How to Style Christmas Table Decor on a Budget

Today we’re sharing our tips for finding and styling Christmas table decor on a budget.

This post was originally published in November 2020 and has since been updated.

Remember having dinner parties? or at least inviting family over for dinner? It feels like it’s been a really long time since that has happened. I honestly miss having some great conversations over the dinner table. Not that we don’t, but it’s usually a rushed dinner just to start our nighttime routine with the kids.

I decided that instead of waiting for Christmas Day, we would invite my parents over for dinner a few weeks early. So that I could show you how to find and style Christmas table decor on a budget.

I love challenging myself and my skills by staying within a budget and styling a space to look intentional. In today’s lesson, we’re going to be diving into six ways I make Christmas table decor on a budget look intentional.

How to Style Christmas Table Decor on a Budget

I truly believe that you don’t need to spend a ton of money on home decor, especially when it comes to table decor. But there are some things I will invest in, things like dishes, and wine glasses that I’ll use for special occasions. Those are the decor ideas that will take your budget table setting from looking cheap to intentional.

Step One: Find Inspiration

When I’m decorating just about any room in our home, I like to start with an inspiration picture. Our Holiday decor was no different. I found a few tablescapes I loved, and from there I wrote down everything those tables had in common.

Things like:

• garland
• plates and silverware
• wine glasses
• candlesticks
• candlestick holders
• fruit or fresh flowers
• natural placemats
• white table cloth
• table runner
• cloth napkins

Step Two: Shop Your Home First

Next, I will shop my own home! If you’re anything like me, then you probably have so much stuff you forgot you own.

Step Three: Make a List

I checked Amazon, and Walmart because they are usually the cheapest and quickest to order from. If there are sales happening I will often spend a few minutes searching for those as well.

Step Four: Take the List to The Thrift Shop

But before I order anything or go shopping I head to the thrift shop. It’s my hidden gem where I find most of my antiques and majorly discounted decor pieces. Trust me, once you know what to look for you’ll be able to find some amazing things on a budget.

Step Five: Make the Most of What you Have

I like giving myself a budget especially since this is my job and I wouldn’t be able to afford it if I didn’t. But regardless of whether I was doing this for work or not, I always think about purchasing items that I can re-use for years to come.

It also means I’ll try to make the most of what I already have.

For example, I clipped a few branches from some pines outside and stuck them in the garland I grabbed from Michaels. It’s the perfect example of how you can totally spend a little more time effort into turning something you already own into something special.

Step Six: Mix High and Low

When it comes to turning your DIY Christmas table into something special you want to think about mixing high and low-priced holiday decor. Things like thrifted candle holders, glass jars, or a glass vase can be mixed with more expensive plate sets like the ones I’ve liked below.

Your guest will never know you had a minimal budget for your table setting.

Other fun ideas for Christmas dinner

• I also wanted to share a few centerpiece ideas to make the most of your table. I love creating a Christmas centerpiece festive by including a full-length garland, with 5 to 6 pine or cedar clippings. Get creative with candy canes, and pine cones in a glass vase.

• Another idea is to use Christmas cards as place settings, turn them inside out and write your guest’s name on it.

• Regarless if you have a white christmas or not, we love adding a bit of snow to our Gingerbread houses and use them as a fun table decoration.

Read all 10 of our tips for Hosting a Gingerbread Decorating Party.

Shop our Christmas Table Decor

I also thought I would make this super easy and give you links to everything I used for our own budget holiday decor. Just in case you didn’t want to spend time searching thrift shops, or making your own garland. You can easily find it all below!

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More budget-friendly ideas

How to make cheap curtains look expensive

How to replace old wall paneling on a budget