Tiny Christmas tree Eclectic

Perhaps you live in a tiny space that a traditional tree would overwhelm. Go ahead and ask for a free bough at your local tree farm. (I was able to score several boughs for free at the cutting station at Lowe's this year. Just ask first!) A little vase of water and some sweet treats create the perfect nest for your Christmas Bough Tree.

Decorate a mini Christmas tree. When you put up the big tree, snip off a piece of branch (from a place that won't be noticeable) and place it in water to create a pint-size Christmas tree for the tabletop. I would put it in the guest room to welcome holiday visitors.

Set a budget. This can be hard, but it's so worth doing. Once you know your budget, it brings clarity to everything. Take into account stockings, if that's a part of your celebration. Something to consider with children is the number of presents is more important than the cost. If one child gets three presents, make sure the rest do. When they're young it doesn't matter if you spend $25 on one and $100 on another, the perceived fairness is in the number of presents, not the worth. Make a gift list today. If your child is fortunate enough to have loving extended family who want to give gifts, do everyone a solid and have suggestions for gifts you know your child would enjoy. Something great to consider are memberships to museums or tickets to shows — experiences more than things. My sister-in-law always gives one of my daughters tickets to our local theater company. My daughter selects the play or musical, and the two of them go out to dinner before — a great experience and special time together.Remember it's not about the stuff. OK, it's sort of about the stuff, but it doesn't have to be as much as we make it. My children lost all of their belongings in a house fire, and from the very beginning it wasn't the particular items they mourned but the loss of security and their actual home. And we learned through that terrible time it doesn't matter so much where you set up your tree or how many presents are under it, but that you are together and love each other.