18 DIY Christmas Decorations That Will Last for Years to Come

Various tiny Christmas trees on mantelpiece — Photo:
Ryan Liebe

Few things will get you into the holiday spirit quite like breaking out the Christmas décor and decking the halls from top to bottom. But if you want to add to your collection, consider opting for handmade decorations. Not only will they add personality to your holiday display, but crafting them with loved ones can be the start of a brand-new tradition. To help you get inspired, we're sharing our best DIY Christmas decorations, from handmade ornaments to beautiful garlands.

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Laurel and Silver Poinsettias Decoration

Hang this beautiful garland on your front door in lieu of a traditional wreath, or display it on a mantel or staircase inside your home. The decoration is made by securing laurel branches around a small wreath frame and studding the leaves with faux silver poinsettias. You can taper the shape as you work or make it consistent the whole way down.

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Christmas Village Wreath

Many people set up miniature Christmas villages in their home around the holidays, but this magical wreath puts a fun twist on the tradition. A normal wreath is turned into a charming wonderland by affixing putz houses, bottlebrush trees, small deer and skiers, and drifts of cotton snow to the branches with craft glue.

Get the Christmas Village Wreath How-To

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Ribbon-Candy Decoration

oversized-ribbon-candy-ornament-0232-d111141_vert — RYAN LIEBE

Perfect for hanging outdoors, these decorative pieces are inspired by ribbon candy. They're made by weaving strips of silver- and gold-toned flashing along rods, using wooden beads as separators. Spray paint the beads silver or gold to tie the look together.

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Jingle Bells

To make comings and goings much more festive, gather a variety of bells (these are red, gold, and silver) and string them onto two loops of wire. Mold them into a cluster shape, twist the ends of the loops together, and tie on a big bow. Hang the ornament from a doorknob with a piece of cord.

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Paper Snowflakes

Few holiday decorations are as timeless as paper snowflakes, but if you've always found this project daunting, we're here to help. With nothing more than a square piece of paper, sharp scissors, and our templates, you can create a flurry of snowflakes that will turn your home into a makeshift winter wonderland.

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Glittered Cone Advent Calendar

Keep track of how many days there are until Christmas with this advent calendar that doubles as mantel or tabletop décor. To make it, we covered paper cones in spray adhesive and metallic glitter and affixed a paper tag with a number sticker to each. Place a surprise under each cone, which are meant to resemble trees, to make the countdown even more exciting.

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Holiday Card Ornament

Repurpose your collection of past holiday cards by turning them into beautiful ornaments, which you can hang on your tree or display in a cloche. Make the ornaments as small or large as you like (and as the cards will allow).

How To Make the Holiday Card Ornament

Cut out 20 circles. For a small ball, use a 1 1/4-inch hole punch; for a large one, trace around the bottom of a glass.
Cut one more circle from cardboard.
Draw an equilateral triangle, points touching the circumference. Cut out triangle.
Trace the triangle onto the inside of each circle. Score and fold along all the lines.
Use clear-drying craft glue to join one flap from each of two circles; triangles should point in the same direction.
Using the same technique, attach three more circles to these two, forming what will be the top. Make the bottom the same way.
Glue remaining 10 circles together, triangle points alternating up and down, forming a line.
Glue two end flaps to form what will be the middle section, then glue top and bottom to its flaps.
Hang from silver thread.

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Glittered Tree Stumps

Take a cue from Martha’s past Christmas celebrations and go for a woodland décor theme this holiday season. These "snowcapped" tree stumps are the perfect seat fort tiny bears, squirrels, and other forest dwellers. Display the decoration on your tabletop, around your tree, or elsewhere for a wintry feel.

How To Make the Glittered Tree Stumps

Gently tear off roughly circular shapes of batting, and stack them on a stump until you've reached the desired height.
Use a paintbrush to coat each layer of batting with a mixture of equal parts glue and water, working to form the mound shape as you brush.
While glue is wet, cover top of batting with glitter. Let dry overnight.

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Easy Christmas Wreaths

Using fallen foliage found in your very own backyard, you can create these easy miniature wreaths. Simply glue sprigs of greenery (we used spruce, cedar, and juniper) around an embroidery hoop then suspend the wreaths with red ribbon for a festive finish.

Get the Easy Christmas Wreath How-To

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Glittered Reindeer

We love how elevated these glittered reindeer look. Despite their luxe appearance, the display is very easy to replicate. Simply cover a deer figurine with glue, apply glitter, and spray with a fixative. Place the sparkling animals on artificial snow next to candlelight for a warm holiday tableau.

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Metallic Cedar Garland

metallic garland with birds — Anna Williams

Transform plain faux garland into a lifelike decoration by embellishing it with birds and silver picks. Wrap the swags around your banister or let them drape over a mantel. The best part about this DIY project is you can make the garland as thin or full as you like, so it can be displayed anywhere in the home.

How To Make the Metallic Cedar Garland

Use a drill and 3/16-inch bit to sink pilot holes in ends of branches for screw eyes (measuring 15/8 inches) and hooks (measuring 2 3/5 inches).
Screw in hardware and connect the branches as shown. (The top screw eye is used for hanging the garland from molding.)
Trim the branches and place them along the birch frame until you reach the desired fullness.
Wrap floral wire down branch to connect to the birch. (Work in pieces.) Fill in sparse spots in similar fashion as needed.
Make the picks: Bunch together 5 or so bay sprigs and ball picks, and use wire to connect floral pick. Repeat as desired.
For birds: Snip wire off a floral pick and hot-glue it to the back of a bird. Plant the pick into the garland. Screw hooks into the top edge of molding to hang the garland.

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Gum Drop Garland

This Christmas decorating idea is simple enough for kids to join in on. Choose candy that's easy to pierce, like gum drops, then tie a sewing needle to the end of a piece of string and thread on the candy. Alternate festive colors, like red and green, for a festive look you can display around your house.

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Ornament Cloche

Rather than keeping excess ornaments in storage, create this eye-catching centerpiece instead. Fill cloches in various sizes with beautiful baubles and use the display to jazz up your mantel, dining room table, bar cart, and beyond.

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Wall-Mounted Tree

wall Christmas tree idea for small spaces — Johnny Miller

Want to display multiple Christmas trees but don't have enough room for them? This wall-mounted evergreen has the same festive feel without taking up precious floor space. To achieve the look, attach pieces of lush garland in varying sizes to your wall with hooks until a "tree" takes shape. Decorate it with lights, ornaments, and other baubles, as you would a real tree.

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Origami Trees

If there are any gaps in your holiday décor that need to be filled, these origami Christmas trees are the perfect solution. They can be made with craft paper and scissors two different ways: make a tree with straight edges for a modern look and one with an upturned edge to mimic real branches. When assembled together, you get your very own miniature tree farm.

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Winter Door Decoration

Signal to guests and passersby that you're ready for the most joyful time of year by adorning your front door with this festive decoration that you can affix to your door without any adhesive. It's easy to re-create using our printable template.

How To Make the Winter Door Decoration

Measure your door.
Print out the template. Tape the sections together so you can see the entire pattern.
Place vinyl paper-side down, and layer transfer paper on top. Layer the template over the transfer paper and tape in place.
Using a pencil, trace the template onto the transfer paper. Flip the template over, and repeat the tracing process to create the opposite side of the design.
Cut out vinyl tracings with small scissors.
Clean the window, and let dry. Remove paper backing from vinyl and, working from the top, align sections on the glass. Trim or overlap vinyl pieces as needed to align neatly.
Repeat the pattern lengthwise to fit the door. You can add extra pieces to fill.

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Outdoor Candle Lamps

Light the way for Santa with these oversized candle lamps. The tapers are made by drilling a small opening at the base of a piece of pipe and threading a light socket cord through it. Coat the pipe with primer and spray paint it in a color of your choosing, then add "wax" to give the candles their lifelike appearance. Hide the base of the candles by nestling them inside wreaths.

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Snow-Dusted Trees

Make your mantel look amazing with a colorful assortment of vintage and inexpensive evergreens. Dust the branches of bottle-brush trees, which are readily available online and at crafts stores, with white paint to give them a snow-dusted look. Set a few votive candles around the trees to make the landscape sparkle.

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