So, you want a cheap fireplace, eh?

This is our holiday fireplace at the church.

A large piece of cardboard (from a huge box, apparently) is the backdrop. The fireplace itself is one of those "scene setter" plastic sheet decorations that work on the principle of static cling (you can get them at a party supply shop.) However, they don't cling to cardboard very well, so we used a spray adhesive. The fireplace actually came with a very fake-looking fire in it. With an exacto knife, we cut it out, and a little wider, based on the size of the church's tv screen. The fire you see is from a cheap dvd I picked up at Dollar General Store last year, called Yule Log (World Trading Center, Inc. They were selling them in red or green plastic cases.) It has the distinct advantage over some others of its kind, in that it has a function that's a closeup of the fire, rather than the hearth with all the trimmings.

So, realistic fire in a fairly okay-looking fireplace.

Unfortunately, the glare from the camera flash on the plastic is awful. You don't see all of that in real life, unless you're just at the right angle to it.

I thought the fire extinguisher was a nice touch. My friend Chris, a former firefighter, thought of that.

-----

Cardboard - donated, so free.

Scene setter - about $3 with tax included

Can of spray adhesive - donated, but not that expensive. You could simply use scotch tape, I'd think.

TV & DVD player - Already had them. No additional charge.

Yule Log DVD - I forget. Less than $5, anyway.

Probably an hour total preparation, once all the items are assembled