If you’ve hesitated to decorate your space for the holidays because you don’t want to spend a lot of money on temporary decor, I totally feel you. You might be even more budget-conscious this year since the holidays might involve much less entertaining and activities than in previous years. When I decorated our first apartment for the holidays for the first time, I only spent $20 on holiday decor! Although there’s nothing like a real live Christmas tree to turn your house into a holiday home, there are a few ways you can infuse some holiday cheer into your living space without compromising on practicality or budget! Here are some simple and budget-friendly holiday decor ideas for 2020.

Greenery
Add a splash of real or faux greenery with a wreath, a garland, or a mini tree. Half garlands around mirrors are very trendy and non committal, but there’s nothing like the scent of a fresh homemade wreath! You can also hang wreaths on doorways or bookcases, like shown here.

Something Red
Round out your Christmas colors with something red like ribbons, stockings, fur, or plaid. You can use throw pillows and blankets as another way to temporarily bring in some red. Even if you have a more neutral design scheme like in my current living room, red is quintessential Christmas.




Ornaments
You don’t need a tree to have ornaments – put them in bowls, vases, on the door, you name it. Our ornament wreath is my favorite decor piece from this apartment setup – can you believe I found it at CVS?!

Lights
String lights are a perfect way to include some cheer around your home. Even if you don’t have a tree, drape lights around a door, a bookcase, or wrap them around a wreath. Candles are another way you can incorporate light into your decor. Tapered candles are really elegant, and scented candles can bring in the smell of Christmas even if you’re using faux greenery.
All these tiny elements are enough to get in the Christmas spirit, especially as soon as you turn on a Christmas playlist and light a holiday scented candle!
What budget friendly holiday decor are you looking to buy (or even DIY!) for the 2020 holiday season?
Great ideas! I will given these suggestions to my daughter to decorate her apartment for Christmas. Instead of doing the big tree, this would be perfect for her apartment for her and my grandson. The living area is not very spacious.