Top 15 DIY Christmas Decorations to Make at Home

Published: 8 Nov 2026

Cozy Christmas living room with handmade DIY decorations, dried orange garland and mason jar lanterns

Christmas feels even more special when the decor comes from your own hands. This year there is an even bigger reason to go handmade: according to the Los Angeles Times, handcrafted decor is having a real moment, with people moving away from glossy, mass-produced pieces and toward things that feel personal, warm, and a little more soulful. DIY decorations fit right into that movement. They are inexpensive, easy to make, and they give your home character in a way store-bought decor just cannot match. In this guide, you will find 15 easy DIY Christmas decorations you can make at home — most cost very little, many take under an hour, and all of them use materials you can find at a craft store, a thrift shop, or even in your own kitchen. Pick three or four projects, gather the family, and make a December afternoon of it.

Table of Content

Before You Start
Comparison Table
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion

Before You Start

Gather a small kit first: scissors, a hot glue gun, twine, ribbon, and a few glass jars. That kit covers almost every project in this guide. Pick one palette before you start — classic red and green, warm rustic brown and cream, or modern white and gold — and buy materials only inside it, so all your projects look like they belong together. Work on a covered table, because glitter and glue get everywhere. Keep hot glue away from small children; let kids handle the painting, stringing and arranging while adults do the gluing. And remember, handmade does not mean messy: one neat project beats five rushed ones. Start with the easiest idea, finish it, and let the success carry you to the next.

1. Dried Orange Garland

Dried orange garland with cinnamon sticks and pine sprigs on a mantel

Slice oranges as thinly and evenly as you can, then dry them in a low oven or an air fryer until they feel crisp. Thread the slices onto twine with a needle, adding cinnamon sticks and small pine sprigs between them. Hang the garland on the mantel, along the staircase, or across a window. Dried oranges bring natural colour and a lovely old-fashioned Christmas smell. The slices last for weeks if you keep them dry. Hang it beside the fireplace and check our Christmas mantel decor guide for more garland ideas.

2. Mason Jar Lanterns with Fairy Lights

Mason jar lanterns with fairy lights and faux snow on a table

Turn empty jam jars or mason jars into glowing lanterns. Fill each jar with a little faux snow or Epsom salt, coil a battery fairy light strand inside, and tie twine and a pine sprig around the neck. Place the lanterns on the mantel, the dining table, or the windowsill. The warm light bouncing off the glass makes even a simple jar feel magical. Use battery lights with a timer so they switch on at dusk.

3. Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt dough Christmas ornaments in star and gingerbread shapes on a table

Mix flour, salt and water into a dough, roll it flat, and cut shapes with cookie cutters — stars, trees, gingerbread men. Poke a small hole at the top of each shape for the ribbon, then bake until hard. Paint them white, add red ribbon hangers, and dust with a little glitter. Salt dough ornaments cost almost nothing and last for years if you store them dry. Kids love making them, and each ornament is one of a kind.

4. Pinecone Centrepiece

Pinecone Christmas centrepiece in a glass bowl with greenery

Gather pinecones from the garden or the park and arrange them in a clear glass bowl or on a wooden tray. Add evergreen sprigs, a few dried orange slices and a battery candle in the middle. The pinecones cost nothing, the bowl is probably already in your cupboard, and the whole centrepiece takes fifteen minutes. For a snowy look, brush the pinecone tips with white paint. This centrepiece works on the dining table, the coffee table or the entryway console.

5. Paper Snowflake Window Display

White paper snowflakes on a window in soft winter light

Fold white paper and cut snowflakes — a classic craft that never goes out of style. Stick the snowflakes to the windows with a little tape, or hang them from the ceiling with thread at different heights. Paper snowflakes are free, easy to customise, and perfect for decorating windows, walls and children’s rooms. Make a dozen in an evening with the kids; no two will be alike. Add a few silver or blue paper stars for sparkle. Stick them on the windows and try our renter-friendly home decor ideas for more no-damage crafts.

6. Cinnamon Stick Candle Holders

Glass candle holders wrapped with cinnamon sticks and twine

Wrap cinnamon sticks around a plain glass candle holder and tie them with twine. The candlelight warms the cinnamon and fills the room with a spicy Christmas smell. Use a flameless candle inside if kids are around. This project takes five minutes and looks far more expensive than it is — the cinnamon, the twine and the warm glow make a plain jar look like a boutique candle. Make a set of three in different heights for the mantel or the dining table.

7. Homemade Snow Globe

Homemade snow globe jar with a tiny tree and glitter snow

Take a clean jar, glue a small plastic figure or a tiny tree to the inside of the lid, fill the jar with distilled water, a drop of glycerine and glitter, then screw the lid on tight and seal it with epoxy. Turn it over and watch the snow fall. A homemade snow globe looks lovely on the mantel and makes a sweet handmade gift. Use battery fairy lights behind it for extra magic. This project takes about twenty minutes plus drying time.

8. Cardboard Christmas Village

Cardboard Christmas village houses with white icing roofs on a shelf

Cut simple house shapes from cardboard boxes, paint them brown, and draw white icing rooflines with puffy paint. Add tiny windows with a marker and a cotton snow drift along the base. Line the houses up on a shelf or the mantel with a battery tea light inside each one. A cardboard village costs nothing — the boxes are already in your recycling — and it lasts all season. Kids can paint their own house, so the village becomes a family project.

9. Sweater Stockings

Knit sweater stockings in cream and red by a fireplace

Cut stockings from old sweaters you no longer wear. The knit texture looks cosy and expensive, and the stockings are warm and soft. Sew or glue the edges, add a cuff from the sweater’s ribbed hem, and hang them by the fireplace. One old sweater makes two or three stockings. This project is perfect for anyone who sews a little — and if you do not sew, fabric glue works too. Hang them beside the bed and see our Christmas bedroom decor guide for more stocking ideas.

10. Dried Orange Wreath

Evergreen wreath with dried orange slices and cinnamon bundles on a door

Start with a plain evergreen wreath and cluster dried orange slices on one side, leaving the other side open for a natural, asymmetrical look. Add cinnamon bundles tied with twine, a few pinecones and small gold stars. The dried oranges cost very little and add colour and scent that plastic ornaments cannot match. Hang the wreath on the front door with a simple hook. This wreath takes about half an hour and looks like it came from a craft fair.

11. Orange Pomanders

Orange pomanders with cloves and ribbon in a wooden bowl

Push whole cloves into fresh oranges in pretty patterns — stripes, stars, or simple rows. The cloves scent the orange, and the orange dries slowly over the season, keeping its smell for weeks. Tie a ribbon around each pomander and hang it on the tree, or pile a few in a bowl as a centrepiece. Orange pomanders are one of the oldest Christmas crafts, and they still work: they cost almost nothing, take ten minutes each, and make the whole house smell like Christmas.

12. Oversized Velvet Bows

Christmas tree with oversized deep red velvet bows

Big bows are one of the biggest Christmas trends of 2026, and they are the easiest DIY of all. Cut wide velvet ribbon — navy, red or green — and tie a large, loose bow. Clip it to the tree, the wreath, the staircase, or the top of a gift. Velvet catches the light and makes everything look rich. One spool of ribbon makes several bows, and you can reuse them every year. If you can tie a shoelace, you can make this bow. Clip one to the top of the tree and see our Christmas tree decor ideas for more bows.

13. Thrifted Sheet Music Gallery Wall

Gallery wall with framed Christmas sheet music pages

Find a book of Christmas sheet music at a thrift store for about a dollar, tear out the pages, and frame them on the wall. A whole wall of subtle, festive art for the price of a coffee. Mix the sheet music with one or two small wreaths or fairy lights for warmth. This project takes twenty minutes and it looks far more thoughtful than it costs. It is perfect for a hallway or a living room wall that needs something festive without a full redecoration. Frame a few pages and build a living room gallery wall with the rest.

14. Kraft Paper Gift Wrap Station

Christmas gifts wrapped in kraft paper with twine and greenery

Wrap gifts in plain brown kraft paper, tie them with twine, and tuck a sprig of greenery or a dried orange slice under the string. Set up a small wrapping station on the dining table with the paper, twine, scissors and a basket of greenery. Kraft paper costs less than printed wrap and looks intentional, rustic and beautiful under the tree. Add a handwritten tag for a personal touch.

15. Stick Christmas Tree

Stick Christmas tree made of branches with fairy lights in a corner

Lash branches of graduated lengths to a centre pole — longest at the bottom, shortest at the top — and wind warm white fairy lights through them. Tuck a few pine stems into the branches for extra greenery. A stick tree is an easy DIY and a strong conversation piece. It costs nothing if you gather the branches yourself, and it is perfect for a small room or a second tree in the bedroom.

Comparison Table

Project	Main Materials	Time	Cost
Dried Orange Garland	Oranges, twine, cinnamon	1 hour	Very low
Mason Jar Lanterns	Jars, fairy lights, snow	10 min each	Very low
Salt Dough Ornaments	Flour, salt, paint	1 hour	Very low
Pinecone Centrepiece	Pinecones, bowl, greenery	15 min	Free
Paper Snowflakes	White paper, scissors	30 min	Free
Cinnamon Candle Holders	Cinnamon, twine, jar	5 min each	Low
Homemade Snow Globe	Jar, glitter, figure	20 min	Low
Cardboard Village	Cardboard, paint	1 hour	Free
Sweater Stockings	Old sweaters, thread	30 min each	Free
Dried Orange Wreath	Wreath, oranges, twine	30 min	Low
Orange Pomanders	Oranges, cloves, ribbon	10 min each	Very low
Velvet Bows	Velvet ribbon	5 min each	Low
Sheet Music Wall	Thrifted book, frames	20 min	Very low
Kraft Gift Wrap	Kraft paper, twine	15 min	Low
Stick Tree	Branches, lights	1 hour	Free

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the cheapest DIY Christmas decorations?

Paper snowflakes, salt dough ornaments, dried orange garlands and pinecone centrepieces. Most use things you already have at home and cost almost nothing.

How long do dried orange decorations last?

Several weeks if you keep them dry. Store them in a paper bag after Christmas and they keep their colour; throw them away if they go soft or mouldy.

Are DIY Christmas decorations safe with kids?

Yes, with care. Let kids paint, string and arrange; adults should handle the hot glue gun and sharp tools. Use battery lights and flameless candles around small children.

What tools do I need to start DIY Christmas decor?

Scissors, a hot glue gun, twine, ribbon and a few glass jars. That small kit covers almost every project in this guide.

Can I make DIY Christmas decor in under an hour?

Yes. Mason jar lanterns, cinnamon candle holders, orange pomanders, velvet bows and paper snowflakes all take under an hour — most take under thirty minutes.

How do I make DIY decor look expensive?

Pick one palette and use it everywhere, repeat the same few materials, and keep the finish neat. A tidy project in matching colours always looks more expensive than a messy one.

Where do I find cheap materials for DIY Christmas decor?

Thrift stores, dollar stores, your own kitchen and the garden. Pinecones, branches and oranges cost nothing; jars, ribbon and old sweaters are already at home.

Can I reuse DIY Christmas decorations next year?

Salt dough ornaments, felt pieces, wooden houses and velvet bows last for years if you store them dry. Fresh greenery and dried oranges are one-season items.

What is the easiest DIY Christmas decoration for beginners?

Paper snowflakes or mason jar lanterns. Both need almost no skill, cost very little, and look lovely on the first try.

Conclusion

DIY Christmas decorations are the heart of a handmade holiday. You do not need a big budget, fancy tools or years of practice — just a few simple materials, one evening, and a little patience. Start with the easiest project, finish it, and let that small win carry you to the next one. A dried orange garland on the mantel, a mason jar lantern on the table and a salt dough ornament on the tree are enough to make your home feel personal in a way no store-bought decor can match. This Christmas, make something with your own hands — your home will feel warmer for it.