Christmas Articles The Art Of Christmas Decorating On A Budget Christmas Tip! Trail blazing Christmas excitement - yes it's true that retailers actually were the ones responsible for making Christmas popular to the masses. They extended Christmas into the wider community by decorating stores, putting on specials and adding colorful festive displays, choirs and in some cases small pantomime plays. Many avid Christmas decorators begin unpacking boxes of their holiday treasures as soon as Thanksgiving is a reality. The market for Christmas decorations is a big one - from homespun trinkets, to ornate Victorian accessories and valuable holiday heirlooms. Everyone seems to have an individual style when it comes to Christmas decorating. But what if your budget is tight and your resources are limited? You can still create a fun and festive home with handmade ornaments and Christmas decorations that are created from materials that you have lying around your house. So get out your glue gun and put on your thinking cap, because it is time to indulge in a little Christmas decorating! Decorating Your Tree The ideas for low-cost Christmas tree decorating are virtually unlimited. The first place you can hunt for materials and ideas is in your own kitchen. Once you have finished cutting out those holiday cookies, wash up your cookie cutters and hang them from your tree branches with bits of festive ribbon. You can bake up some ornaments as well, using a regular cookie dough recipe, or a salt dough recipe for cookies that can be painted for a more durable finish. Need garland? How about the traditional popcorn and cranberry strings that have been adorning trees for years? For real country look, dry some apple and orange slices in your oven and tie them to your tree with some more festive ribbon scraps. The next place you can look for your Christmas decorating materials is in your own back yard. Sticks and twigs can be shaped and tied to create rustic stars to hang from your tree or porch. Acorns and pinecones can be spray painted gold and silver, or simply left alone for a more natural look. Hang from the tree branches or fill a basket for your fireplace hearth or coffee table. Pretty branches from boxwood or other garden plants can be molded around a wreath form or placed in a jar for a natural looking centerpiece. And don't overlook the beauty and simplicity of a basket of pine boughs adorning your table as well. Finally, your sewing basket will give you another unlimited supply of material for Christmas decorating. Fabric scraps can be used to create ornaments or garlands, especially when strung with beads and buttons. Strips of fabric in Christmas hues can be wrapped around Styrofoam balls, and placed into a festive bowl or basket. Potpourri can be tied into pouches of netting and hung from the tree for a Christmas decoration that is pleasing to the nose as well as the eyes. Mittens that have lost a mate can be hung from the tree, and orphan socks can be hung from the mantle. With a little craftiness and plenty of artistic flair, your home can be transformed into the Christmas wonderland that you are dreaming about. By using supplies that you find around your house and yard, your Christmas decorating will delight your entire family without putting a crimp into your budget.