Ever since we moved into this house nearly 7 years ago, I’ve wanted to decorate my mantle for Christmas the way people in the Hallmark movies do. It’s always so cluttered, though, so I usually just end up throwing a few holiday knick knacks up there, stringing up some lights, and calling it a day. This year, though, I finally took everything down (except for one thing) and decorated it the way I’ve always dreamed. The best part? It didn’t cost much at all. Aside from the Teleflora bouquet (which I got for free in exchange for telling you about them), all of the supplies cost under $12 total.

Now, I’m not exactly Martha Stewart when it comes to decorating. I have grand visions in my head but lack talent on the execution. While it may not win awards or look exactly like the mantles on all my favorite Christmas movies, I am still happy with how it turned out.

How to Decorate Your Christmas Mantle on a Budget

1. Use what you have

First things first: take inventory of what you already have. A Christmas mantle should be a place to show off your family’s most treasured holiday decorations. Mine features my grandmother’s singing Santa & Mrs. Claus, my son’s favorite nutcracker (and the only one that doesn’t kind of creep me out), and our last surviving snowman stocking hanger. Don’t go overboard. Just pick a few pieces that work together to create balance. My grandparents’ wedding picture is the only thing that stayed put. As a child, my grandparents were the epitome Christmas to me, so it makes sense that they would play a starring role in my Christmas mantle project.

2. Choose your color scheme

I’m a Christmas decorations traditionalist, so I went with green and red as my primary color scheme. You can do green and white, red and white, silver and gold, blue and white, etc and so on. It’s up to you and what fits into your decor. I do suggest taking your cue from what you found in step one. The majority of my decorations revolve around Santa, snowmen, and other non-secular holiday figures.

3. Get yourself one fabulous new decoration

I used to have a minor addiction to buying (or reviewing) Christmas decorations. Now I have bins upon bins of decorations and nowhere to put them all. My house is space-challenged, so my mantle is pretty much the star (aside from the tree). Everything else has to be able to hang on the wall. I finally made a rule: I can get ONE new thing each year (aside from necessities like lights for my tree, or throw-aways like cheap garland).

I love getting holiday bouquets with gifts from Teleflora because it’s like cheating a little. I get the pretty flowers and when they’re done, I get a little something extra. With the Teleflora’s Classic Pearl Ornament Bouquet, the flowers fit perfect into my red and green scheme with its red spray roses, red carnations, and red miniature carnations. When the flowers are all gone, the ornament vase turns into a candy dish. My flowers are still going strong, so here’s picture courtesy of Teleflora of how you can use it afterward:

4. Hit the dollar store and sales for the rest

I bought the garland for my mantle at Big Lots, but the dollar store also has a pretty good selection. I imagine that more expensive garland would have been easier to hang and drape, but the cheap stuff works just as well if you position it just right. You’ll also want some of those little Command hooks to keep everything in place. The little glittery ornaments and battery-operated tea lights cost less than $5 total. I added the tea lights because I wanted a little more sparkle.

Cheap and easy, right? I think the most important things are finding balance and choosing decor items that really mean something to you. Having my grandparents front and center really gives meaning to the Love out Loud message that Teleflora is embodying this season. Check out all the other beautiful bouquets that come with gifts on Teleflora’s website. I had such a hard time choosing my favorite!

Do you decorate your mantle for Christmas? I’d love to hear about what you do to make it special!