45 Holiday Hacks That Will Get Anyone In The Spirit To Celebrate

Hands down, the end of the year is the favorite time of the year for many people around the globe: The festivities, the food, the holidays, the gifts, the spirit! The list goes on! Streets and houses are nicely decorated, everything is colorful and shiny, and depending on where you are on the planet, you might even get to see snow. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as they say. How could we not enjoy ourselves during the holidays? If you’re visiting a family member this holiday season, you won’t have to worry about throwing a party. Now, if you’re the one hosting, you might be a little stressed. If you need some assistance in that department, you are in the right place. We’ve compiled a list of tips that will come in handy. Here are 45 decoration hacks for the holidays!

Tape before glue

Alright, it’s time to start decorating your house. But with non-permanent decorations, there’s always an issue. For example, what to do with glue on your walls after the holidays are over? You can’t keep these decorations forever, unfortunately. 

Hanging decorations with glue is a risky business. Sometimes, the decorations can peel the paint off and ruin the whole wall. To avoid this problem, use Scotch Wall-Safe Tape, which does not damage the wall. Then, glue whatever you want to the tape.

Smaller spaces, smaller trees

Most city dwellers can’t afford huge homes. Instead, people rent smaller apartments or even just one-room dwellings sometimes. The size of our homes has a significant impact on our decorating potential. You don’t want to suffocate your space with decorations.

Big trees in small places are not a great idea. If you tried it – you would know! Big trees can make your house feel claustrophobic. Instead, consider getting a cute tabletop tree. It will be festive, and you get to keep your living space.

Budgeting

Spending money is almost a part of the whole ritual of the end of the year holidays. ‘Tis the season, after all. If you have a large family or a big friend group, buying gifts for everyone is undoubtedly costly.

Prices of goods and services rise every year. It can be challenging to keep track of your spending. If you have this issue, you can use Christmas management apps like Santa’s Bag. The app reminds you to go shopping and also keeps track of your spending.

Christmas tree skirts must go

Christmas tree skirts serve a single purpose: to conceal the tree stand. However, while some think that it is still a necessity, some things can still go out of season. Get it? Because skirts are not that cool anymore. We have a different idea. 

Instead, maybe opt for the reuse, reduce, recycle tactic. Grab one of the many Amazon boxes around the house, cut a hole in the middle, and decorate it with some leftover gift paper. It’s more sustainable and original. Also, it’s less tacky.

Sharpies

Customized glassware that’s usable only once a year is another expense you can cut. If you don’t want to spend money on glassware that’s pretty useless for the rest of the year, you can make your own out of items you already own. 

There is an affordable way to personalize your glassware for the party. You can make these Christmas-themed drawings with a couple of permanent metallic markers. It’s pretty easy and won’t set you back financially for the following seasons.

Reuse

Here’s another budget tip: instead of buying new decorations, why not try to repurpose the ones from previous holidays? That might sound crazy or impossible but hear us out. Imagine breathing new life into Halloween decorations. This person did it.

Look, it’s even possible to transform a pumpkin, which is the classic symbol of Halloween, into something Christmas-y. You just need to use your imagination. You can even put a little hat or a cotton candy beard on it. There’s no need to waste more money.

Regular paper

We’re all aware of how hectic life can be, especially with the holiday season approaching. It’s as if the planet’s clock begins to tick faster, and everything becomes frantic. That is why we sometimes forget to pick up everything we need from the store.

Like for example, wrapping paper for gifts! Rather than panicking, take a deep breath and look around. Try wrapping presents with regular paper! You can then customize it by drawing or cutting out a Christmas tree. Maybe even add a few stickers.

Santa’s little helpers

Children enjoy helping out, especially when it involves hands-on activities like cooking, baking, or anything that can become messy – fast! Having the kids assist you in the kitchen is acceptable as long as you ensure their safety at all times.

If you have children or nieces and nephews, the holiday season is an excellent time to teach them new skills in the kitchen. Not only will they enjoy this experience, but their assistance will relieve you of some of the burdens.

Old wrapping paper

If you did not forget to get wrapping paper, the probability of having loads of leftover paper is high. Over the years, you probably accumulated a lot of this extra paper. More often than not, these leftovers aren’t enough to wrap a whole gift but don’t throw them away yet.

Instead, you can use them to make paper decorations. Those cone-shaped items were created from the leftovers after the gifts had been wrapped. Simply searching on Google will yield a plethora of design ideas for you to try! 

Filler objects

Putting sparkly trinkets in glass jars and displaying them is a classic holiday adornment. You’re probably wondering how many ornaments one needs to fill in a wide jar. The truth is that you don’t need that much. Instead, you need…

… filler items! Instead of filling the entire card with baubles, you can put a toilet paper roll in the middle to take up space and put the baubles around it. Eventually, only a few trinkets will hide your paper roll.

Use a hook to hang the wreath

Wreaths on the front doors are very popular during Christmas. While wreaths can be used for a variety of occasions, they are especially popular during the winter holidays, and many people struggle to mount a wreath on their front door properly.

If your door lacks anything that you can use to hang a wreath, you can always attach a hook to it. If you don’t want to ruin the paint by using glue, you can use the previously mentioned special scotch tape. And then attach the hook to it with glue or more double-sided tape. 

One size does not fit all

When we decorate Christmas trees, we usually go to great lengths to ensure that the tree looks really sparkly and festive. Isn’t it natural to want to impress your guests? Here’s a tip if you want yours to look anything but boring.

Rather than using all the same-sized light bulbs, get strings of varying sizes and wrap them around the tree. The end result will surprise both you and your guests! We are conditioned to think symmetry is mandatory at all times so, this will make your tree stand out. 

Color glue decorations

Christmas time can be synonymous with snowfall, depending on where you live. As a result, you can’t leave the fake snowflakes out of your holiday decorations. They are also one of the most exciting decorations to make! If you want to make one-of-a-kind snowflakes, you should avoid using paper.

This is another glue trick. Instead of paper, you can use glue. But, plot twist! Not just the plain white glue, but the colored glue. Draw the snowflakes on a piece of paper, then trace them with glue and let them dry. 

Organization tips

The holidays, and especially the ones at the end of the year like Christmas, are often core memories. The holidays allow us to gather the entire family for a day or two, and the food is delicious. The ugly side of it is putting things away after the party is over.

If you’re having trouble organizing your home after the holidays, one tip that may come in handy is to take pictures before closing the boxes. For example, if you have an unruly collection of decoration bits, take the time to organize them and photograph them for next year. 

Wrath for volume 

One of the most important aspects of Christmas is decorating the tree. It’s the ideal opportunity to spend quality time with the entire family while adding personal touches and old and new ornaments. Here’s a tip to make your tree even more beautiful.

If you’ve recently purchased an artificial tree, you’ll notice that it lacks volume in some places. What you can do is wrap a couple of wreaths around it to add volume and fluff, and you’ll have a more realistic-looking tree.

Repurposing 

As previously stated, you can always reuse decorations from previous holidays. Given the proximity of the holidays, you may be able to reuse Halloween decorations for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Keeping this in mind, here’s another tip for reusing decor.

If you have decorative pumpkins from Halloween, and they are still in good condition, maybe use them as a flower vase. While it’s not super Christmasy, it is a colorful and lovely decoration filler that might make you feel less bad because you are giving decorations a second life.

Paint Christmas Light

To be completely honest, Christmas lights are a little bit basic. If you are with us on this one and want to try something new this year, the next tip is for you. Now, don’t get us wrong, not all lights are plain.

The ones we have beef with are those basic dark green or yellowish lights. So this year, why not paint them? All you need is some spray paint and a little consistency to achieve the desired color scheme you’re looking for—for example, metallic gold or silver.

Reuse cans

There is no way you haven’t heard about the problem landfills and waste we create daily cause. So, whenever there is an opportunity to give your items a second life, take it. Not only would you be helping the planet, but your wallet, too.

Here’s a brilliant idea if you’re thinking about reusing items to make ornaments or decor this year. Instead of tossing those Pringles cans, save them for the holidays. Decorate the cans and use them as cookie holders during the holidays! 

Reuse tomato cages

Speaking of reusing, reducing, and recycling, you can save on more fancy decorations. Instead of buying small trees to place all over the house for decoration, you can repurpose an everyday household item. In this case, if you have tomato cages…

… decorate them during the holidays to look like cute minimalist trees. As you can see, just a few lights and some green tinsels is all you need. Or, any color of tinsel that fits your holiday scheme. If you have one of these cages at home, you can make it as colorful or minimalist as you like.

Disposable tablecloth

One of the significant drawbacks of the holidays is that having people over means having to clean up after them. If you’re in charge of cleaning your house, you’re probably feeling a sense of dread as Christmas Eve approaches.

Instead of cleaning everything all the time, you can use disposable paper tablecloths. You can just remove it once the party is over to keep your table squeaky clean underneath! It sure beats having to wash a brand new tablecloth that has food stains on it. 

Make your tree ornaments

If you are working with a limited budget this year and you don’t have ornaments handy, you are probably looking for ways to save money without making your tree look depressed and barren. There are at least three significant dates near the end of the year…

… and the expenses associated with those dates will be significant as well. Instead of buying new ornaments, you can make your own salt dough ornaments! So, if some ornaments were broken over the years and you can’t invest in new ones, this is the tip for you.

Optical illusions

If you are one of the city-dwellers who can’t have a big tree this year, here’s a tip to give your tree that “big tree vibe.” Decorating your tree can be expensive, and filling the tree too much can hide it. There needs to be some balance.

Instead, you can walk the fine line and hang a few small mirrors on the tree. First, this will make the tree look bigger instantly. Second, if you don’t have a lot of ornaments and lights, it will increase the brightness of the tree. 

Candles inside jars 

We showed you a tip earlier in this article to help you save ornaments when trying to fill decorative jars. Here’s another suggestion that’s similar to that one. You can use a candle instead of a toilet paper roll!

When you place a toilet paper roll in a jar, you are simply filling the space in a way that no one else will notice. However, if you want to add some ambiance, you can always place a candle inside the middle of the jar. 

Hang the holiday cards

Christmas cards often have an adorable print or a witty quote on them. Usually, if people send these to family and friends, they also include thoughtful wishes and a heartwarming note. However, they are often lost in a drawer somewhere.

So, why not hang them? You can easily hang your holiday cards with clothespins if you wrap a ribbon (vertically) around the door of your cupboard. Without taking up any counter space, you can add some festive vibes to the kitchen. 

Glassception

Here’s another filler tip like the candle and the toilet paper roll hack. You’ll only need two glasses and the fillers (ornaments and trinkets) you want to use for this hack. Then, you can do what is shown in this image below.

Place the smaller glass inside the larger glass. Then, using the baubles of your choice, fill the space between them. Some people put chocolate coins, while others put tiny sugar candies, but it’s entirely up to you. Flowers or other ornaments can be placed inside the smaller glass cup. 

Recycled bows

While this is not strictly a holiday hack, it is a helpful tip for those who want to use fewer trash bags during the holiday season. It’s always good to remember that there’s a sustainable version of almost everything.

If you want to throw a green Christmas party, try making your own bows. You can also add a retro touch to the holiday by using Dunlap strips to make your own sustainable decoration pieces like the one shown above. 

Ditch the tree

We realize we’ve been talking a lot about Christmas trees. However, this does not imply that the only holiday hacks are for those who intend to decorate a tree. We’re not going to leave you out if you’re planning on skipping the tree.

If you don’t want to put up a Christmas tree or just don’t have the time and the space for this tradition, consider hanging a themed photograph. Simply hang the poster and add some Christmas balls to make it look more festive! 

Mismatched tabletop trees

Another tip for those lacking space or time is to use table top trees. We mentioned them earlier in the article, but you can buy several smaller tabletop trees if you don’t have tomato cages. But instead of matching them in the same color…

… try mixing it up with different colors. You don’t have to buy these ornaments. Instead, all you really need is a cone-shaped object that you can decorate with whatever colors you want. You can use beads, tinsels, and then just glue and strings.

Decorate curtains too

Unless you happen to own holiday-themed curtains or plan to buy them and have enough storage, you are probably wondering what you will do with the living room curtains. Decorating them can tie together the whole look of the house.

You can decorate them in a very simple way. Make bead necklaces or necklaces with a lot of bedazzling stones, and wrap them around the curtains. Alternatively, you can use big hair bows in festive and bright colors to decorate them. 

Paper snowflakes

We mentioned alternatives to paper snowflakes, but if you are not yet familiar or bored of this tradition, it is a classic Christmas activity, after all, for a reason. So instead of glue, pull up a YouTube tutorial and get some white paper ready. 

While most of us in the Northern Hemisphere made these in pre-school, you probably forgot how to make them at this point. If your 2nd grader isn’t around, YouTube is! However, keep in mind that making them takes time, so you might want to start it a few days before. 

Spice up the garland

If you’re looking forward to a more hands-on approach to Christmas this year, you’re probably considering making your own decorations. We showed you a few of those, like dough ornaments, glue snowflakes, and more, but here’s another method.

Making a garland takes a lot of skills, and it’s not for everybody. But, if you have some leftovers from last year and they just don’t look quite as lovely this year, you can add a few branches from a real tree.  

Candy tree

Every kid probably dreams of having a candy tree. Putting candy on a tree is a little unorthodox, but maybe consider it this year. The younger guests can enjoy their fantasy, and you can use some filler ornaments. Fair trade.

All you need is a candy recipe from the Internet, some hard candy molds, and red (and possibly green) food coloring. Make the candies and place them in plastic bags; all that remains is to hang the candy on the tree. 

Removable wallpaper

Christmas has its own color scheme – it’s red, white, green, and sometimes gold. However, the chances of these colors being a part of your home’s standard color scheme are slim. Instead of changing this for the season, try this hack.

For example, this woman wanted to add some temporary color. Like her, you can decorate the wall with red stripes, decorative pictures, and other trinkets and baubles. While black and white aren’t necessarily Christmas colors, a few additional decorations, and you’ve achieved the theme. 

Hot glue lights

Recently, people started going all out on the outside decorations too. If you are fortunate enough to be a homeowner, this might be a way to “beat” your neighbors in the decoration game. It’s not just about the inside anymore.

Even if you’re not going for a showy display, you’re probably thinking about putting up some lights outside your house to make it look more festive. In this case, we recommend using a hot glue gun. It will keep the lights in place until the holidays are over. 

Everyday objects

Speaking of going all out, you can even decorate everyday objects. If you enjoy knitting and want to take your holiday spirit to the next level, we have the perfect DIY project for you. You can knit party-related items. 

Such as chairs and possibly even cups. You can knit a little koozie in Christmas colors for every cup. Maybe the guests can even take them home after since it is the giving season. Cups of hot cocoa are a Christmas classic.

DIY Garlands

Garlands, at least the fresh floral arrangement kind, are challenging to make. As previously mentioned, you can refresh your garlands with new branches. But, fortunately, there are more types of garlands that you don’t need to become a florist to make!

For this DIY project, you need a few sheets and some fairy lights. Use the sheets to make ribbons and then tie them into bows and wrap them around the lights. You can switch up the colors and use hair ties too.

Log in hours

We showed you one or two ways to cover the base of your Christmas tree, like what to use instead of a tree skirt. This hack, on the other hand, is not the easiest one. But, this one is for you DIY junkies.

If you want to go above and beyond, you can find a chunky piece of a tree trunk and carve a hole in the middle. While it’s not as easy as the box, this is a timeless look and can make a plastic tree look more natural.

Wrap the front door

This is another external decoration hack on a budget. Maybe you would rather focus on the inside of your home, but also want to express your holiday spirit on your doors, too. Don’t worry. We got you covered in this department.

Simply tie a ribbon around your front door. It will make your door look like a giant Christmas present and will definitely impress your neighbors. Anyone passing by your door will notice it, and you won’t go into debt because of decorations.

Other tree toppers

The typical Christmas tree ornament that ties the look is a golden or yellow star or angel as a tree topper. However, why not spice things up this season? It’s not illegal to have something else on top of your tree, you know.

If you want to use something other than the standard, go ahead and do it! Some people use different symbols, such as angels, while others use a word that represents their goals for the coming year, like the tree in the picture.

Scrape the wax

We’ve been going on and on about Christmas as if it’s the only holiday around this time. People even forgot the religious aspect of Christmas in some places and embraced it as an excuse to exchange, but it’s not the only holiday!

If you celebrate Hanukkah, your problem during the season might be how to clean the menorah after eight nights. You don’t want to scratch your menorah in the process! Instead, simply place it in an oven at a low temperature until the wax melts.

Cleaning

Cleaning after the party is over is not just reserved for tabletop items, but also, you need to clean your ornaments and store them for next year. We are here to assist you, don’t worry. There’s a tip for that, too.

If you have a large cardboard box, put all your decorations in it. Carefully! Because they might be fragile. While they might look cramped, this means that next year you only need to take out one box out from your storage space.

Use other lights

If you happen to have pendant lights or a modern chandelier, you can use it to your advantage while decorating. You can get these lights in the holiday spirit as well! If you are wondering how, here’s a photo to help your imagination.

To decorate your home for the holidays, hang ornaments from your modern chandelier or a similar light you have in one of the rooms. The best part is this tip doesn’t involve any glue or tape. The ornaments can hang by themselves.

Glassware as rollers

If you are a bit of a baker, you might know this one. But if you are just getting into baking for the season, and you are panicking because you think you don’t have all the equipment, we got a hack for you.

Instead of investing in molds and cutters that will collect dust, you can use your glass cups or vases to stamp cookies. Simply press the bottom of the glassware against the cookie dough. If it’s an interesting shape, it will create an ornate cookie.

Pumpkin bowls

We already mentioned pumpkins a couple of times on this list and several ways to reuse them. We promise that this hack is different! So, if you still have a fresh pumpkin, and luckily they have a decent shelf life, you can use one as a food bowl.

Even if you don’t have one handy, they are probably still around in stores. So, just carve one and fill it with soup or sauce. Pumpkin soup is also a timeless classic and will surprise your guests if you serve it later in the year.

Cardboard house

Gingerbread is another December holiday classic. You can make cookies, and bread, and use the seasoning to top off hot chocolate. Houses are another popular way to consume gingerbread. However, making one of these houses is for expert bakers, not beginners.

If you struggle with making a gingerbread house but don’t want to cram in a whole baking school worth of material around the holidays, we got you. Instead of baking the house, make one out of cardboard. It’s not edible, but it looks just as cute.