Budget-Friendly Guide to Christmas Party Table Decorations

When you are under a tight budget, you may find it challenging to find or make cheap Christmas table decorations for your holiday party. Plan early so that you have the time to make and/or bargain shop for Christmas party decorations. To get you started, here are some ideas of both store bought and home-made decorations for your Christmas table.

Hanging Centerpiece
By creating a hanging centerpiece, you can keep a clear view of your guests and save space for important stuff like food in the center. All you need is a little creativity. You can hang ribbons, Christmas ornaments, snowflakes whatever you like from your dining room chandelier or light. Use Christmas decorations from around the house and play with it until you like it.

Natural Materials
If you live where there is an abundance of or at least a cheap supply of pine trees and pine cones, you are in luck. There is so much you can do. Think simple.

1. Add a twig of pine needles to each wine glass. With a white table setting, this will really draw out the green.
2. Create simple pine cone Christmas trees by placing them upright in silver base such as an old candlestick holder. To keep the natural feel, don't over decorate. Sprinkle a little glitter and put a star on top.
3. Fill a wooden basket with green pine boughs, brown pine cones and red roses-paper roses, that is. You can download a paper rose template and instructions at Printable Paper Art by clicking here.

Candy
Incorporating beautiful seasonal candies into your decorations is an easy and inexpensive way to liven up your table.

1. Place these Christmas tree swirls or these Holiday Twist Pops from Oriental Trading Co. in a clear glass or jar and then tie with Christmas ribbons or bows. Hint: Fill the bottom with jellied candies to camouflage the sticks.
2. Glue candy cane sticks to the sides of a thick cheap vase and put fresh cut seasonal flowers.
3. Make a peppermint (or other candy) tree by gluing candies to the sides of a Styrofoam cone. Candlesticks make a nice silver base.
4. Make an edible 3-d snowglobe cookie and use it as a place card holder (by frosting your guest's name on it). Michaels has everything you need including instructions on how to make it here.

Party Crackers
Party Crackers with their decorative wrappings, the nice pop sound when you pull and a secret prize with a pastel paper crown inside are a tradition in my family. I do still refuse to wear the crown against my mom's protestations but the party cracker idea is simple, beautiful and fun. However, buying Christmas party crackers can be expensive. You can save by making your own. Most of what you need you probably already have at home except for the cracker snaps. You can order 25 cracker snaps for $4.25 from the Old English Crackers website. They also have a page on how to make party crackers and sell the necessary supplies on their site. To really save money, I would follow Chica and Jo's instructions which you can view by clicking here.

If you think creatively and plan ahead, you can make or find cheap Christmas table decorations for your party. You can find inspiration by reading articles such as this one but by looking around you and experimenting. Some of the best decorations come from using ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

If you need some ideas for family Christmas games to play at your holiday party click on the link below to read my article Best Family Christmas Party Games:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2325548/best_family_christmas_party_games.html?cat=25