We can all use easy Christmas decorating tips! I am going to share 8 of my favorite Christmas decorating items to use when sprucing up my home for the holidays. The good news is all of these decorating items are readily available in your local stores and with your own creativity you can create beautiful Christmas displays and decorations. The best part is none of it costs a lot of money!

1. Fruit, Flowers and Nuts

Use fruit and nuts of the season and display them in a variety of ways.

• Cranberries are a wonderful, colorful Christmas decorating item for Christmas. Cranberries can be used in floral vases and bowls as a base for flowers and floating candles.
• Use winter fruits and nuts in bowls around the house, in baskets, urns, on wreaths and garlands for a natural beauty in your home.
• A simple bowl of apples or tangerines with added greens tucked around make a simple and beautiful display.
• For a simple centerpiece for a Christmas dinner take fruits and dip them in egg white and roll them in sugar. These sugared fruits look beautiful in the center of a table.

2. Christmas Candies

Yes, Christmas candies make easy and fun displays!

• With styrofoam wreath and cone shapes, and a glue gun you can create christmas decorations that are festive and fun. Visit your local craft store and purchase these simple items and some Christmas candies. Purchase candies such as gumdrops and peppermints.

  These candies can be glued on and made into candy trees and wreaths. Then spray with a clear lacquer to preserve for future years to come.

• Don't forget traditional candy canes. These can be beautiful displays in vases and jars, or hung by ribbon on the tree.

3. Placemats and Cloth Napkins

One of my favorite Christmas decorating tips is using placemats and cloth napkins in creative ways. Cloth napkins and placemats are great to buy at the end of the season on sale, and you don't even need to have matched sets, you can use a variety of kinds in different ways.

• Holiday Cloth napkins are great used as liners in baskets, glass bowls, serving trays, food baskets, or as a wrapping for a home baked gift.
• They can also be used hanging over the edge of the mantle or shelf with the points hanging down for a stunning holiday display.
• Holiday placemats have many uses, such as: under a candle or centerpiece display, or as a lining of a basket or serving tray. Placemats ar also great used on end tables, cocktail tables, and coffee tables as decorations for the season.

4. Candles candles, candles

Nothing adds better mood, warmth, color, and coziness for the season than candles. These are truly one of the best Christmas decorating tips.

• Use candles in groupings varying their heights for great impact.
• Add small votives and tealights on shelves and all over the house.
• Use candles in clusters on mantles, mirrors, charger plates, and antique silver platters.
• Candles are wonderful to buy on sale and stock up on for the season.
• To be economical buy all one color such as white or cream in a variety of sizes. This way they will work for any season and anywhere in the house. Of course if you prefer color then go for it and add that splash of color!

5. Christmas ball ornaments in varying colors

ANother great Christmas decorating tip...This is another good item to buy at the end of the season on clearance. Maybe you have an excess of plain balls that you aren't using on the tree? Christmas ball ornaments add reflection and sparkle to your everyday displays.

• For attractive displays, group ball ornaments in clear glass vases, or in baskets.
• Tuck ball ornaments around a candle display or amongst your pictures frames and display shelves in your house.
• You can also hang Christmas balls by attractive ribbon at varying lengths.

You will quickly add holiday sparkle throughout your home by using these simple Christmas staple items.

6. Berry bunches, flower sprays, and natural sprigs

Another favorite of my Christmas decorating tips...Bring in natural elements for the season. Go to your local craft and hobby store and purchase bunches of these small sprigs, sprays and branches. They can be used over and over each year.

• You can tuck these natural branches and sprays everywhere throughout your house.
• Use these nature inspired items in your Christmas trees, wreaths, pitchers, and vases.
• Lay them around candle displays.
• Use these items to achieve a cohesive color scheme throughout your entire home. These natural elements will give you a lot of bang for the buck!

7. Show off your collections

Gather your interesting collections together and feature them for the holidays. Maybe you have collected snowmen, santas, angels or nutcrackers. Those traditional items are fun to display, but have you considered featuring your everyday collections for the holidays?

• Use your glass dish collection and fill the dishes with holiday candies, ornaments or candles.
• Maybe you have a favorite pottery collection which can be featured as a centerpiece by adding candles and greenery around it.
• Try to find ways to use your everyday items for the season, and work with what you've got!

8. Use vintage items for display

Find vintage items in your home or at flea markets and thrift stores, that can become holders for poinsetta plants, greenery, fruit, and ornaments. It's fun to have the contrast of something vintage with something colorful, bright and shiny for the holidays.

Look around your house and see what you already have that could work as a display piece, such as: wagons, wheelbarrows, wire baskets and wooden crates just to name a few.

Use these 8 Christmas decorating tips to spark your creativity when decking your halls. I hope most of all that you have a lot of fun in the process!