Unless you are a staunch puritan or an obsessive minimalist, there's no escaping Christmas decorations. This is particularly true when there are children in the home. This is good news as we all love a bit of tinsel! Tinsel is, however, expensive. Viewed as a long-term investment, shop-bought decorations probably are the most economical way to go. However, we're not talking long-term here so let's get going.

Christmas Trees

A Christmas tree is pretty much a 'must have' above all other decorations. In the long-term, the most economical way to buy a tree is to purchase one in a pot, bring it in for Christmas and return it to the garden until Christmas comes round again. Of course, the budget may not allow for this and you may not have the necessary outside space.

The cheapest trees are, of course, artificial. They can be bought for less than £10.00 and will last year after year - some even come with their decorations already attached (but where's the fun in that?!).

If your budget does not stretch to a cheap Christmas tree, you could decorate a large house plant indoors or a shrub or tree already growing in your garden or on your patio.

Edible decorations Fruit pastilles are a perennial favourite with children and adults alike. Why not thread them onto green cotton and hang from the Christmas tree? You can do the same with wrapped chocolates by piercing the 'twists' of their cellophane and dangling them from the branches. Polo mints will look quirky on a white-themed tree. Popcorn is lots of fun too. Pop a whole bag full and then toss some in red and the rest in green food colouring. It can then be threaded into strings to hang either on the tree or along the walls/bannisters etc. Take care that the food colouring will not damage wallpaper or painted surfaces.

Remember, if you plan to eat any decorations, do not spray them with fake snow, glitter spray or any other product as this will render them inedible.

Snowflakes

Nothing says 'Winter' like a snowflake. Paper snowflakes always look great and have a multitude of uses. Cut out a circle of white paper, fold in half, then into three equal sections. Cut shapes of all kinds, simple or intricate as you like, out of the folded edges, taking care not to cut across the whole snowflake. Open up and, hey presto, a snowflake. Tape little ones onto a length of string and hang them from walls, doors, windows etc. Larger ones can be hung on windows or from the ceiling. For more elaborate designs, decorate them with glitter glue or a sprinkling of silver glitter.

Christmas Cards

Cards, themselves, can serve as great wall-covering decorations. Affix a length of string across a portion of your wall and rest the cards over it (like towels on a washing line). The colourful designs will brighten up your room for free. Alternatively, affix a piece of string to the top of your internal doors and thread the cards onto it so the display hangs down and is fixed again at the bottom. You can purchase tiny 'clothes pegs' to do the job or you can pierce each card with the string and use a small knot to keep it in position.

Candles Candles are synonymous with Christmas and have a multitude of uses. However, Christmas can be a chaotic time in any home - adults are busy/asleep, alcohol is perhaps more plentiful than usual and children are rushing around on a sugar high while pets don't know what's going on. This makes the humble candle something of a potential hazard. Use them, by all means, but contain them for safety. Small candles and tea lights look great in small, sparkling clean jam/coffee jars.

Think ahead during the year and save any small jar you think would be useful. If you, or the children, are feeling creative, you can paint these jars using glass paints from your local craft supplier. Alternatively, a light bed of glitter or non-flammable decoration placed in the jar with the candle can make it really special.

Plain candles can be livened up with the addition of some festive magic. If you have some thin wire, thread some red berries, sequins or small beads onto it and wrap loosely around the candle. Alternatively, embed red or gold beads into the sides of the candle for decoration. Make miniature Christmas wreaths to encircle the base of the candle (ensure these are not made of flammable materials). 

Snowman Garland (courtesy of jas.familyfun.go.com)

Whether you live in a cold or warm climate, your kids can have fun rounding up these decorative little snowmen. String them together, and they look great as a doorway or banister adornment. Or you can hang them singly as tree ornaments.

For a simple, printable pattern of this craft, try our snowman.pdf.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	2 different-size jar lids (we used one with a 2-inch diameter and another with a 3-inch diameter)
	Cardboard
	Pencil
	4 or more 9- by 12-inch sheets of white craft foam
	Puffy paints
	Ribbon, fleece, and felt
	Small pom-poms
	Tacky glue
	3 yards or more of thin ribbon
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Create a template by tracing the jar lids (the smaller one above the larger one, their rims touching) onto the cardboard and cutting out the snowman shape. Use the template to draw snowmen on the craft foam (we fit six per sheet) and cut them out.

2. Now your child can use puffy paints to add facial features and buttons. While the paint dries, she can cut out ribbon or fleece scarves (about 12 inches long) to tie around the snowmen's necks, as well as brimmed felt hats or stocking caps -- complete with a small pom-pom glued to the end -- to glue on their heads.

3. To string the snowmen into a garland, loop the ribbon once around the back of each of their scarves. Keep the loops loose enough that you can slide the snowmen into place along the strand.

Salt dough shapes

Salt dough is an extremely cheap material from which to make decorations and children love its gooiness!  Mix your dough, roll out and make your shapes. Paint with food colouring or poster paints and varnish if you want to keep them forever. Don't forget to pierce a hole in the shape before baking. Use lengths of ribbon or sparkly thread to hang your decorations on the Christmas tree or from door handles, on windows etc.

Here's a basic recipe (courtesy of Gigglemoose.com):

Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1-1/2 cups hot water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (optional)

Mix the salt and flour together, then gradually add the water until the dough becomes elastic. (Some recipes call for 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil at this point.) If your mixture turns out too sticky, simply add more flour. If it turns out too crumbly, simply add more water. Knead the dough until it’s a good consistency—then get out rolling pins, cups, bowls, straws, cookie cutters, plastic utensils, and let the fun begin!

If you want colored dough, mix food coloring, powdered drink mix, or paint into the water before adding it to the dry ingredients. Or you can paint your creations after baking them at 200 degrees. Baking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of the object, but make sure that all of it is hard. If the dough starts to darken before cooking is complete, cover with aluminum foil. Painted keepsakes will need to be sealed on all sides with clear varnish or polyurethane spray.

You can store your salt dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator, but usually not more than a couple of days.