Christmas on a budget

Christmas is handsdown my favorite time of year. However, as years go on I just can't afford over the top buying and throwing away of items for a few months enjoyment. This year I was lucky to have great company and found affordable decor that was a delight for me and just fun to make. My Mom was in town and built our own tree. As we walked in the snow from Trader Joe's we found a part of a tree knocked down from the storm. Also, since I lack a mantel my Mom and I thought of hanging a branch from the chimney. Ok, we had alot of time as the snow storm pretty much trapped us on capitol hill for days, but now I really don't want Christmas to be any other way. And there were times in our decorating that we were crying it was so funny.

Other tips: The thrift store has gobs of ugly 80's Christmas gear that make going over the top cheap and fun. I.e. My Mom and I bought "Christmas outfits" in which we happily greeted our guests in. We also bought many bags of very cheap Christmas decor - such as weathes. We wanted our space to look like a Christmas village!

Also, I highly recommend a visit to the Faimont Hotel and see the Teddy Bear Suite. The life size teddy bears and over the top decor just should not be missed.

We did a little shopping, but mostly we decorated our gifts in paper I had around the house and really took care in how we wrapped everything.

The day of was fabulous. One of the guests brought handmade cards and each wrote a little note in the card. It was was the sweetest, most memorable Christmas yet.