<p>I am on the decorating team for this year’s holiday work party. We are an elementary school and are having the party at one of those halls known for the cold, bare interior. The tables are the long thin ones. I will see the hall tomorrow and will have a better idea of what we are up against but wondered if any creative CC folks might have some ideas. We have little money!</p>
<p>One thought we had was to wrap the tables like gifts with a big bow at the center. Is that corny?</p>
<p>I have seen tables decorated as gifts and it does make them festive. How much money do you have to work with? How large is the room? How many people will there be? How many tables?</p>
<p>Wreaths are under $20 at Costco, if you wanted to use them as centerpieces or to hang about and give as lucky numbers. </p>
<p>Origami (paper folding) is a very inexpensive way to decorate–have consumed entire wrapping paper rolls to make ornaments by folding origami. Shiny and bright paper is best.</p>
<p>If you go to any place selling Christmas trees, they may be able to give you trimmed, discarded boughs that you can also use for decoration–make a swag with some inexpensive ribbon.</p>
<p>Enlist some 10 yr olds to make snowflakes out of sheets of scratch paper!
;)</p>
<p>Love the snowflake idea. </p>
<p>If you have a dollar store, they sell banquet size plastic table cloths. A long cut of tulle is inexpensive and can also be cut in half length wise. Use it as table runners. Intertwine green garland to make it a little warmer.</p>
<p>If you have Christmas lights from home, run them under the tulle across the table. Or you can also use tea lights. </p>
<p>Poinsettias are inexpensive at the one improvement stores and artificial ones are also on sale in crafts stores.</p>
<p>Ask people to lend their decorations. When the social committee in our community decorates for our events, we sometimes bring in our personal decorations. It’s only for one night. Last year, used my house fall decorations to decorate the clubhouse for the fall wine social!</p>
<p>It seem a bit odd but I think when people get their Christmas decorations out they sometimes want to get rid of some of it right away. I Know my sister took a bunch of Christmas decorations to Goodwill last weekend and somewhere on CC mention it. The school can quickly put an e-mail out to parents. You might get a hodge-podge but you could use color or some theme to bring it together. Also free.</p>
<p>Is it a public school where you have to stay non-denominational?</p>
<p>A snowflake theme always works well. My kids used to make these. They can be quite pretty and you can make super large ones.
<a href=“http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/beautiful_paper_snowflake[/url]”>http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/beautiful_paper_snowflake</a></p>
<p>We made book Christmas trees & book Menorah’s at our library this week. They’ve been big hits with the students!</p>
<p>Thrift shops may also have very low-priced holiday items that you could pick up. Crafty folks can easily make origami if so inclined. Agree that if you put an email out to families, you may get quite a lot of holiday things that people have tired of and no longer want to keep. (You will have to figure out what you want to do with these items after the event though–perhaps donate to thrift shop or door prize?</p>
<p>Another easy way to cover the tables is with several yards of fabric in a holiday pattern. Don’t worry about the edges; they’ll be out of view. There’s some pretty inexpensive options at Joanne Fabrics, for instance: [holiday</a> fabric<em>: fabric</em>: Shop | Joann.com](<a href=“http://www.joann.com/fabric/holiday-fabric/]holiday”>http://www.joann.com/fabric/holiday-fabric/) You could alternate tables with the same pattern in different colors, like the red and blue snowflakes. </p>
<p>I agree that making it winter festive themed rather than specifically Christmas is very courteous for those who don’t observe. Here’s an attractive and inexpensive table package which would work well over a plastic tablecloth: [Snowflakes</a> Ultimate Table Decorating Kit-Party City](<a href=“http://www.partycity.com/product/snowflakes+ultimate+table+decorating+kit+88pc.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=198419]Snowflakes”>http://www.partycity.com/product/snowflakes+ultimate+table+decorating+kit+88pc.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=198419) Or 100 feet of snowflakes: [Snowflake</a> Table Roll-Party City](<a href=“http://www.partycity.com/product/snowflake+table+roll+100ft+x+40in.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=198419]Snowflake”>http://www.partycity.com/product/snowflake+table+roll+100ft+x+40in.do?sortby=ourPicks&pp=60&size=all&navSet=198419) This will cover part of an ugly wall: [Winter</a> Wonderland Scene Setter-Party City](<a href=“http://www.partycity.com/product/winter+wonderland+scene+setter+decorating+kit+5pc.do?green=CD8E897B-DF65-5951-B1F4-4B61FB991D83]Winter”>http://www.partycity.com/product/winter+wonderland+scene+setter+decorating+kit+5pc.do?green=CD8E897B-DF65-5951-B1F4-4B61FB991D83)</p>
<p>You could get bunches of balloon bouquets and send everyone home with a balloon.</p>
<p>Suddenly I wish I had a party I needed to decorate.</p>
<p>Go to home improvement store and ask for discarded fresh greenery cut off bottom of Xmas trees. They are usually free as they are just thrown away. Go to dollar store and buy red plastic table clothes. Go outside and pick up fallen twigs branches and pine cones. Spray paint branches white and sprinkle with gold glitter. Spray paint tips of pine cones gold. Put table cloths on tables. Put greenery down the center like a runner. Place branches on top of greenery and scatter pine cones between branches. Lovely and costs under $20.</p>
<p>Do you have a Big Lots store near you? They had a lot of snowflake decorations. I bought big glitter plastic bowls for $2 and $3, which could be filled with pine ones. Solid blue plastic table cloths. I also got garlands in blue and silver. I love the idea of having the kids make snowflakes. </p>
<p>Have fun.</p>
<p>I knew you would help! Yes, we are doing a sort of snowflake theme. I love the greenery ideas though. I will see the hall today and keep you posted.</p>
<p>Michael’s has some cheap, cute holiday stuff. I love their feathered cardinal birds ($1.69) with a wire clasp. They perch very prettily in any kind of greenery. There are also doves. I’m doing a bird thing this year.</p>
<p>Most of the craft type stores have their Christmas stuff marked way down by now. You might be able to find some decorations there (Joann’s, etc.). Pinterest has all kids of snowflake ideas–many made out of coffee filters. You can get 1000 filters for under $10. Since you are a school, great craft project for the kids like other’s have said ;)</p>
<p>*Clear glass bowls on each table overflowing with that long skinny confetti or tinsel in festive colors. </p>
<p>*Clear vases with greens (from neighborhood clippings) sitting on top of a few of books wrapped in festive gift paper. The local thrift stores are loaded with clear vases.</p>
<p>*Festive confetti tossed over the table.</p>
<p>*fine netting (tulle) from the fabric store tied in big bows on the back of each chair(or every other chair). The standard width can be cut into 3 long sections. You can get many more 20 widths out can get the one that is about 120 inches wide. Best guess is 7-9 feet per bow.</p>
<p>*glass bowls filled with a clumped up string of Christmas lights at the buffet table (or anywhere you have an outlet)</p>
<p>Clear vases filled with cheap round small christmas tree ornaments are pretty. You can buy boxes of the ornaments at Target or Walmart for about 4 bucks for a dozen.</p>
<p>I did a similar party at my daughter’s school with a winter theme. I found shiny silver star Mylar balloons at the dollar store, and grouped them in clusters of three on each table. The height of the balloons filled the otherwise empty gym, and the reflective surface on the balloons looked sparkly under the fluorescent lights.</p>
<p>I like the vase idea. I bet if you ask around everyone at school has oh, a dozen or so sitting around their house somewhere :D. I know I have about 20–DD’s boyfriend likes to send flowers…</p>
<p>Get a few bags of cranberries, buy some floating candles, put the cranberries in the vase, add water, float candle, light–very pretty. You could add some greens in there as well. Depending on how many you need, you could just cut a branch or two off a tree in your yard. If you want to stay with the star theme–cut some stars out of some glittery paper or something that would be waterproof and add those to the cranberries.</p>
<p>Are the kids coming to the part? Just thinking about Steve’s suggestion of candles.</p>