Holiday decorating: Tips for lowering the impact on wallets and home sales

Beneath a hulking pine tree on church grounds, interior designer Amal Kapen collects conifer cones for her holiday table.

"It’s everywhere; you just have to pick it up," said Kapen, of Amal Kapen Interiors & Decorations in Cold Spring Harbor. "People were going to throw it away, and, here you are, you can use it."

Creative ways to keep holiday season costs low are top of mind for Long Island homeowners at a time when budgets tighten and shopping lists grow. The key to creating a warm holiday space at minimal cost is time, Kapen said. 

"If you have the time, there’s lots of sources and places for you to find things that can make your home feel more festive," Kapen explained. "It doesn’t, and it shouldn’t have to be a lot of money."

Spending on holiday decorations is projected to decrease for almost one third of U.S. residents  this year, with many Americans shelling out less than $100 on decor, according to a recent national survey by Rocket Mortgage and Redfin. Of those who said they will spend less, 56% said it was a cost-saving effort, according to Rocket Mortgage; 44% said they would spend less because of "economic uncertainty." 

Here's how renters, homeowners and sellers can create holiday warmth on a budget.

Foraging for festive

Foraging for pine cones and greenery is a strategy even Kapen, who works with high-end clients, employs to minimize holiday spending and waste — a timely goal, said home decor blogger and novelist Jennifer O’Brien.

"I think everybody’s feeling the pinch this year, and I think finding alternative ways that are easy is great," said O’Brien, who runs the blog City Farmhouse from her Center Moriches home. "And sometimes, you just kind of need someone to tell you a few ideas and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh ... I didn’t even think of that!’ "

Over the past few years, O’Brien said, she has used natural elements to decorate her Christmas tree. This year, she went to her sister’s house to clip flowers to dry and put in the tree.

"I don’t want to go out and buy a ton of new things, and I love finding things in nature and putting it in my Christmas tree," O’Brien said.

Bringing greenery into the space can come in the form of foraged sprigs or purchased garland. 

"Whether it’s around Christmastime, or spring time, bringing in plants and greenery, they add life, and they’re uplifting, and they’re wonderful," Kapen said.

Decorating a tablescape can be as simple as filling a bowl with pine cones collected on a walk, Kapen said. She suggests interspersing the pine cones with ornaments from the dollar store, or using the same to decorate garland.

"Stay away from lights or fancy ornaments — just super simple, gold, or blue, or whatever color you love, ornaments," Kapen said. "Just round balls that you can sort of attach to your garland with a few pieces of ribbon."

A bolt of ribbon — a detail that "makes all the difference" — is another potential dollar store purchase, she added. "You can use candy canes, too," Kapen said. "Candy canes on garland, and that way you can give them out, and you really are not collecting things that you have to store."

Kapen also makes pomanders — oranges decorated by inserting cloves into the fruit to create various patterns. "That’s one inexpensive way to decorate," Kapen said. "And the whole house also smells really nice."

Holiday decorating can be about more than just the visual: Natural elements bring in the pine and citrus scents. Kapen recommends creating a simmer pot with orange peel, cinnamon and water.

"The whole house will smell like oranges and cinnamon, and it just smells very festive and happy," Kapen said. "These are all inexpensive ways to sort of lift your mood, and bring the holidays to you without spending a lot of money."

Natural elements often appeal differently to the senses than plastic decorations.

"They’re just more textural and they’re more evocative of the holiday because you can smell them, you can feel them, you can see them," Kapen said.

Double-duty decor 

In her Garden City basement, Adele Pietrzak builds Christmas trees and ornaments of seashells. Though she buys most of the shells she uses — the options here are limited — she said certain varieties of shell can be found on Long Island beaches. Her art is generally meant for year-round display, she said, and she does not find seashells to be especially Christmas-like.

"You can have them all year-round," she said of her creations. "People think they’re only for trees, I say, ‘No, they’re wall ornaments.’" 

Some natural elements can last for years, while others are usable for only one season.

To Kapen, a tendency toward "perishable things" like garland and pine cones is also responsible with respect to consumption and ecological consciousness. An item with a lifespan also alleviates the need for year-round storage, she said.

"I also think it’s really fulfilling to do some of these little crafty things with your family, and your friends," Kapen said. "You can have your friends over and be like, ‘we’re going to decorate oranges with cloves and drink Champagne and have little hors d'oeuvres.’"

Decorate, in moderation, for the sale

For homeowners trying to sell a house during the holiday season, Babylon-based real estate agent Carlene Calabrese recommends keeping decorations minimal and easily removable.

"It brightens up the place, it lends itself to the spirit of the season, so I wouldn't suggest that they didn’t," Calabrese said. "I wouldn’t do anything particularly crazy, that they have to now hire somebody to take down lights if they sell the house before the season is over."

Decorating a house "adds to the festivity of the season," she said, as long as the chosen decorations do not distract from the features of the house itself. Calabrese advises against permanent or semi-permanent fixtures, or nails in the roof.

Whether the home is decorated for a specific holiday does not matter, she said.

"Whoever purchases the house, whether or not they share your religious beliefs, it doesn’t matter," she said. "As of now, the house still belongs to you, and you decorate it the way you want to decorate it. And when they buy it, they can decorate it the way they decorate it."

In the fall months, colorful mums create warmth before visitors even open the front door, said Douglas Elliman agent Lina Lopes. Inside, subtle smells of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice can facilitate the same feeling.

"They should still decorate, they should make the home feel warm and inviting, but not overdecorate where it will feel too cluttered," Lopes said. "Absolutely decorate, but decorate in moderation."

As winter approaches, Lopes’ advice is the same. Sellers should avoid overcrowding the property with distracting decorations, she said, but should not avoid decorating altogether.

"The homes look so pretty when they’re outlined with some color, and the lights," Lopes said, describing peaks lined by holiday lights.

Lopes said she is not opposed to a home seller hiring professionals to trim the house with lights. Sometimes, she said, this helps prospective buyers visualize the possibilities.

"It gives them an idea of what they could do, and just like anything else — like a pool company, sprinklers — you can tell them, ‘these are the vendors I use, and look what they bring to the table,’" Lopes said.

A previous client of hers had built-in holiday lights switched on each year, Lopes said.

"Everybody loved that," she said. "I didn’t have one person that said they didn’t like it."