The cost of Christmas can be extremely overwhelming without throwing lots of living room Christmas decor ideas into the mix. Our living rooms tend to be the center of our Christmas décor, with Christmas trees, garlands, and lights taking center stage.
However, it doesn’t need to get expensive. Reusing and recycling what we already have and making our own decorations can create beautiful Christmas decor on a budget.
Living Room Christmas Decor Ideas
Don’t fancy putting up a tree and want to keep costs down this year? Already have a tree but your decorations are looking a bit tired and dated?
I am always looking for living room Christmas décor ideas as I love our living room to be as festive as possible. This is where we spend a lot of our time on Christmas day, so it is nice to be surrounded by twinkling lights, candles, and Christmas colors whilst we watch the kids unwrap their presents and drink champagne for breakfast!
How Can I Decorate My Living Room for Christmas on a Budget?
The tree always takes center stage in the living room at Christmas, but there are plenty of other festive ways to decorate your living room without breaking the bank.
Here are some small living room Christmas ideas to add a bit of festive cheer to your front room.
1. Decorate Your Mantelpiece or Around your Fireplace
Fireplaces and mantelpieces always take center stage in a living room and a lot of our Christmas decor ideas are based around them. Mantelpiece decorating seems to get bigger and better every year and I have seen some amazing displays on social media.
They are perfect for decorating with garlands, hanging ornaments, or fairy lights.
Buying garlands can be a little expensive, so have a go at creating your own.
You could go foraging for a large evergreen branch and ivy and tie them together with green pipe cleaners, wrapping them with fairy lights. Add a mix of greenery, like pine branches or eucalyptus, and layer in ornaments, pinecones, or ribbon for a lush look.
Natural and homemade always looks better in my opinion and is great if you’re looking for Christmas decor on a budget!
2. Make a Christmas Tree Twig
If you’re looking for small living room Christmas décor ideas, a Christmas tree twig decoration is ideal for a small space! They are really simple to do and you can use decorations you already have.
Depending on the size of the wall you want to hang it from, go for a lovely winter walk and find some twigs and branches in varying lengths to create your Christmas tree shape. Tie the branches together and wrap copper wire fairy lights around them.
Finally, hang some small decorations from the branches and you have your very own compact Christmas tree for your living room!
3. Decorate Your Artwork or Create Your Own Christmas Art
If you haven’t got a fireplace or mantelpiece and are looking for small living room Christmas ideas, don’t worry! You can still make the most of what you do have.
Dedicate a section of wall space to a holiday-themed gallery. You could hang wreaths, framed seasonal artwork, or even a wall-mounted branch adorned with lights and ornaments. For a quick idea, hang holly and ivy with berries from your artwork and mirrors and decorate your furniture with tinsel and garlands.
We save our Christmas cards every year and hang them on our shelves in the living room. My kids enjoy cutting out their favorite images and hanging them from fairy lights with pegs on them.
4. Decorate with Foraged Items
Foraging for your own Christmas décor couldn’t be easier or cheaper. I love the simplicity of your own freshly cut evergreen leaves like fir trees or eucalyptus and they fit in with all styles of décor.
They are extremely easy to display. You can hang them from your chimney breast with command hooks or display them in vases with baubles hanging from them.
5. Hang Paper Decorations From Your Windows and Walls
Another extremely easy and cheap way to make Christmas décor on a budget is to make decorations out of paper.
Brown paper bag stars look stunning alongside foraged items from your garden or the countryside. You can vary them in size and hang them from your mantelpiece or from foraged branches.
I also love creating paper snowflakes every year and hanging them from our windows.
6. Add Fairy Lights, Everywhere!
Fairy lights really shout Christmas to me. Although I do like using them all year round, they don’t have to be confined to the Christmas tree only.
You can drape them around your artwork, shelves, or mantelpiece or even wrap them around your ornaments. You can never have too many fairy lights at Christmas! You can even transform your home into a festive wonderland with outdoor Christmas lights, from twinkling icicles to vibrant string lights that bring holiday magic to your yard!
Another good idea is to use lanterns or hurricane jars filled with battery-operated candles or string lights, either on the floor, coffee table, or shelves for extra ambiance.
7. Make Your Own Christmas Decorations
Social media is full to the brim with DIY decorations at the moment. From paper bag stars to leftover wallpaper baubles, there are crafts and DIY tutorials for the most reluctant (me), to expert level!
Another way to create Christmas décor on a budget is to make your own Christmas wreath and hang it on your chimney. You can buy an artificial fir Christmas wreath from places like Hobbycraft for as little as £6 and add your own items.
Again, they don’t have to be bought from a shop. You can go foraging for branches with berries on them, holly, ivy, and anything that catches your eye.
A favorite of mine is to add dried fruit to your décor. You could easily slice up some oranges, place them on a baking tray, and put them in the oven for around 40 minutes until they are hard and dried out. Perfect for adding to your Christmas wreath.
If you are looking for budget Christmas Tree decoration ideas, pine cones, and ribbons are all you need! Forage for pine cones in your local park and add floral wire to the top to hang from the tree.
You can purchase ribbon online and create little bows that will sit easily on your Christmas tree branches. Adding burlap ribbon with a sage green ribbon provides a wonderfully rustic look to your tree.
Another good Christmas decor idea, and proving quite popular at the moment, is wooden bead garlands on a tree. Again, this is really easy to create.
Purchase some string or twine and buy lots of different-sized wooden beads. Thread them onto the string and tie a loop knot at either side. You can hang this on your Christmas tree for a rustic homemade look.
8. Fill Jars with Foliage and Fairy Lights
Creating your own Christmas scene in old jam jars or containers can be lots of fun. Collect moss from your garden and use little pine cones covered in glitter to create a miniature winter wonderland.
Use different-sized jars, fill them with fairy lights, and place them on your coffee table, shelves, and by the fireplace.
9. Create a Coffee Table Centerpiece with Candles and Christmas Ornaments
Don’t have any jam jars or containers? Use a shallow bowl or fruit bowl and fill it with foliage, fairy lights, and baubles. This is a great way to create a centerpiece for your coffee table or dining room table without too much fuss.
Or, use a tray from your kitchen and fill it with candles, Christmas ornaments, and foliage. Add a festive touch with a seasonal candle scent like pine, cinnamon, or vanilla.
10. Create a Faux Tree Alternative
If you don’t have much room in your home, arrange a collection of mini tabletop trees on a console, coffee table, or side table. You can use trees in different textures, like wood, ceramic, or fabric, or make a cohesive look with matching colors.
For a whimsical touch, consider a wall-mounted “tree” made of twinkling lights, garland, or washi tape. You can even hang small ornaments or photos from it.
11. Keep Your Décor Simple
Finally, one of the best ways to add Christmas décor on a budget is to keep it simple. I think we can all get a bit carried away at this time of year and social media certainly doesn’t help.
We’re all led to believe that everyone has a Christmas bauble bomb that is thrown into our living rooms and automatically creates a huge and over-the-top Christmas winter wonderland in our living rooms.
But sometimes, less is more!
Keeping your décor simple with a few foraged items, hanging your Christmas cards up, and adding some fairy lights is all you need. So, get those secateurs out and grab a few evergreen branches on your next country walk.
Keeping your Christmas décor ideas homemade, simple, and eco-friendly is not only good for the environment, but it’s also good for your wallet too!
