Simple Christmas Decorating

Simple. It’s something I’m looking for lately.  When I started unpacking the Christmas boxes this year, half of the stuff didn’t even make it out of the box. And I’m not one bit sad about it. I need more “simple” in my life. So that’s what I’ve got going on with my Christmas decor this year.

I intended to have an actual “house tour” for Christmas. But real life struck.  My tree isn’t up. My living room is a disaster zone because one of our projects took twice as long, cost more money, and resulted in an emergency service call to a plumber. So there’s that.

Simple Christmas Decorating

I guess when I say simple Christmas decorating, I should explain.  There’s a lot of stuff going on in these rooms. But nothing that took a ton of time or money. I’m a big fan of using things year after year. I just can’t justify buying all new color schemes or decor each year. And since I tend to stick with neutral colors in these rooms, I don’t really get tired of it.

The only thing I did differently this year is add a bit more white and silver. I found some gorgeous clearance stockings last year and my new Hobby Lobby trees are white.

Along with the faux trees and some random fake branches, I found in my boxes, it looks like a little winter scene. I bought a $3 cone tree at Hobby Lobby, but haven’t had time to decorate it yet.

And because I’m a lazy table decorator, I kept my same IKEA runner on the table which goes well with my black chairs and chandelier. Black accents make me happy – even at Christmas! I put my $10 estate sale tree back up this year in a vintage crock.

I’ve got several DIY ornaments from last year on there along with a few of our new ones.

This room makes me happy and brings me joy. We actually use our dining room for meals so we get to enjoy it for a bit when we eat!

Since we were about to have Thanksgiving here when I took the pics, I used my wedding china. I still love it after all these years and it’s pretty affordable! So if one were to get broken, there would be no tears!

And those pretty little glasses:  I’m quite certain they came from Arby’s a million years ago. My mother-in-law collected the whole set years ago and she gave them to me recently. They match the china and my wintry dining room perfectly.

It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to look good! The silver candlesticks were a wedding gift and they stay out year-round.

DIY Ornaments

Every year I like to DIY a few new things. So this year, I teamed up with my 8-year-old daughter and we put together some super simple Popsicle Stick Ornaments.

I’m using mine as stocking tags on my clearance stockings and she’s going to use hers on the tree (whenever it finally gets up!). A really easy craft that’s fun for kids too!

I’ve learned to keep it simple when crafting with kiddos. It’s not fun for them if you end up having to do the whole thing because it’s so complicated. Simple stick trees. Winner!

Another great way to make simple, inexpensive ornaments is with air dry clay. Check out some easy air dry clay ideas here and make some in time for Christmas.

In total, I think I spent about $20 this year on craft supplies and the few new decor things I bought. And it keeps my simple Christmas decorating a reality. Not everything has to be Instagram perfect and it’s okay.

I need an anti stress Christmas. Is that a thing? Who knows, but I’m certainly going to try! Merry Christmas and please hop around and check out all the other amazing bloggers!