Simple Ways to Decorate for Christmas
As many of you know, a couple of years ago we packed up our family of six and moved into an apartment. It was interesting figuring out how to put a 2400 square foot home into a 1200 square foot apartment, that’s for sure. One of the more challenging parts of this epic squeeze was decorating for Christmas — I couldn’t possibly use all the goodies in my three giant Christmas tubs. Many of my Christmas decorations were too big for our smaller space.
In addition to the space constraints, there was also the problem of my, well, lack of decorating ambition. I loved the idea of crafting up some new decorations, but actually getting my crafty on was another story. Instead of intending to be crafty and fill my apartment with homemade Christmas goodness but failing miserably, I opted to take the simple route. No glue gun, no floral wire, no fabric needed.
Here are three simple ways to decorate a small space for Christmas:
Use canning jars to decorate
Emily talked about this, and I am constantly amazed at all the ways you can decorate with a simple mason jar.
This one was easy peezy. I saw boxes of small colored bulb ornaments at Fred Meyer (near the mini-tree items) and thought they would be perfect displayed in a canning jar.
I love that there were glossy and matte bulbs in the same box to give the display extra interest. There were several colors to choose from.
I also picked up some cranberries in a bag in the Fred Meyer produce department and some 50% off candles in the home department.
I love how some fruit, a candle and a jar come together to make a beautiful table decoration.
I also poured some Epsom salt into smaller canning jars and put a candle on top — Epsom salt looks just like snow and it’s crazy cheap (you might just have some in your bathroom cabinet). In fact, you should search Pinterest to find all the wintery crafts that you can do with Epsom salt (I also just found this sweet craft).
Use stocking holders to hang stockings anywhere
I was fretting a bit trying to figure out how to hang our stockings without a fireplace mantle or without nailing seven holes in the wall (I’m not against messing with the walls, but I’d rather not pay part of our damage deposit on holes that served a purpose for only three weeks). The Halleluiah Chorus starting up when I found these simple stocking hangers.
They aren’t exactly the cheapest option available, but at 50% off, they were an investment I was willing to make (and probably cheaper than the damage deposit hit) and I didn’t have to put any creative energy into it (that all has been sapped by endless laundry and face washing). I hung the stockings from the breakfast bar, but these would also work on a window ledge. These will work for hanging stockings or other decorations at any place we live in the future.
Use tomato cages to make an outdoor tree
I’m sure most of you even casual gardeners have a few tomato cages sitting in your garage or garden shed. Pull them out and make a quick and inexpensive lighted Christmas tree. This is the perfect outdoor decoration for those of you with small personal outdoor spaces or if you can’t staple lights to the outside trim. These would also be a great addition to your front porch decorations.
I used tomato cages and some inexpensive white lights from Fred Meyer (I used white, but I think green would look nice and could be displayed past Christmas).
Start by flipping the cage over and pulling the unattached poles together to make a tree shape. I bound them together with the twist tie from my package of Christmas lights. I used my daughter’s ponytail holder for the other cage.
Start winding a strand of lights around the outside of the cage.
I didn’t attach the lights in any way — just wind it somewhat tight and they will stay.
When you get to the bottom, attach the string of lights to the cage so it doesn’t unravel on you. I used a bread bag tie-thingy.
If you’re moving to another cage to make multiple trees, just feed the strand through the middle of the cage and start wrapping again.
The best part of this decoration is that the mechanics of the tree lights will be unseen at night so you don’t have to fuss too much with the tree’s construction. I couldn’t manage to take a picture that does the final product justice. I wish I could invite you all over to see how cool the trees look, especially from the street.
Need some more holiday inspiration? Check out these two posts:
Or more simple decorating ideas?
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I enjoy using what I have over the years and changing them up a little bit. I would take broken ornaments and glue the good parts to a wreath and add other parts to make a new decor
This year, we have a huge tree with a baby gate around it, thanks to our second child who is into EVERYTHING in ways my first child never was. We also put up a beautiful pine cone wreath I scored on clearance last year, and filled some candle holders with cranberries just like the mason jars that Angela made. Other than that, just a few vases and crafts we’ve made in years past and my favorite Scentsy smells in my warmer and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 🙂
I love our fresh noble fir the most! It smells wonderful. I also love our greenery with white lights inside the house.
We just did a major downsizing also but we are living with my inlaws, although we do have our own living space, decorating is quite a bit different than last year. Our go to decorating source would have to be The Goodwill for all things vintage.
Simple decor this year. Trees and greenery with white lights.
I love christmas lights, indoor and out!
We hang a wreath on the front door and put a strand of flashing blue LED lights on it.
I love decorating our fireplace mantle. I have a hard time spending money on decorations since they only get used for a short time each year, but I couldn’t be happier with the lighted garland I purchased two years ago that I drape across our mantle. It is absolutely beautiful and showcases our stockings perfectly.
My favorite decorations are a big real tree, a nativity scene, and our stockings that were knit by my great-grandmother.
I love decorating with inexpensive homemade items & sentimental family heirlooms! There’s nothing like Christmas time!! <3
How funny! I just decorated our 960 sq foot apartment this evening, then sat down to read your blog! We are a family of 5 living in VERY small quarters. I have to be careful when I decorate because it can begin to look cluttered, but there are benefits to living in a small space, like learning to declutter and live with less, and we put our emphasis on loving each other, instead of things. We have made such great memories living in our apartment. I think I may use your canning jar ideas. Thank you!
Oops- I forgot to say that my favorite way to decorate for Christmas is with the tree for sure- I love the lights and old sentimental ornaments we’ve collected through the years!
We just finished decorating the tree last night! I enjoy putting up lit garland on the mantle with a miniture little town. Then another area with more lit garland with a nativity scene. Also icicle lights and a santa and his sleigh and elf outside. 🙂
I love to hang my kids homemade ornaments they brought home from kindergarten. Special memories.
I have these deer I bought from an old Russian that look great all lit up in my front yard. Every year I’m adding one that I purchase in the hopes of having a whole herd of lit deer in a few years. lol
In addition to the tree and lights, we hang all the christmas cards up on the wall as we get them — adds to the festivity!
I love decorating with candles!
The tree is the best part of Christmas decorating! I love the lights and the glow it brings to the house. I wish we could have Christmas year round!
I love the little things! Like the christmas table cloth, getting out the christmas hand towels, and best of all the door mat!
O, love the lights! On everything! Tree, floral arrangements, jars, etc. They just cheer anything up. Picked up some battery operated ones tonight at Freddies. Can’t wait to try them out.
Window clings! My kids are all under 4 and love to help put up window clings and then play with them throughout the holiday season.
Decorating the tree with my daughter. She’s only 3 so she has lots of fun getting lifted up to hang the ornaments.
Decorate the tree my father made me before he died with ornaments our children made.
Traditional tree…and things like bowls and cake pedastals with cheap bulbs stacked up makes it nice and festive.
Fresh tree with lots of glittery and sparkly ornaments. Candles everywhere, cinnamon pine cones on the hearth and past Christmas pictures framed and displayed around the house!
I need new lights for the outside, but have a nice tree and candles burning thru out the house.
Wreaths garland and tree all fresh. And cinnamon pine cones. Makes the house festive and smells great.
Candles! Especially scented ones 🙂
Greenery and candles are my go to for Christmas decor…the possibilities are endless.
I love lights, but this year we’ve simplified, and just have a Nativity, stockings, wreath, and (hopefully soon!) a tree. Plus a few odds and ends like candles and snowflakes.
Tree, stockings, and lights around a few windows. That is enough for me!
Paper snowflakes!
I love lights. I’m really excited about how good flameless candles look!
I love putting up light around my windows!
The traditional tree and TONS of years-collected decorations. It looks like Santa’s workshop here!
We get a tree and decorate the windows with gel clings and lights.
We love to put lights outside and a giant inflatable Santa’s Ice Cream truck (only $20 at Lowes after Christmas – regular $199!) in our front yard. The neighbor kids love to stop by and see it!
I have always loved simple what on green or red to decorate. For example we only have white lights on the tree and house. I guess it reminds me of simple snow.
My favorite way to decorate is with a live tree and to use all the ornaments that we have collected over the years. I also love to decorate the outside with lights and wreaths.
I love bringing out my Willow Tree Nativity and our cute advent calendar!
Tree and stockings!
I just love x-mas lights! And we need more!
I, like Angela, struggle with decorating an apartment for Christmas. This post gave me great ideas & a Freddies giftcard would be a great start!
I prefer to use as much natural items as possible. I like to make garlands and wreaths using holly and great smelling fresh cut boughs.
I love to have holly and cedar in the house and my old ornaments…they’re the best!
Tree, candles, tinsel and lights around the house, and scented pinecones. We’ll be making some gingerbread play dough too.
My favorite way to decorate for the Holidays is with a Christmas tree. Its very fun to pull out all the ornaments and remember where they came from and when the kids made them etc.
This year we tried making our own advent “wreath” with a silver rectangle tray, pillar candles and glass beads. It turned out pretty nice!
We use orange colored lights (purchased very cheap after Halloween) to put up the initials of our favorite college football team. Go BEAVS! Beat Texas at the Alamo Bowl.
Christmas Tree, candles, Christmas mugs, little towels for the bathroom, huge manger scene collection that we set up on several tables and simple white lights on the bushes and trees outside
We do the traditional tree and then each room in the house has a small nod to Chrstmas – the front hallway is SnowGlobes, the guest bathroom is snowmen, the guest bedroom is reindeer and Santa, the kitchen is all things Christmas cooking (i.e Santa’s plate and mug, the cookie jars I have collected of Santa over the year, vintage cookie cutters and the mason jars filled with the small balls), the windows have garland and lights and the living room in addition to the tree has the nativity and villages set up – we also have the req
I don’t do much Christmas decorating. We just let the tree be the decoration. But this year I feel like we need more, so I’m planning on hitting some day after Christmas sales for some good deals.