Ooh! I want to follow this. I am not excited about all kinds of seasonal decor, but would like to do some winter holiday decorating.
You could put the call out on social media that you are looking to expand your decor collection, and while friends are going through theirs I bet they'd be glad to make some gifts or trades.
For Halloween I have been thinking diy witches out of trash bags could be a fun challenge. A little cardboard and glue underneath to create the shape, mounted on wooden stick... But, our house isn't visible from the street so there is no motivation to decorate outside.
I'm thinking most about Winter Holidays, and I'm calling it that because it makes me so sad when people take down their Christmas trees the day or week after! The darkest coldest part of winter is just coming and I want some to create some loveliness that can last through the end of January at least! We also celebrate both New and Old Christmas and New Years. This will be our first year not visiting family and we need some extra cheer, but I don't want to get elaborate, or accumulate much. Last year we were with family for New Christmas, we went to a holiday choir concert on Old Christmas and the typical party on New Years Eve. We gave each other a small gift each of those days (seriously, one of his gifts was socks... but we had a lot of fun surprising). What will we do this year!? I guess that's off topic, but if our days will be mostly at home, I want to set the stage a bit more this year.
Inventory: I have a couple wooden ornaments that were gifted me over the years. I have a big string of white lights rescued from my brothers goodwill bin. I bought a couple spools of wide gold ribbon at the thrift shop. I've got a grapevine wreath that could be redecorated and a small battery powered string of lights also rescued from brother. We have a holly bush in the yard, no berries, but red ribbon could give it that look.
I like the idea of a tree, but we have a cat... We met an older couple who own a Christmas tree farm about 2 hour drive away. It would be so fun to road trip and buy a tree from them... but perhaps they also sell wreaths or just branches? The experience of the tree farm could be a great date.
I'd like to get a big paper star. Very Scandinavian. My MIL loaned us one the first year we had Christmas in P's home country. I forgot all about it until just now, but we really enjoyed that star. I bet it's cheap at IKEA... or could be DIYed with poster board. The one she gave us folded down and was easy to store and had a little light bulb inside.
When I was a teenager I loved building paper and cardboard villages. That could be fabulous Christmas decor and a fun group activity.
I also love burning candles and have a collection of thrift shop ones. Oh, I have fresh new red tapers that would look lovely nestled in some greens.
In the past I've wrapped gifts quite early and let them pile up as decor. I love gift giving so that little pile of presents to admire makes me all warm and bubbly inside.
We also have a fireplace (not working, TV mounted right over it), but it's got a mantel and room for stockings or a swag. Ooh I've got to remember those yule log fire videos, our placement is perfect for that!
Now you've got me thinking.
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eta: I've gone down a rabbit hole. Found loads of lovely paper star patterns online. I also remembered I've got a corded string of about 20 mini lights. I might make a little collection of paper stars with those lights to hang over the window in the living room! yay!
I also have one of those mottled rotating lights for outside. Bought it on discount for an art show but I've never used it. I'm not sure how I'd use it now, but I'll have to keep it in mind. I say there's no reason to decorate outside since we're not visible from the street, but we do plan to do most of our entertaining outside around bonfires, so maybe a few things would be nice.
When I was young I went to a christmas eve event that featured a long driveway with gorgeous luminaries. Upon closer inspection the luminaries were just old milk jugs with a hole cut in, a little sand and a candle. That would create a lovely party atmosphere!
I also one time made an ice centerpiece. I frozen holly branches with berries in a big gallon bucket with an quart container in the middle to create a well, then popped it out in a tray at dinner time and lit a candle in the middle. Obviously short lived, but it was fun and free.