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Christmas Decorations . any idea for cheap ? |
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My first tree was the 15+ year old artificial tree my parents had used
since I was little--a couple of the branches were missing, and the top
section wasn't too sturdy, but hey, it was free :) (you didn't notice
the problems if you put it in a corner and turned the bare side to the
back). I was in college living on student loans and work study (i.e.
very poor) so I budgeted like $20 to decorate the thing. I hit Kmart,
and went first for lights--2 100 light strands. Then I picked up an
angel for the top of the tree, a strand or two of the fuzzy metallic
garland, a cannister of satin-covered balls, a box of (real) candy
canes, and an inexpensive but pretty tree skirt. DH (then FH) and I
dug through our boxes of stuff and found a few odds and ends of
Christmas ornaments that we'd brought from home (maybe 6-8 total
between the two of us), and stuck all the christmas cards we received
all over the tree. It was a very economical (I stuck to that $20
limit) and festive tree, and provided a good base for the years since.
The tree itself only lasted that year--I think the cat accidentally
knocked it over (or it tipped itself and scared the cat--could go
either way) and broke the foot and top irreparably. We got a new,
nice artificial tree the next year from Garden Ridge (big home
dec/craft store--I love that place) for like $40. For frugality,
artificial trees are really the way to go (and you don't have to kill
a tree just to decorate it for a month)--plus, there's no uninvited
critters or dead pine needles to clean up. I suppose if you live in a
wooded area or on a Christmas tree farm you might have a different
view on things :) The satin balls only really lasted 2 years, also
because of the cat--a foam ball, covered in string, with a ornament
hook "tail" was an irresistable temptation for the little guy, and
most of the ones within paw's reach ended up shredded or hidden under
the couch :) Rule of paw: always put non-breakable/soft ornaments on
the bottom of the tree that claws and teeth won't do too much damage
to.
In the last couple of years, we've added more lights (DH wraps them
much more tightly than I do and we end up buying more every year),
gotten lots more ornaments as gifts and at after-christmas sales, and
relegated the fuzzy garland to the bannister going into the basement
in our house. BTW, Mardi Gras beads make really nice tree garland--we
took all the gold, green, purple, and white metallic ones we brought
back from New Orleans, cut them to make strands, and drape the tree in
them--they make for a good story too :) Last year we got a rather
unique tree stand as a gift from the ILs that is a wooden sled with
the tree stand hardware inside, so our tree skirt (which wasn't
slit--just a large circle of fabric) became a festive table topper.
The wreath on our front door was cheap (under $10 for supplies) and we
got artificial evergreen garland for our railings all from Garden
Ridge (the garlands were around $5 apiece I think).
Decorations can be really cheap if you plan to build your collection a
little at a time, hit after christmas sales, shop around, and do some
crafts on your own. I think it helps us that I don't feel the need to
tie a bow on everything in the house in order to feel festive, and we
both prefer that our tree be sentimental and not "decorated" according
to some scheme. Fill the house with family and friends, and not with
stuff |
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