Now that December is upon us, the most elaborate decorating season is, too.

The real meaning of Christmas often gets jumbled up in the spend, spend and more spending of the season. Compared to the demands of gift shopping, decorating is a great place to start the savings.

First of all, what can be more breathtaking than plastic and resin, right? Wrong. That is not where the real magic lies. When thinking of past Christmases, the more natural side of things comes to mind. One of my greatest memories was helping my dad decorate tables at our church for the annual Christmas dinner. We cut holly leaf stems with red berries and lined them down the center of the long tables. Every few feet, a red candle was placed, then more leaves and berries continued. This simple beauty made the tables gorgeous while the entire room glowed with the warmth of Christmas. Other than a few affordable candles, it was free! This is a beautiful, yet simple decor on any sized table.

Cutting down a real tree creates the smell and magic of Christmas. The longer you wait to purchase it, the better your chances will be of getting a better deal on the price. Or maybe you know of a place where you can cut one for free!

Another free and beautiful form of decorating is using pine cones. Put them in a bowl or glass cylinder with battery powered lights. Or dip the tips in Elmer’s glue, then Epsom salts for a glistening touch of snow. Even a dab of white craft paint on the edges will give them the look that can be carried past Christmas and into winter. Winter decorating can ease the sadness of packing away the holidays while getting longer use from many of your less festive items. Greenery, deer and anything “snowy” still has a lot of their own sparkle left for keeping spirits up during the winter months.

If you have a fireplace and it’s atmosphere you’re after, nothing is better than a roaring fire. Start searching at the end of the season for next year and gather up wood at a discount. Pop a Christmas movie in the DVD player or find one on Netflix. Bake a roll of chocolate chip cookies and you’ll have instant holiday decor, entertainment and the cozy smell of a bakery all in one. If there’s no time for a movie, have holiday music playing softly instead. There’s nothing like a song in your heart to bring out a festive mood.

Pine branches instead of expensive of garland will also create a beautiful holiday atmosphere. When craft stores have their 50% off sales, grab a few decorative picks and scatter them across the garland to give it your own customized look. These affordable products can be mixed with all kinds of natural decorations to keep things fresh.