26 DIY Christmas decorations anyone can make

There’s nothing like holiday crafting to get you into the Christmas spirit. Plus, it’s a great way to spend time with the family and save money on holiday decor. But what if you’re the least crafty person on the planet? Don’t worry! These DIY Christmas decorations are easy enough for anyone to make. (Yes, even you – we promise.) Many of them are also made from upcycled and natural elements, adding an environmentally friendly spin to the season. So turn on the holiday tunes and spend a day making these festive crafts and decking your halls in all sorts of wonderful ways!

Holiday cupcake wrappers are adorable and inexpensive. Pick out a sleeve of mixed-pattern liners to create this easy garland. First, flatten the cupcake liners, and fold them in half. Then, stack three folded liners to form a “tree,” and secure with hot glue. Add a paper star at the top, and secure the cupcake liner trees to a length of twine or yarn with staples or hot glue.

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Use large styrofoam floral balls to create these easy DIY Christmas decorations. Simply stick mini Christmas ribbons onto the surface of the ball and glue a loop of string at the top for the hanger. Mix and match the ribbon to coordinate with your existing holiday decor.

This pretty little pasta tree looks a lot more difficult to make than it actually is. Roll a piece of cardboard into a cone, then hot-glue it together. Put a dot of hot glue at the base and stick on a noodle. Glue one noodle at a time concentrically until you reach the top. Once you’re done, spray paint it whatever colour you like. Don’t forget to add a bow-tie noodle for the star!

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There’s nothing like the spicy smell of cinnamon to put you in the holiday spirit. For this easy craft, you’ll need a large pillar candle (at least 20cm tall), a bundle of large cinnamon sticks (about 18cm long), ribbon and a hot-glue gun. To start, put a small dab of hot glue on a cinnamon stick, and place it on the candle. Once you’ve placed the cinnamon sticks all the way around, tie some ribbon around it to help hold everything in place. Tuck in some faux berries, sprigs of evergreen, or mini pine cones to complete the look.

Citrus pomanders are classic DIY Christmas decorations. Take this popular craft one step further and transform it into a tea-light holder. To make one, slice a thin piece of skin from the stem end of the orange to create a base. On the opposite end, use a sharp paring knife to cut out a hole that’s just large enough to fit the tea light into. The tea light should fit down in the orange, with the top of the tea light even with the skin of the orange. Decorate the outside with cloves, then insert the tea light.

Instead of tossing citrus skins into the compost pile, transform them into ornaments. Use cookie cutters to trace shapes onto the skin, and cut them out with a sharp knife. Let them dry on a tray for a few days, then thread them onto a piece of string for a garland or pierce them with a metal ornament hook to hang on a tree.

Skip the messy candy-and-icing gingerbread kit and make a gingerbread house out of cardboard boxes instead. It’s easiest to use a square box for this craft. To make the front and back of the roof, cut off the corners of two opposing flaps to form a triangle. Then glue the two remaining uncut sides to the triangles and then to each other. Use chalk markers or paint to decorate your cardboard gingerbread house.

Nothing’s better than a DIY Christmas decoration you can eat. Cut an 8-cm-long piece of brown ribbon. Then, glue two candy canes together, back to back. These are the antlers for your reindeer. Use wiggly eyes and a red mini pom-pom for the face. To hang on a tree, loop a piece of ribbon through the antlers.

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Wood burning is a versatile craft that looks amazing and is surprisingly easy to do. Either purchase wood slices or forage in your yard for a branch to slice down. Lightly sketch your design on the wood slices before you apply the heat with a wood-burner tool. Stick with simple geometric patterns, like snowflakes. The slices can be hung as ornaments or used as holiday coasters if they are large enough.