Why not be creative, like Anne Ramos, 37, who fashioned a "tree" out of branches trimmed off her mother's noble fir? The Mililani resident made the arrangement a week after Thanksgiving for her boyfriend, whose apartment isn't big enough for a full-sized tree.

"I sort of arranged it like a floral arrangement," said Ramos, a student. "It's just short of 3 feet high and almost 2 feet wide, and it's really cool."

The festive creation adds a holiday glow to her boyfriend's cozy place. Placed in a light green flower vase, the branches are embellished with frosted white bulbs, red hearts, green balls and a string of clear lights.

Use your imagination and resourcefulness, craft experts say.

While tree trimmings may be hard to come by, unless you've got a generous relative, as Ramos did, decorations and tiny lights could also be hung from a sturdy potted tree or another artfully arranged greenery.

Bottom line: Don't give up! You can dress up that space in your home that's been set aside for Christmas.

A few ideas:

• The easiest alternative to real Christmas trees would be artificial ones, still available at craft and home-improvement stores at a range of prices, depending on the size and style of the tree. Prices can go from $1.99 for a 12-inch tree at Ben Franklin Crafts, to $275 for a fully decorated one at Craft Supply of Honolulu.

For a fun, tropical twist, consider decking out faux palm or banana trees, which may range between $49.99 and $199.99.

• Use plants you have around your home, suggests Terry Yoshida, manager at Craft Supply of Honolulu on South King Street. Decorate potted palm trees or ficus plants with light-weight ornaments and strings of lights.

• You can make your own Christmas tree out of a wooden pole and some fabric or netting, said Gail Gohn, assistant manager from Ben Franklin Crafts store in Mapunapuna. She suggests using a pole that's a little longer than a broomstick, and some wire with the fabric to give it the right shape, then hanging lights on it. Gohn, who came up with the idea on a whim, said people may want to play around with the project to make it work.

"You could really make an awesome tree this way," Gohn said.

• Instead of a dolled-up tree — real or fake — use the space to display an elaborate Christmas village, Yoshida said. Place boxes of varying heights on a table, then cover it with batting for some faux snow. The money you would have spent on a Christmas tree could go to creating your very own winter wonderland.

• For a more inexpensive display, make up "any kind of Christmas scene," Gohn said.

Gather your hodgepodge of Christmas décor — candles, Santas, snowmen, garland, books and gingerbread houses — for a one-of-a-kind holiday scene.

"Take all your Christmas odds and ends, and just put it all together," Gohn said.

Or use the space to display a nativity scene, she said.

• Get off the floor — hang décor from the ceiling, Yoshida suggested. Use fishing line to hang various stars and snowflakes at different heights to transform your empty space into a magical nook.