How To Decorate for Christmas With Only a Trip to the Grocery Store

Sure, there’s the requisite nativity scene, the ornaments that have been passed down from your great-grandparents, and the Griswold family inspired display of twinkling lights outside. But sometimes all you need is a trip to the grocery store to deck out your house for the holidays (especially if you’ve been procrastinating putting anything up!). Inspirations can be found in almost every corner—in the produce section, right there on the spice shelves, and even down the snack aisle. From lemons to apples to cinnamon sticks and popcorn, read on to find simple ways to deck your halls and spread a little joy around your home this season.

Above: Cranberries have the same shade of red that makes you think of Christmas, and Vanessa Sicotte shared an adorably chic image of them on her Damask & Dentelle blog, floating in mason jars along with a few sprigs of rosemary and candles. And as we all know, pretty much any time you put anything in a mason jar, it’s a good idea.

Apples aren’t only for pies and keeping the doctor away. You can cut them into slices, thread string through the core and adorn your fireplace mantel with a festive garland. Babes in Boyland did this in order to hang and dry their apple slices before eating them, but you can use them for decorating and they’ll be just as sweet.

When life hands you lemons, make…a lemon wreath, obviously. Birch Lane sells the one shown here made with faux lemons, but you can craft your own by starting with a grapevine base and piling on the actual bright yellow citrus fruit to greet your guests with a cheerful, organic welcome.

But if lemons aren’t your thing, try crafting an aromatic wreath made of culinary herbs, like this one available through Williams-Sonoma that uses bay leaf, sage, rosemary and oregano. And here’s a tip: theirs is made without glue so that the herbs can still be used for cooking even after you’ve taken down your holiday decorations.

Scented candles are a sure-fire way to get your home smelling like the holidays. But sometimes it’s more fun to make your own, like these Paula Deen DIY ones that the J. Sorella sisters love. All you have to do is grab some cinnamon sticks from the spice aisle, tie them around a votive or pillar candle, and you have an instant Christmas-inspired fragrance.

Never underestimate the power of pomegranates. With their festive crimson shade and ornament-like shape, try pairing them with fresh greenery for a non-traditional table runner rendered in a traditional Christmas palette the way Julie Blanner did above.

Dried oranges will also fill your home with wonderful citrusy aromas and, in this form, the earthy palette of dark orange, cream and brown will feel more wintery than the fruit’s original bright hue. Arrange them as a centerpiece for your table or use them as a garland to trim your tree or even decorate your fireplace. Not sure how to dry oranges? Saga will tell you exactly how to do it.

And no Christmas season would be complete without a popcorn garland to remind you of the kid within all of us. And for an even more festive result, you can thread through some of those cranberries, cinnamon sticks and dried oranges, too, like this tree from HGTV. Try not to eat them. OK, you can eat them. But save some for the birds and squirrels outside.