Now that I’m starting to see all of the storefronts with their elaborate holiday window displays, I can’t help but be inspired to think about my own Christmas decorations. As fun as it is to get your home into the holiday spirit, it can be a pretty expensive process. Don’t think that you need to spend a lot of money to create an elegant and festive holiday mood. The holidays have the tendency to lift spirits by invigorating the senses. Here are some rich yet inexpensive holiday decorating tips that will leave your home your home feeling cheery, bright and sparkly.

• Festive Smells: When I think of the holidays, I can remember the scent of fresh-baked goods filling the house. Since most people can’t spend all day baking, you need to think of other ways to bring a fresh, holiday scent into the room. Scented candles, available in all different sizes, shapes and colors are a very festive addition to the home. Pick up a couple of inexpensive scented votive candles or tea lights and let the scent fill the air. For a longer-lasting scent, consider purchasing a jar or pillar candle. While these do cost more, they last a lot longer. You can find some nice scented candles at your local dollar store or drug store. Popular holiday scents include apples & cinnamon, pine, vanilla, gingerbread, peppermint and clove. You can also make your own homemade potpourri! A great trick is to take some dried flowers, a half stick of cinnamon and wrap it all up in some mesh cloth. Tie it with a festive ribbon and there you go! You can make a couple of sachets and use them as tree ornaments or elsewhere in your home. Another great idea if you have a Christmas tree is to spray the tree with men’s cologne. Pine cones basted with pine oil is also a great seasonal scent to consider. A bowl full of lightly-scented pine cones also makes a very elegant centerpiece.

• Festive Sounds: While Christmas music is perfectly acceptable, if you are having a non-denominational holiday celebration, consider playing some soft classical music or jazz. Good music, no matter what kind, will get people into the celebratory spirit, no matter what religion they are. By choosing classical music or jazz, you add an air of sophistication and style to your home. It’s also a good idea to keep the volume low so you don’t have to shout. Don’t think that you need to have guests in order to play holiday music! You’ll find yourself in a generally better mood and be more inspired to clean and decorate your home for the holidays if you have some upbeat, cheerful music playing in the background.

• Festive Tastes: Delicious baked goods have the tendency to lift anyone’s spirit. If you have guests coming over, it’s a good idea to have some Christmas cookies and other holiday treats to satisfy their taste buds. You don’t have to go overboard but there are plenty of easy to make cookie recipes out there for you to try. Making a homemade gingerbread house is something fun that the whole family can participate in. Not only does it make a great table centerpiece but decorating the gingerbread house is a great family activity! You can also make a pretty classy gingerbread house for very little money! Just use graham crackers, frosting, cookies and candies and you have a gingerbread house on a budget! In general baking and other kitchen-centered projects are a great way to get the kids in a holiday mood.

• Festive Sights: Making Christmas decorations is probably one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Not only to you get to exercise the creative part of your brain, but it really helps you get into the holiday spirit! There are plenty of ways that you can create an elegant holiday decor for your home without spending tons of money. You can make your own garlands out of felt scraps, for instance. Cut out holiday shapes out of felt and string them together with wire, or even floss. String these up and down banisters and across your mantel. Make some stylish ornaments for your tree by tying a lovely ribbon around a pine cone. You can dip half of the cone in some white craft paint to make it look snow-covered. Dip it in gold paint for a more elegant look. Once you are done with your holiday baking, you can hang your holiday cookie cutters with some red ribbon. By using a hole punch on some of your left over wrapping paper scraps, you can create some festive holiday confetti. Sprinkle it on tables, countertops, and mantle or even at the base of your tree. Make a candle holder out of a cleaned out mayonnaise jar by tying a ribbon around the neck of the jar. Now drop a tea light in the jar, nestling it in peppermints or nuts and you have a beautiful holiday luminary!

You clearly don’t have to spend a lot in order to set a holiday mood with your decor. Just by using what you have around the house, you can create an elegant and stylish holiday setting. Get the whole family involved in the decorating process for even more fun and inspiring results.

Photo by Marmot/stock exchange

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