Decorating a Gorgeous Christmas Tree on a Budget

Friends, I KNOW it’s only November 9, but I just can’t wait to show you my craft room Christmas tree. I’m fully aware that there are folks out there who think it should be illegal to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, and it’s possible that my early festivity might have killed a herd of baby reindeer {see this meme if you’re confused}. However, in my defense, it’s a blogger’s job to stay ahead of the seasons so that inspiration is here and ready when you need it. So, I’m taking one for the team here. It’s a completely selfless act, right?

Now, on to the tree. I want to show you how I decorated a gorgeous tree on a budget and you can too. This entire tree cost me less than $200. Ready to learn more? Take a look…

Decorating a Christmas Tree on a Budget

What do you think?! I am LOVING how it turned out! Christmas trees are my absolute favorite part of decorating for the holidays, so I couldn’t resist putting one in my brand new space. Our family tree will go upstairs and have all of our personal, sentimental ornaments on it, so I was starting from scratch with this one. I actually just shared in my latest podcast all my favorite tree decorating tips, so be sure to listen here when you get a chance. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of what you need to recreate this exact tree.

I USED:

Holiday Time 6.5′ flocked pre-lit pine from Walmart. – $79

Holiday Time 41 Piece Gold & Silver Ornament Set – $9.48

Holiday Time 56″ Tree Skirt with Snowflake Detailing – $36

Holiday Time Silver Glitter Ribbon, 2.5″ x 18′ – $5

Holiday Time Teal Snowflake Ribbon, 2.5″ x 18′ – 3 packs at $5 each

Glitter Monogram Ornaments – 2 at $0.98 each

Glitter Snowflake Ornaments, 20 pack – 2 at $5 each

Ornaments Hooks – $0.98

All together, these supplies cost me about $158. To be clear, this is NOT a sponsored post, this is me being a bargain shopper, shopping at Walmart, and spending my real money just like you.

The first step was to assemble the tree {well, actually it was to get the tree in my mom’s van, which was easier said than done since we hadn’t bothered to get a cart…story for another day}. It easily snapped together in three pieces, then my mom helped me to fluff the branches. Next, I wrapped the teal ribbon around the tree as a garland, starting at the top. It took about two and a half of the rolls. Then, I started adding ornaments. Our “regular” tree is 7.5′ tall, so I usually need my hubby to handle the top section. It was a nice change to actually be able to reach the top of this one myself!

The only additional ornaments I added were a few glittery DIY ones I will be posting soon, and three special ones that look like my book covers! These are actually from thirty-one; they are the metal photo inserts for the Close to Home Table Gallery, upside down! The inserts usually have a hole at the bottom, so if you upload your photo upside down, they make excellent ornaments…a little on the large side, but gorgeous and lightweight. Plus, they’re only $8 a piece.

My motto when decorating a tree is “more is more.” I like to fill the branches as much as possible, because the more full the tree, the prettier I think it is. I’m planning on adding a few more ornaments as the season goes on, but for now, I love the way it looks.

The finishing touch is the gorgeous ribbon bow my mom made for the top of the tree. She is the best bow-maker in the entire world, and she outdid herself with this one. We gave it four streamers and I curled them before tucking the ends into the tree.

Decorating a Christmas Tree on a Budget

I can’t wait to wrap a few packages in gold and silver paper and put them underneath…although I’ll still leave Flynn a spot to nap, of course. Now that I have my tree and my electric fireplace down here, I think you know where to find me until further notice. PS. Those brown boxes under the countertop are filled with copies of Express Yourself, my new kids’ book! If you’d like to purchase an autographed copy for the holidays, send me an email or DM and we’ll make it happen.

There you have it, my beautiful “less than $200” tree. I couldn’t love it more, and I definitely love the price, especially considering that many of the options I looked at were more than $200 just for the tree itself. What do you think? What are your favorite tree decorating tips?

Decorating a Christmas Tree on a Budget

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3 Comments

  1. That tree is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your tips, they are awesome! I have many friends which spend tons of money on decorations, from bulbs to figurines of Santa and elves. We are not as much enthusiastic about spending money on decorations though, we prefer to spend them on gifts for us and our daughter. But we are big fans of DIY and we often create toys for the tree ourselves. For instance, one of my daughter’s favourites is to make cute colourful Christmas bells from an empty yogurt can, some crafting paper and some old ribbons.

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