Every year, our Christmas decor seems to grow just a little bit. After all, we’re basically the Griswolds around here! My husband and I both love nothing more than a cozy home decked out in Christmas lights and decor, so it’s no surprise that we have five trees (and counting!) decorated in our house. Stick along as I share some favorite spots in our cozy holiday home along with some of my favorite tips for decking the halls without breaking the bank.
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Living Room Holiday Decor
Dining Room Holiday Decor
Kitchen Holiday Decor
How to Achieve a Cozy Holiday Home on a Budget
Take your time.
First things first, don’t feel like you have to have all the things right now. It’s easy to get carried away, especially when you step into a store filled with gorgeous Christmas decor. However, one of the ways we’ve been able to decorate so much of our home for the holidays is by picking up decor here and there over the years – starting when we got married six years ago. This is a very cost-effective way to collect Christmas decor for your home!
Shop the sales.
Another way to decorate on a budget – buy when the decor is on sale. And luckily, it’s usually on sale starting in the fall at places like Hobby Lobby and Kirkland’s. Admittedly, it’s easy to get carried away when you spot a sale, but enlist the rule above of taking your time and only pick up a few things you truly love. I’ve been keeping a list of decor I want but don’t have yet, and when I see something that’s an amazing deal, I will usually snag it while it’s deeply discounted! Black Friday is also a fantastic time to get your big ticket items – Christmas trees, lights, ornaments, etc. For example, we needed new lighted trees for our front porch and found an amazing deal on Black Friday – so they came home with us! And don’t forget the post-holiday sales, too – I’ve snagged some great finds at Pier One after Christmas for more than half off.
Give it a glow.
Some Christmas decor can get pricey, but one of my favorite ways to amp up the festivity in our home is simply by stringing inexpensive Christmas lights throughout the house. The girls love having a string of multicolored lights in their bathroom draped over the mirror, and we put a string of white lights in our bathroom and wrap white lights around the stair banister leading to the playroom (the stairs are at the back of the house, or I would use lighted garland instead!). We also like to add multicolored lights in the girls’ playroom to give it a warm, cheerful glow.
Tackle DIY projects.
I’ve actually been able to amp up our holiday decor quite a bit by DIY’ing some of it. This usually ends up being very cost-effective vs. buying premade decor. For example, I purchased plain faux evergreen wreaths (one was lighted for the front door) and floral decor/filler and ribbon from Hobby Lobby when it was 50% off and made my own Christmas wreaths. I probably spent $20-25 at most per wreath, whereas buying one premade would have set me back $75 or more. Bonus – it also makes it easy and cost-effective to switch out themes and colors each year, if you prefer to change it up.
I also made cute kitchen cabinet wreaths last Christmas using mini wreaths purchased in bulk and ribbon I purchased on sale, which I measured and cut to give uniformity to all cabinets. This simple project has transformed our kitchen into a Christmas wonderland like the rest of our home!
Add simple festive touches.
One of the keys to achieving a cozy holiday home is adding festive touches throughout the home in unexpected places. Adding holiday throw pillows to our sofa adds coziness and we did this on the cheap. We picked up two pillows several years ago from Hobby Lobby when they were on sale and this year, I added to our collection by purchasing two black and white buffalo check pillow covers from Amazon to use with our existing sofa pillows. This is a great way to not only save money (using existing pillows) but it also saves storage space, since you only have to put away covers and not actual pillows! A few other fun ways to amp up your decor easily:
- Buy cheap frames (Dollar Tree or IKEA) and frame previous years’ Christmas photo cards to display.
- Purchase a steeply discounted photo canvas (Groupon usually has these) with your family Christmas photo printed on it to display.
- Get inexpensive mini trees (we got ours from Target) for your kids’ rooms and allow them to decorate the trees. My girls love sleeping with the glow of their mini Christmas trees during the holidays and it gives a festive touch to their rooms.
- Burn a holiday scented candle or wax melt or diffuse holiday essential oils. Nothing says Happy Holidays better than the sweet smell of a Christmas tree.
- Bring home Christmas tree greenery. If you cut down a fresh tree or buy one pre-cut, there are usually some branches that get cut off in the process. Snag those pieces and bring them home to create a gorgeous-looking and smelling centerpiece for your table.
Fun Holiday Traditions for Families
In the end, one of the best ways to achieve a cozy holiday home is by spending time creating memories with loved ones. It doesn’t require intricate, expensive decor in order to have all of the holiday feels this Christmas! A few simple touches here and there can transform your home into a holiday wonderland, perfect for enjoying the holidays with loved ones.
Thanks for stopping by to view my Cozy Holiday Home Tour! Make sure to visit the rest of the tour stops.
Colorful Christmas Decor Ideas In The Living Room / 10+ DIY Cozy Christmas Home Decor Ideas / Simple Christmas Dining Room Home Tour / Christmas Farmhouse Home Decor Tour / Cozy Christmas Decor Ideas

I love your wreaths on your kitchen cabinets! It’s been something I’ve always wanted to do, too! Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us. 🙂
Thank you! It was actually a super easy project and adds a ton of holiday cheer in our kitchen 🙂
What a beautiful holiday filled home! Thank you so much for sharing these ideas with us at the Happy Holidays Link Party. Pinned.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it <3
So beautiful! I love the tips and how practical they are!
Thank you! <3