By Dave and Mary

Christmas Decorating on a Budget
10 Ideas for Your Home

Use our Christmas decorating on a budget ideas for your front porch and home this year. Front porches love to be decorated for Christmas and the holidays, but it can be expensive.

Mary and I selected 10 easy holiday decorating ideas that will dress up any porch and not break the bank.

Our goal is inspire you with these free decorating ideas for Christmas. Adapt them to complement your front porch and decorating style, lesson your decorating angst, and make Christmas decorating fun for the entire family.

Many of these ideas use materials you may already have. Substitute as needed depending on what you have available in your home, garage, or attic.

beautiful christmas collage of inexpensive decorating ideas

beautiful christmas collage of inexpensive decorating ideas

You can still create a wonderful holiday spirit on your porch whether you have a small portico or a large wrap around porch. Our inexpensive decorating ideas will save you money and minimize your labor. Keeping it simple is sometimes the best and most rewarding.

Enjoy our Christmas decorating on a budget ideas along with a few of our decorating tips and be sure to explore all of our outdoor Christmas decorating ideas too.

10 Ideas for Christmas Decorating on a Budget

1: PVC Candy Canes

PVC is relatively inexpensive and easy to use for decorating. Purchase lengths of 6" PVC pipe to make candy cane poles. Attach PVC elbows to the top of each pole and paint them white or red. Complete the look by fashion red or white ribbon around the poles.

Make several candy canes of varying sizes and place boxes wrapped as gifts around them. You can also place one on each side of porch columns or position them on either side of your front door.

PVC candy canes on each side of front door

Example of PVC Candy Canes
photo courtesy of yellow dog design

As another option, drill holes in the PVC and hang outdoor lights inside your candy canes!

2: Picture Your Frames

Most of us have picture frames stored away. Now you can put them to good use which helps when Christmas decorating on a budget. Remove the glass and paint the frame in a holiday color like Aimee did of It's Overflowing.

Hang holiday bulbs, other holiday ornaments, or even lights from the top center. Hang on your front door, in front of your windows, or hang from your porch eaves; singularly or in groupings.

Painted holiday picture frame with ornaments
photo and idea courtesy of Aimee of It's Overflowing

3. Wrap Your Porch Columns

Dress up your front porch this holiday by wrapping your porch columns in red, green, silver (or other holiday color) ribbon. It's quick, easy, and definitely makes a holiday statement.

beautifully decorated front porch for the holidays

Front porch columns wrapped for the holidays
photo courtesy of karascorner

porch columns wrapped as snowmen - so very cute

Look close - porch columns wrapped as adorable snowmen

4. Painted Pots

Don't put your summer or fall pots in storage - paint them in holiday colors and attach letters to spell out words like: joy, peace or noel like Vanessa did (At the Picket Fence)

Cut letters from construction paper and cover with clear laminate. Fill pots with pine cones, Christmas balls, other holiday ornaments, or even holiday plants. (Partially fill the pots with other materials like pine needles, newspapers, etc., as fill if needed).

planting pots decorated for the holidays

Vanessa has her pots decked out for the holidays
photo courtesy of At The Picket Fence

5. Reuse Furniture Pieces

There's something special about aged pieces of furniture like Carrie did (Saving4Six). Perhaps they bring forth pleasant memories of days gone by. Place an old wooden chair, stool, or table on your porch and deck it out for the holidays.

Place a painted planter pot filled with pine cones (add a piece of holly for color), holiday ornaments, holiday pillows (burlap covers work well), or other items you may have on hand.

old chair on front porch for holidays

Nostalgic holiday scene using old chair
photo courtesy of Saving4Six

6. Make a Faux Gift Stack

Create an array of Christmas gifts. Collect boxes of different sizes and place a weight in the bottom of each as applicable. Wrap with holiday plastic bags (usually inexpensively available at the Dollar Store). Adorn each with a colorful bow or ribbon.

Arrange them on your porch around a Christmas tree, place on a table or chair, or stack the boxes as you like.

old chair on front porch for holidays

Wrapped Faux Packages on Porch

7. Use Your Stuff

Lean a sled or ladder against your porch column or wall and hang stockings, garland, wreaths, bows, ice skates or other decorative items from it. If you have space, extend the ladder, place a small lighted Christmas tree beneath and attach faux wrapped gifts on the rungs.

decorated sled and christmas tree on front porch

Holiday sled decor - note the faux packages and old chair!
photo courtesy of Daphne, Catlady25

8. Light Your Garland

Add another dimension to garland. Wrap garland and a set of lights together across your porch railings to create the holiday mood on your front porch! Be sure to see our Christmas lights ideas section too.

lights and garland wrapped over porch railings

Striking garland and lights on porch railings
photo courtesy of Ga Music Maker

9. Why Just One Wreath?

Traditionally we just hang one holiday wreath from our front door. Lori of My Heart with Pleasure Fills shared this idea and we thought you might like it too - hang three. Use the same wreath or mix and match - think of the possibilities!

front door with three holiday wreaths

Novel idea of hanging multiple wreaths from front door
Photo courtesy of My Heart with Pleasure Fills

10. Hang Them High

Adapt this ingenious Christmas decorating on a budget idea for your porch. Depending on the type of porch ceiling you have, you may be able to hang Christmas balls or other ornaments from above like Donna did. See more of her Grinch Christmas decorating theme.

Or, create a garland of them and hang the garland from your porch eaves or beam. If exposed to the elements, coatings on the ornaments may degrade so spray each with a polyurethane to keep them looking nice.

front porch with ornaments hanging from ceiling - grinch style

Christmas balls hung from ceiling
photo courtesy of Donna at Party Wishes

Christmas Decorating on a Budget: Bonus Idea!

This is a simple, quick, and easy holiday decorating idea. Find a few branches and place in pot filled with sand or stones. Attach lights.

branches with a string of lights on front porch

Lighted branch
photo courtesy of Philgarita

We hope these 11 Christmas decorating on a budget ideas have inspired you to find even more ways to decorate for the holidays.

Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More

Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.

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Christmas Decorating on a Budget10 Ideas for Your Home