Do it Yourself Christmas Decorating Ideas

Handmade Christmas decorations make for a meaningful holiday.

The Christmas holidays can be a stressful time of the year. Between parties, family functions, shopping and decorating, before you know it the season is over. Slow down and make the holidays more meaningful by creating your own decorations. Handmade decorations and gifts give you the chance to express your personality while celebrating the joy of the season. Involve the entire family in making decorations that will be enjoyed by everyone.

Natural Decorations

Add natural elements to decorations for a holiday look.

Use nature as a basis for decorating your home. Take the family hiking and start collecting pinecones, acorns with tops, branches, vines and pine boughs. With the help of some glue, glitter and wire, create a number of different decorations to use throughout your home. Paint the tips of pine cones with glue and dip in glitter. Hot glue a ribbon to the top so they can be easily hung on the tree. Make a reindeer from branches or angels from acorns. Wrap the vine in a circle, securing it in places with pieces of wire as a basis for a holiday wreath. Attach pine boughs and pine cones to the wreath and finish it off with a ribbon hanger. Place pine boughs on fireplace mantles and add dried flowers or cranberries to enhance the arrangement.

Edible Ornaments and Decorations

Gingerbread houses and marshmallow snowmen make fanciful decorations.

Christmas abounds with sweet treats. Create edible decorations for the tree and table with holiday recipes. Bake gingerbread cutouts using cookie cutters in different shapes, remembering to poke a hole in the top before baking. Decorate with icing and candy, place a ribbon through the hole and hang on the tree. Involve the family by making a gingerbread house for a table decoration. Place sugar cookies of different shapes, frosted with icing and colored sugars, on plates to set on buffet tables or sideboards, ready for snacking or dessert. String popcorn and cranberries into garlands for the tree or a fireplace mantle. Cut oranges in half and mount on a wreath to give color to outdoor decorations.

Handmade Highlights

Fill empty glass balls with colored tinsel for brilliant ornaments.

Put away those store-bought ornaments and fill your tree with handmade decorations. Create beaded snowflakes and icicle spikes in white, silver and crystal. Make your own garland by stringing flexible wire with multicolored beads. Use cotton balls or white buttons to make snowmen that won't melt. Create cross-stitch or needlepoint stockings for each family member to hang on the fireplace. Make your own Christmas village with some balsa wood, glue and paint.

Miscellaneous Decorations

Lit candles add romance when used safely.

No Christmas decoration is complete without presents sitting under the tree. Make your own wrapping paper using craft paper and paint or stamps. Use basic scrapbooking supplies and techniques to create gift tags and holiday cards.

Add the handmade feel to your dinner table as well. Purchase basic chargers and decorate them with paint and glitter. Make napkin rings using beads or pine cones and some memory wire. Place different size candles in groups of three where they can be lit with safety to lend an atmosphere of old world elegance and romance.

References

• All Free Crafts: Christmas Crafts and Decorations

Resources

• Family Fun: Christmas Decorations to Make