh Christmas tree. If you don't celebrate Christmas, or if you're partial to an artificial tree, you can ask your local Christmas tree lot about the branches they've trimmed off of trees and have no use for. Freebees like these can be used to adorn mantles, decorate coffee tables, or may be tastefully strewn across a dining room table. They add a splash of color and a fresh pine scent without the presence of a tree.

If you are looking for a tree close to home, the La Honda Educational Foundation is selling trees next door to Alice's Restaurant on the week-ends. For those of you who don't know they are located at the "4-Corners" in Woodside (junction of highways 84 and 35). Proceeds benefit the foundation and the kids.

Regarding the scent of either cinnamon or cloves, there are several ways to achieve it. Two of the easiest and least expensive methods are the use of potpourri and scented oils. Strategically place two or three such items around the house, and you'll be immediately transported into the holiday mode.

Lighting Is Everything

The good news is that achieving the proper holiday lighting doesn't require you to purchase any expensive fixtures. Instead, start with candles and lots of them. Candlesticks, votives, tea lights, and pillar candles all have the ability to create mood through incandescence. Candlelit dinners seem to look and taste better, and movie watching in a candlelit room adds ambience to the experience.

The bad news about candles is if you shop for them in the wrong place, you can rack up a hefty bill in no time at all. If you're thinking about burning a lot of candles this holiday season, it can easily turn into one of those unnecessary expenses. We found some very reasonably priced candles at Big Lots and also Tuesday Morning in Redwood City.  On the coastside we found them at Twice as Nice.  Yus will also find decoration, holiday music cd's and linens, and lights.

The holidays are a colorful time. If you celebrate Christmas, red, green, and white will serve as your color palate. If Hanukkah is your holiday, it's all about blue, silver, and white. And if Kwanzaa is your celebration, look no further than red, green, and black. If none of these options work for you, there are always fall colors like brown, orange, and yellow.

Whatever your color choice may be, it is important to incorporate it into every room. Tablecloths and cloth napkins can provide the color in your dining room. In terms of the living room, pillows and throw blankets can serve as your holiday color accents. Even holiday gifts awaiting their opening can be wrapped in the appropriate colored paper. In terms of the rest of your home, be creative. Just make sure to utilize the colors that represent whatever holiday you are celebrating.