Guest Author - Lisa Shea

It is so easy to decorate your tree inexpensively! I highly recommend that everybody think about this and give your tree a beautiful revamping!

My favorite tree decoration is always origami. You can make them in a variety of shapes, in any color combination you want. You can create white cranes, golden foil fish, bright blue butterflies, or pink cats. Whatever color you enjoy, origami paper exists in that shade. You can get patterns and plains. Instructions are free on the web, and all you have to do is poke a hook in the top to hang it!

Garlands of paper rings are a holiday tradition that many people enjoy. Get colored construction paper and cut it into strips. Form each strip into a loop, and connect them together in a chain as you go. You can make the chains big or small, single color or multi, all to go with your theme.

If you have a garden out back, grow some corn to create free popcorn garlands! Those are fun inside for prettiness, and outside they can feed the birds!

You can make a star or angel for the top of the tree with construction paper. Simply trace out one of the shape you want to use, and then use that as a guide to trace a copy onto a second sheet of paper. Glue or tape the two halves together, decorate with crayons or markers, and then put it on the topmost pointing-up branch.

Lights - if you're going to use them - are the one place I would not skimp. Numerous fires are caused every holiday season by faulty lights. Make sure you use a solidly created set. LED lights are great because they are low heat. Always make sure you turn off lights before you go to sleep. If you really must wake up to the sight of a twinkling tree, get one of those inexpensive light timers, plug your holiday lights into that, and set it to turn them on just before you wake up. That way you minimize the fire hazard.