· If you have pictures of past Christmas’ print them out to be uniform in size and use them to make a photo Christmas tree on your wall.
· Candles – pull all the candles from around the house and make a display. Place a mirror behind the display to cast even more ambiance when they are lit. Different sizes and holders will look fine. Add ribbons, bows, ornaments, holly and evergreen to cover any holders you feel look non-seasonal.
· If you have all pewter or brass candleholders, make an arrangement with some evergreen branches, a bow (can be from past Holidays), ornaments and you can have yourself a nice little vignette.
· If you or your kids have Holiday toys – like the figures from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, make a display out of them! The key here is to use what you have and try an be creative. For Example – cotton batting as a base for a nativity scene or nutcracker collection and looks great.
· If your kids collect action figures or dolls, you can display them too! Add a ribbon here, a tiny wrapped gift there, and your kid’s superheroes are celebrating Christmas with you!
· Is your kid into trucks? Why not make a centerpiece using their trucks? You can have Santa in the driver’s seat (you can pick up a Santa figure almost anywhere), wrap small boxes to fill the cargo bays of the trucks and maybe even a tiny Christmas tree tied to the roof – and you and your child just made a great centerpiece!
· Want something more traditional? White lights wrapped around a garland and draped down a staircase or from a mantle still looks elegant and doesn’t cost very much. If you want to use a fake garland, you can use it year after year after year!
· Decorating doesn’t have to cost a fortune to look like it did! Fabric stores have wonderful velvets this time of year. Buy a couple of yard of red and green and use that as your Holiday table cloth, table runner, centerpiece base or for your serving table. Look too for sheer fabric and ones with snow and glitter to make your table look festive. Just hem the edges and you are in business! Don’t sew, no sweat! There are products that will help you make a hem just by ironing! Ask at the fabric store and they will be able to help you!
· Bead garlands of gold and silver on a table, with a garland, at the base of candles can look elegant as well.
· Pine cones, in a silver bowl on a mirror in the center of a table, look very elegant – especially if you also place taper candles on either side.
· Place colorful Christmas Tree round ornaments in a bowl.
· Have the kids make napkin holders using paper towel tubes. Help them cut to size, then they can wrap in wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, etc. Let their imagination go wild!