There seem to be two camps of holiday decorators… those who already own seven bins of decorations and put them up the day after Thanksgiving (or right after the turkey’s carved), and those who have great intentions, but somehow the month always seems to zoom by. Since it’s almost two weeks into December, if you’re reading this looking for frugal Christmas decorations, you must be the latter — like me.

I may not be able to jump out of the computer and make you decorate, but I can give you a few ideas for decorating and remind you it’s not too late to start!

Here are 7 frugal (and fast!) Christmas decorations:

1. Candy cane place card holders (pictured above). If you’re hosting, all you need are some mini candy canes and a glue gun (optional: ribbon) to whip up these little ditties (also pictured here at Industrious Justice blog), to hold place cards or food labels.

2. Cover your kitchen cabinets in wrapping paper and ribbons. Or even just ribbons, like this example from Yuen Yarn. You could also wrap the existing photos on your wall, then attach a bow and re-hang.

3. Wine Bottle Christmas lanterns. Collect green and clear wine bottles (3 of each). The green ones will work as-is, and soak the clear bottles to remove labels, then use mod-podge or a glue stick to cover them in a layer of red tissue paper. Stuff the bottles with white Christmas lights and place them on your mantle.

4. Good old fashioned snowflakes. The kind where you fold up a piece of white paper, make a bunch of random cuts, and unfold it to reveal a one-of-a-kind, symmetrical surprise! Tape them to a wall or window, or hang them from the ceiling. Bon Temps Beignet blog has some great tips on folding snowflakes and ideas for some beautiful cuts.

5. Christmas candles. Pick up some basic candles from the dollar store and use a hot glue gun to affix mini candy canes, ribbon, or wrapping paper. Or use mod podge to decorate the sides with some small handmade snowflakes (see #4).

6. Fill clear vases with red and green mints, M&Ms, or candy canes (warning… the earlier you do this, the more often you may have to “re-touch” it before Christmas).

7. Birthday-hat Christmas trees. Buy a package of birthday hats at the dollar store and cover with green construction paper. Tape or glue red hots onto the tree for “ornaments.” If your paper is thick enough, you can probably skip the hats and just staple, tape, or glue it into a cone shape.

Check out our posts on easy handmade ornaments and 8 frugal and fun Christmas crafts for more ideas! If all else fails, Christmas decorations should go on sale starting the day after Christmas. When you hit up the post-Christmas bargains, stock up for next year!

What’s your favorite frugal decorating idea?