Low-cost decorating for Christmas, from the tree to the front door
Often the first place to check is inside the boxes already packed away in a closet, basement, or garage. Relatives and neighbors may also have lights, ornaments, or an artificial tree they no longer use and might be glad to pass along.
Many decorations only need to be bought once, and then they can be used again for years. A string of lights or a box of ornaments found this year may still be in use several Christmases from now if it is packed away carefully.
After a short section on where to look, each kind of decoration has its own section below, with the free or low-cost ways to get it. Safety steps are included where they matter most, which is mainly for trees, lights, and candles.
Places that may have free or used decorations
Neighborhood gifting groups, including the ones in the Buy Nothing app, let people give away things they no longer need and ask for things they want, with no money involved. Boxes of ornaments, strings of lights, and artificial trees are often offered in these groups around the holidays.
The free sections of neighborhood apps and online classified sites may list the same kinds of items. Each of these sites is explained on the site's page about websites and apps that list free items. That page also covers how to get an alert when something new is posted.
Charity thrift stores may put holiday items on the shelves as the season gets closer, often for much less than the same things cost new. Stores in many counties are included in the site's listings of bargains at secondhand thrift stores.
Church rummage sales, holiday bazaars, and fall yard sales may also sell Christmas items for very little. Dollar stores and discount stores can be an inexpensive place to buy new supplies such as ribbon, craft glue, and small ornaments.
Anything secondhand that plugs in, such as a light string or a lighted figure, needs a close look before it goes up. The section on lights explains what to check.
Finding a tree without paying much
A used artificial tree is often the least expensive choice, and it can be set up again every year. These trees may be offered in gifting groups, sold at thrift stores, or passed down by relatives who bought a new one.
Before taking one home, check that the stand and all the sections are there. If the tree has lights built in, look them over the same way as any other string of lights.
When buying or accepting an artificial tree, look for a "fire resistant" label. The label means the tree is made to resist burning, although it can still catch fire.
An older metal tree, such as an aluminum one, should never have electric lights on it. A faulty light string can charge the metal branches with electricity, and a person who touches them could get a dangerous shock.
A small tabletop tree, or a few evergreen branches in a heavy vase, can also take the place of a full-size tree, especially in a small apartment. Some families make a tree shape on a wall with garland, paper, or a light string instead.
In many parts of the country, a family may be able to buy a low-cost permit to cut one tree in a marked area of a national forest. The U.S. Forest Service sells permits for many forests on the Christmas tree permit page at Recreation.gov at https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits, and ranger stations often sell them in person too. Each forest sets its own cutting dates, areas, and size limits, so read the rules for that forest before going.
Fourth graders who sign up for a free Every Kid Outdoors pass at https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.html may be able to get a tree permit at no charge. A small processing fee may still apply when the permit is ordered online.
Cutting a tree takes a vehicle, a saw, and time outdoors, often in cold weather. This choice tends to work best for families who live a reasonable drive from a national forest. For families who cannot get to a forest, the guide to where to get a free Christmas tree describes the charities, churches, and stores that may give trees away.
A fresh cut tree has green needles that are hard to pull off and do not break when bent. Once the tree is home, add water to the stand every day, since a dry tree can catch fire and burn very fast.
The U.S. Fire Administration's holiday fire safety tips at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/holiday/ also say to keep a tree at least 3 feet from fireplaces, space heaters, radiators, candles, and heat vents. The same tips say to set the tree where it does not block a way out of the home. They also say to get rid of the tree after Christmas or once it dries out.
Lights, and what they may add to the electric bill
Strings of lights are often easy to find used or free, and some cities and electric companies may also hold events to trade old strings for new LED ones. These events are often limited to the electric company's own customers and to a few strings per household. The company's website or customer service line may say whether one is planned.
LED strings tend to use far less electricity than older incandescent strings, which are the kind with small glass bulbs that get warm. They also tend to stay cooler and last longer, so when an old string stops working, an LED string is often the better choice for keeping the electric bill down.
To estimate what a set of lights adds to the bill, find the watts, which are usually listed on the box or on the tag near the plug. Multiply the watts by the number of hours the lights will be on each day, and then divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours.
A kilowatt-hour is the unit electric companies use to charge for power, and the price for each one is usually shown on the bill. Multiply the kilowatt-hours by that price, and then by the number of days the lights will be up, to get a rough idea of the cost for the season. When the bill is already hard to pay, read about help with utility bills on this site.
A plug-in timer can be an inexpensive way to turn lights off at the same time each night. The U.S. Fire Administration also advises unplugging tree lights before going to bed or leaving home. Solar-powered lights for the yard do not use any power from the home, although they may shine less after cloudy days.
Whether the lights are new, used, or free, look on the package or the tag near the plug for a mark from a nationally recognized testing lab. That mark means the lights were checked against safety standards. Check each string for cracked or broken sockets, frayed or bare wires, and loose connections, and throw away any string that is damaged.
Lights used outdoors should have a label saying they are made for outdoor use. They should also be plugged into an outlet with ground-fault protection, which is the kind with small test and reset buttons, or into a portable adapter with the same protection.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission's holiday safety page at https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Holiday-Safety warns against connecting more than three sets of incandescent lights together and against plugging too much into one outlet. For LED strings, the package directions usually say how many can be connected end to end.
Wreaths, garland, and fresh greenery
Branches trimmed from evergreen trees or shrubs in your own yard can be tied into a wreath, laid along a mantel, or set in a jar of water. Take branches only from your own property or with the owner's permission, because cutting on public land may need a permit. Fresh branches dry out over the season, so keep them away from candles, heaters, and fireplaces, just as with a tree.
Some tree lots and garden centers may let people take the branches trimmed from the bottoms of trees, so it can be worth asking before paying for a wreath. A wire coat hanger bent into a circle can be used as the frame for a wreath, with the branches tied on with string or thin wire.
Garland can also be made from paper chains, strips of old fabric, or popcorn and cranberries threaded on string. Paper chains are often an easy project for children, and the paper can come from old magazines or junk mail.
Ornaments and a star for the top of the tree
Thrift stores often sell mixed bags or boxes of ornaments for less than a new set, and gifting groups may have them for free. Homemade ornaments can fill the empty spots on the tree for almost nothing.
Pine cones, dried orange slices, and shapes cut from old greeting cards or cereal boxes can all become ornaments with a loop of string or ribbon. Orange slices can be dried in the oven on low heat, which often takes a few hours.
Children's drawings glued to cardboard, or family photos in small paper frames, can also hang on the tree. A star for the top can be cut from cardboard and covered with foil or leftover wrapping paper.
In a home with small children, hang breakable ornaments and anything with small parts on higher branches. Keep anything made from food, such as popcorn garland or dried fruit, out of reach too, since young children may try to eat it.
Stockings, windows, and the table
Stockings can be cut from felt or an old sweater and then sewn or glued along the edges. A name can be added with a marker, fabric paint, or scraps of cloth.
Paper snowflakes cut from printer paper or coffee filters can be taped to windows, and they cost almost nothing to make. Window clings from a dollar store may be another inexpensive choice, and many of them can be peeled off and saved for next year.
For the table, a bowl or glass jar filled with ornaments, pine cones, and a few branches can serve as a centerpiece. Leftover ribbon tied around napkins or jars can add color at no extra cost.
Battery-powered candles are a common choice for tables and windows, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests flameless candles whenever possible. They can be used again each year, although the batteries will need to be replaced.
Many battery candles and their remote controls use small coin batteries, which can cause serious internal burns if a child swallows one. Keep spare batteries, and any candle with a battery cover that opens easily, out of reach. Get medical help right away if a child may have swallowed a battery.
If real candles are used, keep them in sturdy holders at least 12 inches from anything that can burn. Blow them out before leaving the room or going to sleep.
The front door, porch, and yard
A wreath on the door, a light string along the porch rail, and a homemade sign can decorate the outside of a home without costing much. Signs can be painted on scrap wood, or on cardboard if the sign is kept out of rain and snow.
Paper bags with a little sand in the bottom and a battery tea light inside can line a walkway. Using battery lights instead of candles avoids putting an open flame inside a paper bag.
Large inflatable yard figures usually run a fan the whole time they are up and plugged in, so they add to the electric bill each night. A timer can keep inflatables and outdoor lights on only during the evening hours when people are likely to see them.
After Christmas, buying for next year and packing things away
Stores often mark down lights, ornaments, wreaths, and artificial trees in the days after Christmas, which can be the cheapest time to replace something that broke. A short list of what broke or wore out this year can help the family buy only what it needs.
Before packing the lights away, throw out any string that stopped working or has damaged wires. Wrapping each good string around a piece of cardboard helps keep the wires from tangling and may help them last longer.
Ornaments can be packed in egg cartons or shoe boxes with newspaper between them. Storing the boxes in a dry place helps keep paper crafts and lights from getting damp. Anything the family no longer wants can be posted in a gifting group, where another household may be able to use it next year.
Many cities and towns collect real trees at the curb or at drop-off sites in the weeks after Christmas. Lights, hooks, and ornaments normally need to be removed first.
Tree permit rules and fees are set by each national forest, and light exchange events and thrift store stock vary by area and season. Follow the package directions that come with any lights or other electrical decoration.
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