Easy & Affordable Traditional Christmas Decorating Tips

Decorating for Christmas is one of my absolute favorite activities - only second to opening the presents on the actual day. Wondering how to spruce up your space with affordable traditional Christmas decor? Check out these quick and easy tips!

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Looking for traditional Christmas decor?

It's finally time to start preparing for Christmas! The minute Halloween is over, I'm secretly bringing out/buying Christmas decor and turning on the holiday tunes when no one is listening.

For me, it's all about *traditional* Christmas decor. Red, green, & maybe a small bit of gold, with a few "old world touches," like my ultimate favorite - tartan. I've accumulated a fair bit of decor over the last 5 years, and I couldn't be happier with it.

So let's do it! Where do I find perfect, tasteful Christmas decor? Can we find all of this without breaking the bank and without pine?

Traditional Christmas decor can be expensive. High-end places charge a premium for classic decorations, and people are definitely willing to pay. I'd encourage you to shop around, don't buy the first thing that you see, and think strategically about budgeting. I've laid out some tips on where to spend money and where to save. Coming up with tasteful decor that will keep you satisfied over the years means spending in the right places, not on everything - and also not scrimping on everything. Avoid disposable, cheap items that add up monetarily over time and are not eco-friendly.

Traditional Christmas Decor Tips

Traditional Christmas Decor:​
​Artificial trees

Decorating for Christmas without pine

Fun fact of the day: I'm allergic to pine trees. I'm not allergic to anything else. It's the weirdest allergy I've personally ever heard of - and I can say it because it's mine! Took a few sick Christmases in my early days, but we got there in the end! So, needless to say, we don't decorate with pine in our home. And, obviously, we have a fake tree.

My love of fake Christmas trees goes beyond my allergy. First, no mess. No pine needles everywhere, no fire risk, and *super easy* clean up. Second, it's a *huge* money saver. A "normal" Christmas tree costs approximately $75 per year. The environmental merits are still a bit up for debate - if you keep a fake tree long enough, the environmental argument gets stronger. For my traveling friends, if you head out on vacation right after Christmas, as we're doing this year, you can just close those blinds and leave the tree up until you get back and have time to take it down! (I'm 100% doing this).

​Of course, for my allergy-free friends, the "downside" to having a fake tree is the lack of that "real tree smell." But, never fear, you can buy scented products to "spruce up" the house!

Finding an artificial Christmas tree

If you do decide to opt for an artificial tree, how much should you spend, and where can you find a nice fake tree?

We opted for a really nice tree from Balsam Hill, the quintessential artificial tree manufacturer. I *love* our tree, and I'd really recommend them. Balsam Hill has different verity levels of trees - from "traditional" to "most realistic." We selected the middle level, realistic, and have been very happy with it. The ends of the branches look extremely real. I'm embarrassed to admit there have been several times I've stopped myself mid-decorating and thought "I shouldn't be touching this!!!" (Ugh!). As you dig back toward the trunk of the tree, the greenery filling the branches starts to look more like a "normal" artificial tree."

If Balsam Hill isn't in the cards, I'd recommend going to Target and selecting a faux tree that you can see in person. It's so hard to judge online whether the tree will look good when it actually shows up (I would trust Balsam Hill, however), and for less expensive options, Target has a great selection.

That said, learn from my mistake and do not get a pre-lit tree. Eventually, no matter how expensive the tree, the lights will go out...and repairing them if hard, perhaps impossible. So, opt for a "normal" fake tree - and put the lights on yourself. Isn't that part of the fun anyway?

Decorating for Christmas without a tree

Before we move onto other bits of Christmas decor, a note on traditional Christmas decor without a tree. Whether it's cost, allergies, or lack of space, many things keep people from having a Christmas tree. Never fear! There's no reason your home won't be just as festive - skip ahead of the ornament section and keep reading for more tips on decorating your home, that don't rely on a tree.

Traditional Christmas Decor:
Perfect Christmas Ornaments & Tree Skirts

Traditional Christmas Ornaments

Finding tasteful, traditional Christmas ornaments, at a reasonable price point, was a bit of a struggle, but I'm happy to say I finally figured out how to manage it! Marshall's (or TJ Maxx, etc.), have excellent ornaments, which are wallet-friendly. You have to dig a bit to find the "good ones," but it's well worth the work.

I love tasteful ornaments as souvenirs on vacation - for more on buying the right souvenirs on vacation, check out: Making Smart Vacation Purchases.

I'd recommend keeping the ornament colors simple and uniform, for a more elevated appearance. For me, it's green, gold, & red ornaments only. And then I mix in a very limited number of gifted ornaments, or ornaments we've picked up on vacation. 

Monogramed tree skirts

Nothing completes your tree like a personalized tree skirt. They also make great Christmas gifts for newly married couples!

Traditional Christmas Decor:​ ​Wreaths and garland

Part of the "Christmas ambiance" of any house is the addition of garland and wreaths. Front door wreaths are the first thing guests see upon arriving at your home, and there's certainly nothing quite like opening the door and being greeted by sparkling lights and ornamented bannisters.

Our original garland and wreaths were from Wayfair, which I was happy with, but this year, we upgraded with new purchases from Costco. WOW. Their garland is amazing - slightly more of an investment than the Wayfair option, but it's pre-decorated and the greenery is so much more lush. We put garland on all of the stairs from the basement all the way up to the top of the house, and across the fireplace (in a non-fire-hazard-creating-way). It really adds an extra touch and brightens up those dark winter nights.

Traditional Christmas Decor:​ Scented candles

For me, (non-pine!) scented candles really make Christmas complete. I fill the place up with cranberry, sugarplum, gingerbread, & home for the holidays - whatever that is! 

Yet again, Marshall's really comes through for me on candles! I've had good luck finding candles that actually last a long time and keep their fragrance, and the prices are incredible. I like to go in person and smell them, but maybe that's just me!

Traditional Christmas Decor:​ ​Tartan

If you're curious about the Christmas pyramid in the picture, I actually got it online as well! When the candles heat up, the heat moves the spinning mechanism up top - it's a bit mesmerizing after a while! They're a traditionally German decoration. One word of advice, see if you can find one that comes with candles, like this option from Amazon. Ours did not, and we had a very hard time finding candles that fit properly.

After our first trip to Scotland, Christmas tartan positively took over our house - and it's not going anywhere! I found a ton of tartan, in my Husband's family's proper color scheme, on Etsy. I got the table runner and coordinating pillows - all for a steal!

Traditional Christmas Decor:
​Stocking, holders, & final touches

Almost done! Now it's time for final touches. You'll definitely need some traditional, needlepoint stockings, like ours, seen below! Both LL Bean and Lillian Vernon have classic options. I would definitely urge you to invest in nice, personalized stocking that can be used year after year. It's so fun to pull them out every Christmas - and the feel of the one at my parents' house is the always the same, as I reach my greedy little hand in to make sure I found everything in the toe!

Don't forget the stocking holders! Our doubles as a Christmas card holder, which is great for containing some of the Christmas clutter. If you can, I'd recommend buying some slightly larger holders, as opposed to flimsy metal hooks. I love this set of reindeer from Amazon.

The Shops at Colonial Williamsburg have some tasteful, traditional options for the home every year. And of course it's always great to support a historical cause with your purchases!

Traditional Christmas Decor:
​Avoiding clutter during the Holidays

One last note before we part ways! A common issue that keeps people from feeling happy with their Christmas decor is clutter.

​Your house was already full of stuff, and now you've gone into the basement and brought up a bunch more stuff, jammed it in there, and expect it to look organized.

That doesn't work! When you put out the Christmas decor, put some of your normal trinkets, candles, end table items, etc., back into the Christmas storage boxes, to take a little break while the Christmas stuff is on display.

To keep everything organized during this time, invest in some sturdy storage bins that actually stack well together in your garage/storage area. The ones I linked to area clear, but if they aren't, be sure to label them, so you know which decorations are which, as you're setting them out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Holidays and thanks for much for stopping by! Let me know your traditional holiday decor decorating tips and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year!

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