60 DIY Christmas Decorations for an Elegant Holiday Display
Candy Land paper plate decorations anyone?
We would be lying if we said that we didn't have a favorite Christmas decoration we look forward to putting out every holiday season, whether it's a homemade ornament the kids made in elementary school or a holly jolly wreath placed on the door. That doesn't mean you can't continue to grow your collection, though, and DIY Christmas decorations are a budget-friendly way to revamp your dining room table set-up or brighten your window scene for your neighbors to admire. From outdoor decorations to extravagant mantel garlands, your home will be giving Santa workshop vibes through and through.
Making your own Christmas decorations not only results in perhaps more meaningful pieces, but the tradition itself is a kid-friendly crafting activity to fall back on when the snow days are building up and cabin fever is running high. Any one of these DIY decorations functions as a festive craft to pass time and create the most epic fireplace mantel and outdoor porch display your block has yet to come across. Think unique Christmas tree decorations and large marbled ornaments for an extra wow factor! With these DIY Christmas decorations, it will be hard to tell which is cooler: your space or the North Pole.
DIY Gift Box Wreath
We're nuts (and bolts) about this wrap star wreath! Attach assorted gift bows and 10-11 mini wrapped gift boxes to a foam wreath form with hot glue. Pile on the gifts by gluing a few small boxes on top of larger ones. Finish off by gluing on robot figurines in the middle.
Winter Lights Display
For a simple and sophisticated display, wrap tree branches from your backyard with white twinkle lights and prop them up in your living room.
Christmas Ornament Advent Calendar
Decorate your Christmas tree one day at a time and count down to Christmas with this DIY ornament Advent calendar.
Tree-rific Christmas Card Display
Arrange your prettiest cards into the iconic shape of a Christmas tree, and place a galvanized tin bucket at the base, filled with presents.
Cozy Front Porch Centerpiece
Create a welcoming front porch arrangement by placing evergreen boughs inside a woven basket — a few sparkly DIY cardboard stars glued to sticks and arranged among the branches makes it look extra festive.
DIY Advent Calendar Display
Turn an old wooden ladder into a festive piece of Christmas decor! Tie red-and-white ribbon across each rung, and tie on muslin bags filled with treats for each day until Christmas.
DIY Paper-and-Yarn Christmas Tree
This tree looks so cute, but is so simple to make. Just fan out strings of yarn secured with glue dots at the top (hide them with a sparkly star) into a Christmas tree shape. Patterned paper cut-outs and pom poms stand in for ornaments.
Chairback Christmas Wreaths
Mini grapevine wreaths adorned with DIY ornaments and evergreen boughs make sweet decorations for the back of your dining room chairs.
DIY Decorative Ceramic Plates
Take mismatched red and white plates and mugs, then adorn them with your favorite holiday motifs using stamps and ceramic paint. Bake the dishes to make your art permanent, and display on your wall.
Get the Decorative Ceramic Plates tutorial.
DIY Holiday Table Place Setting
This is a super easy way to add some holiday cheer to your table: Arrange your napkins in the shape of a Christmas tree, and use a strip of construction paper as the "trunk" and write guests' names on it.
Snow Globe Cookie Jar
Looking for the perfect homemade gift for the person who has everything? Look no further than this adorable cookie jar that doubles as a cute Christmas decoration. (Use cotton balls instead of cookies, if you want this to be a permanent display on your mantel!)
Get the Snow Globe Cookie Jar tutorial.
A Merry Mantel
Handcrafted from artificial greenery and bright berries, this garland will last season after season.
- Use needle-nose pliers to bend ⅛-inch armature wire into the 8-inch letters that spell out your chosen word or phrase. Cover the letters with green floral tape.
- For each letter, cut a 3-inch piece of wire and wrap it with floral tape. Then, bend one end into a small loop (1-inch or less in diameter) and secure it with floral tape to the back of the letter toward the top. (For letters like J, T and Y, you'll need a loop on each end at the top.)
- Pull the small sprigs off of an Artificial Juniper Pine Garland and, working bottom to top, use floral tape to secure them at the stem to the front of each letter form to create a base. Then, use hot glue to fill in the front and sides of each letter with more greenery. (The sprigs should overlap slightly.)
- Hot-glue faux or dried berries (available at craft stores) to each letter. Once completely dry, thread a length of 2-inch to 3-inch red ribbon through the loops to hang.
Chandelier Washi Tape Shades
All you need to make this peppermint-esque chandelier is red washi tape and some cheap dollar store ornaments. Wrap the bottom of each chandelier shade with a strip of washi tape. Tape the ends together to secure the strips.
Striking Star Ornament
Though technically an ornament, this simple craft could go anywhere in the house as a Christmas decoration. All you need is a box of matches and some cardboard.
Holiday Card Display
Grab some baker's twine and clothespins to make this adorable, easy holiday decoration. And the best part? You can take the holiday cards down and use the twine-and-clothespin display all year long to hang up anything you want!
DIY Christmas Treat Cone
This treat cone is perfect if you happen to have a lot of little ones in the family. (Heck, even adults would love this.) It's easy to make and sure to delight your guests!
Get the Treat Cone template.
Mason Jar Christmas Tree
This is a cute, festive, and easy way to dress up your mantel or entryway. Fill Mason jars with inexpensive Christmas ornaments, then stack in an evergreen tree shape.
DIY Garland Card Holder
This is a great way to display all of the Christmas cards you get. Cut three pieces of evergreen garland to desired length (we used a longer one in the center). Wrap the top of each garland around a wooden hanger, securing with hot glue and let it dry. Hang it up on the wall and use clothespins to secure the cards.
Ornament Frame Craft
Upcycle an old frame into a pretty display for some ornaments. Remove the glass and backing from the frame and clean thoroughly. Spray paint the frame green with even coats and let dry. Then cut three pieces of ribbon or cord, double the length you want your ornaments to hang. Thread ornaments onto the ribbon and then attach the ends to the top back of the frame with hot glue, trimming any excess. To finish it off, attach a bow to the front of the frame with hot glue.
DIY Christmas Village Mantel
This fun, little DIY display combines a few different Christmas decorations to create one, stunning mantelpiece: garland, fake snow, and adorable paper Christmas village houses.
RELATED: 14 Christmas Village Sets That Will Make Your Home Extra Cozy for the Holidays
Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.
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