No space in the house for a Christmas tree? We’ve got your back with these unusual ways to give your house a festive touch this season. From alternative Christmas trees, to candle lights and table centrepieces, get inspired with these classy, easy to assemble decorative methods, using affordable items sourced from Taobao that will not break your festive budget. Go forth and deck the halls!
1. Fairy-Light Christmas Lights
What you need:
Screws
Screwdriver
Fairy lights (approximately 5m)
Pencil
Twine/string
Wooden board or surface for the lights to go on
On the surface, mark out a triangle (in pencil) in the shape you wish your tree to be. Drill a screw into the three corners of the triangle, then use the twine or string to ‘connect the dots’. Following, drill the screws down the sides of the triangle shape around 10cm apart, creating a zig zag pattern by keeping one side higher than the other. Once you’re done, wind the fairy lights around the screws starting from the top all the way to the bottom.
Where to get what you need:
Ball LED fairy lights from $1.76
Star LED fairy lights from $1.93
Copper string LED fairy lights from $2.18
Cordless electric screwdriver from $87.47
Coarse linen twine from $0.22
2. Fairy-Light Maison Jar
What you need:
Fairy lights
Glass jars
Tape
Burlap
Give your house a little extra light and sparkle by making these DIY fairy light jars. Tape the top of the fairy light to the lid with some tape, then place the battery box at the bottom of the jar and cover it with some burlap cloth.
Where to get what you need:
Star LED fairy lights with battery pack from $2.84
Wired LED fairy lights with battery pack from $6.97
Glass jars (3 sizes) from $0.56
Mason jar from $0.75
Linen burlap cloth from $1.27
Anti high temperature tape from $0.88
3. Decorative Pine Branch
What you need:
Branches
Vase
Baubles or decorations (optional)
No space in the house for a christmas tree? Opt for these smaller options that can readily be replaced once the season changes. If you are able to get some pine branches, that would be perfect – if not, getting fake ones or other kinds of branches would be great as well. Simply place the vase at your desired location, add some water if you managed to get your hands on some live plants, stick them in, then decorate as you please.
Where to get what you need:
White simple vase from $6.57
Simple glass vase from $5.89
Classy cylindrical glass vase from $8.35
Decorative olive branch from $9.69
Decorative dried branch from $14.29
Small dried flowers from $2.42
Christmas tree-top star from $2.42
Classic ball ornaments from $7.69
Decorative pine cones from $0.33
4. Maison Jar Christmas Tree
What you need:
Mason jars
Baubles or festive decoration
This is an easy to assemble and disassemble alternative to the regular Christmas tree – if you have many jars at home, make use of them by filling them with decorative baubles and stacking them into a neat pyramid.
Where to get what you need:
Glass jars (3 sizes) from $0.56
Mason jar from $0.75
Classic ball ornaments from $7.69
Assorted ball ornaments from $15.38
Small Christmas ornaments from $4.40
5. Decorative Leaves
What you need:
Fairy lights
Decorative leaves
DIY a leaf light garland that you can actually reuse for different occasions. Simply attach some decorative leaves to a string of fairy lights, or cut some leaves out of craft paper. It is a really easy and unique take to just having regular fairy lights.
Where to get what you need:
Ball LED fairy lights from $1.76
Artificial pine leaves from $7.69
Plastic fern leaf from $0.18
Artificial mulberry plant from $2.81
6. Lighted Decorative Maison Jar
What you need:
Mason jar
String
Leaves off your Christmas tree
Candles
White paint and a paintbrush
Paint the mason jars over with white paint, you do not have to be extremely careful with your coat of paint as a slight untouched finish will give it a vintage vibe and allow light from the candle to shine through. After it is dried, wrap the string around the mouth of the jar a few times, then finish off by tying the stem of the decorative branch to it. You can opt to snip a few ends off your tree (we promise that no one will notice) or get some artificial ones.
Where to get what you need:
Glass jars (3 sizes) from $0.56
Mason jar from $0.75
Striped twine from $0.64
Artificial pine leaves from $7.69
Red or white smoke-free candles from $4.40
Smoke-free simple white candles from $0.66
Alternatively, you can also place the candles in hanging bulb vases to create a dreamy mood, and decorate as shown in the example for a festive touch.
Hanging bulb vases from $6.59
7. String Lights – The alternative table centerpiece
What you need:
String lights
A really simple way to spruce up your dining table would be to fill the space in the middle with some stringed lights as a centerpiece. It’ll be the talk of the table.
Where to get what you need:
Lantern string light from $4.37
