This holiday season is busier than most at my house. We’ve just moved, and there are boxes everywhere. While ordinarily I would be looking for all sorts of new ornaments to share with you (and to end up buying to trim my tree), decorating a Christmas tree seems unlikely this year. It is possible that we will still find the time to put up the tree, but I have been looking for other easy ways to make things festive for the holidays. With so many things to do at this time of year, it is nice to find some shortcuts.
This year I am going to start by decorating with a few easy DIY projects that will set the mood. I will be stringing ribbon so that I can attach holiday cards as they arrive. Next, I will be setting up a display with my nutcracker and some ornaments in jars. This particular project couldn’t be more simple to do, but it has such great impact. I start with two tall, glass jars. Then I fill them with varying sizes and colors of glass ornaments. For the ones pictured, I have used silver, red, and some with glitter. The ornaments don’t have to be expensive–some of these came from the $1 section at Target–just varied enough to complement one another. I carefully layer the ornaments to make sure the smaller ones fill the gaps left by the larger ones, and that the colors are evenly dispersed. Once I am satisfied with the overall look, I place them on a mantel or shelf and enjoy.
Over the last couple years I have noticed more and more ideas for tree alternatives or full-of-cheer decorating for small spaces. Here are a few of my other favorites that I might try this year:
- Tree made of strung lights (IKEA via Design Sponge)
- Framed ornaments (from Dans le Lakehouse)
- An understated mantel (from Real Simple)
- DIY Makeshift Tree Wall Hanging (from Almost Makes Perfect)
- Ornament chandelier (from Real Simple)
- A second version of the string of lights tree (from Domino via Apartment Therapy)
For more ideas, check out these DIY holiday candle holders and my Holiday Decorating board on Pinterest.
