Electricity-Free Christmas Decorations

Whether you want to help save the environment, or whether you're trying to save money for yourself in this time of financial trouble, there are many Christmas decorations that do not use electricity. Here are a few ways to deck the halls without wanting to deck the people who decide on energy prices.

1. Christmas ornaments: When you think of Christmas trees, it's hard to think of them without Christmas ornaments. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. For ornaments that don't need replacing every year due to breakage, try replacing your old ornaments with shatterproof ornaments. If you're already money-conscious, you won't mind spending a little more for these one time, so in the long run, you don't have to spend oodles of money over the year.

2. Garland: Sure, it's a hot mess, but once it's on the tree, and glistening in the light, garland adds a sparkly touch to any Christmas tree. Just make sure you store it properly after each use, or you're going to have a tangled mass of sparkled pieces to get loose.

3. Handmade paper items: If you're a parent of a child in grade school, your child, around the holiday season, is going to come home with massive amounts of Christmas artwork that they made at school. Encourage their creativity, and show off their festive pieces in your home. Save them to admire for years.

4. Battery-operated Christmas lights: If you have the patience to keep up with the battery power on these, then you can have lights without draining your electricity. If you're very environmentally friendly, you may not even have to worry about checking the battery power very often. Not only do battery-operated lights come in regular lights, but there are also battery-operated LED lights.

5. Natural decorations: Use nature as an inspiration. I think that one of the most beautiful and elegant decorations for Christmas is a pinecone chain, made by tying together pinecones you find right outside, with red and green ribbon. For a step about, add holly leaves and berries by gluing them on with a glue gun.

So, if you're looking to make your home festive for the holidays, but are looking to save the earth and/or save big money, think of these ideas for your home decorating this season.