10 easy and inexpensive DIY Christmas decorations

There are only a few special holidays in the year when you get to dress up your home and add something special to your home décor. Christmas is the ultimate holiday for decorating, allowing you to buy and DIY some of the most creative and cozy pieces that get you in the spirit.

While this Christmas may not be like previous years, there’s no reason to not get into the holiday spirit at home. Do-it-yourself projects are the perfect way to pass the time and bond with family during the holidays, especially in the midst of the 2020 holiday season.

Here are 10 affordable DIY Christmas decoration ideas to liven up the home for the holidays.

1. Ornament wreath

Give that traditional Christmas wreath a creative twist this year. Buy a set of ornaments with different colors or textures, or collect a few lightweight ornaments that you no longer hang on the tree. For extra décor ideas, add fake pinecones of different sizes and sparkly garland to complement the ornaments.

Carefully arrange your accessories to your liking then use a hot glue gun or super glue to secure them onto a wire wreath frame or, for a more traditional feel, a faux twig wreath frame. Add your finished wreath to the front door or any empty wall space.

2. Painted picket

This DIY project makes for a perfect foyer accessory. Use any leftover wooden slat or buy a treated dog-ear picket.

From there, paint a festive picture with acrylic paint—make sure you grab green, red, and white colors. Some picket fence painting ideas include a toy soldier, Santa Claus, a snowman, a candy cane, or even twinkling string lights.

3. Dehydrated fruit décor

Stringing popcorn for a decorative garland is a classic way to add Christmas spirit to the home. And for something a bit more bold and colorful, try dehydrating oranges and cranberries. These make a sweet-smelling addition to a garland. To dehydrate the fruit, you can use an oven on a low setting, or we love and recommend this food dehydrator made by Excalibur.

You can even use leftover dehydrated fruit to make your own ornaments by looping festive ribbon around the center or carefully supergluing an ornament hook on one side.

4. Frosted mason jars

Give the illusion of snow-covered mason jars with a DIY paint project. These jars make for a subtle accessory on the dinner table and are just so easy to create.

Grab a set of mason jars and spray with a frosted glass spray paint.

Once the jar has dried, add faux pinecones or evergreen stems and top the mouth of the jar off with a plaid ribbon. You can add a set of string lights in the jar to create a dim and cozy light source.

5. Paper chain garland

While very simple, the paper chain garland can be a fun Christmas activity to do with the kids. Cut construction paper into thin strips or buy a paper chain kit with decorative designs.

Bend a paper strip into a circle, joining another paper strip, then staple or glue the ends to create the chain. Continue on to your desired chain length.

Take your paper chain up a notch by using metallic foil paper instead of regular paper—this adds some dazzle against twinkling Christmas lights.

6. Gift bag tree skirt

Recreate Santa’s bag of gifts by making a DIY tree skirt out of burlap and a ribbon. (You can also use this same method on smaller evergreen trees that make nice holiday party host gifts.) Grab a roll of burlap and measure out a circle with enough length to wrap around the bottom of your Christmas tree stand.

Wrap the circle under the stand, then gather at the trunk and tie together with a ribbon of your choice. Voilà—you have Santa’s gift bag right under your tree!

Just make sure you can still water your tree, so it will stay fresh throughout the holiday season.

7. Salt dough ornaments

Create your own Christmas tree ornaments this year by baking and decorating them at home.

Mix four cups of all-purpose flour and one cup of salt into a mixing bowl. Slowly pour water into the mix to create a dough-like texture. Knead out your mixture then use a cookie cutter (or your hands) to create shapes. Don’t forget to puncture a small hole at the top if you wish to loop a ribbon or add an ornament hook.

Bake the pieces at 325°F for an hour (or until hardened). Let your pieces cool completely, then you can paint them as you please—acrylic paint works best for this project.

8. Popsicle stick snowflakes

Create hanging snowflake decorations for the house or for the tree with this simple project. This is another DIY idea that makes for a perfect playdate with the kids.

Buy a large pack of popsicle sticks along with some acrylic paint and glitter. Glue together your popsicle sticks in whatever snowflake formation you please, then paint and sprinkle with glitter for a special homemade decoration.

9. Evergreen centerpiece

Bring your greenery indoors with this natural centerpiece for the dinner table. Prune small bits of branches off any outdoor evergreen trees or bushes you have growing outdoors. If you don’t have access to pine, fir, spruce, or cedar trees or prefer faux greenery, try a collection of artificial stems.

Anchor your branches and accessories with a small brick of floral styrofoam so they’ll stay perfectly in place. Add the complete brick into a festive bowl or candle vessel.

10. Oversized ornaments

Decorate your yard or garage with giant, colorful ornaments using bouncy balls—this is sure to garner some compliments from the neighborhood.

Buy a few large playballs in different colors or designs. Buy a set of small galvanized metal buckets—or, use a silver spray paint to decorate old takeout containers. Superglue the bucket or container upside down on top of the ball.

If you want to hang it up, use about six inches of silver craft wire to create a circle or a hook—whatever is easiest to attach your ornament to your garage or ceiling—and glue it to the bucket or container.