11 Easy DIY Christmas Decorations You Can Make Right At Home

Why Shop For Holiday Decor When You Can Make DIY Christmas Decorations At Home

This Christmas, go for a natural, zero waste theme with your decorations and table settings rather than buying them new.

Plus, making cheap DIY Christmas decorations means more money to spend on eco-friendly gifts or experiences with family and friends.

From scraps of fabric to using things found in your kitchen, these bright, beautiful – and most importantly–sustainable Christmas decorations will make anyone smile.

Take a look and get inspired by these easy DIY Christmas decorations.

1. Festive Dried Citrus Garland

DIY Christmas Decorations by nastassiabas

We love that these super DIY holiday decorations make your home smell just like Christmas with a touch of Scandi style.

Plus, this piece of simple DIY Christmas decor can be made using mostly what’s found in your kitchen—like oranges (one per garland), string cinnamon sticks and cloves, and wooden chopsticks.

Learning how to make dried citrus garland is simple:

Simply slice your orange as thin as possible, use the chopstick to make a hole in the top, and bake them in the oven on low until dry (about 5 hours, depending on thickness). A dehydrator also works.

Once dried, thread string through the holes of the dried oranges (tying a knot at each one to hold the citrus slice in place) and add cinnamon sticks and cloves as you please

Use these as DIY Christmas tree decor or hang them around the house—the choice is yours!

2. Popcorn Tree Garla

DIY Christmas Decorations by Iuliia Nedrygailova's Images

When it comes to cheap DIY Christmas decorations, you can’t go wrong with something made from a notoriously cheap snack (when you make it at home, at least)! 

This popcorn garland adds a lovely pop (literally) to any festive decor scheme, and is so easy to make.

So, how to make popcorn tree garland?

Just take popped popcorn and string them together by piercing them with a threaded needle.

That’s literally it!

Make this DIY holiday decor super festive by adding cranberries for a pop of color. Dried cranberries will make it last a little longer (rather than fresh).

Garlands make great tree decor, so this one is a nice alternative to use instead of tinsel around your home or on your tree. Just be sure you only use them on indoor trees, though (popcorn doesn’t make for good DIY outdoor Christmas decor).

3. Recycled Printed Wrapping Paper

DIY Christmas Decorations by Svetlana_nsk

Reduce the waste of Christmas wrapping paper, and make your own this year.

And what better way to wrap all those reusable gifts you’re giving than with reused paper?

You can either save newspaper throughout December and use it to artfully wrap your gifts with twine and sprigs of holly or buy some recycled parcel paper and stamp it with fun designs using potato stamps and vegetable inks.

Your loved ones are guaranteed to love the unique and personalized touches to your gift wrapping this year, plus wrapped presents beneath the tree will look like DIY rustic Christmas decor for your home. 

We’re guessing you probably already know how to wrap presents—and recycled paper is no different from regular wrapping paper—but in case, here’s our guide to DIY wrapping paper.

4. Fabric Wrapping Paper

DIY Christmas Decorations by yulka3ice

Cut down on wasting wrapping paper and learn the Japanese art of furoshiki. This tradition involves wrapping your gifts in fabric rather than throwaway paper.

Choose your favorite sustainable cloth.

Saged Home does some seriously beautiful ones that will surely make for some cute Christmas DIY decor when your gifts are on display or sitting beneath the tree.

Or go even more zero waste and reuse scraps of fabric you have at home. You just need to make sure your fabric is in the shape of a square for it to work.

To wrap, situate your gift box in the center of the fabric, so that the corners of the box point toward the straight sides of the fabric (not its corners). 

Then simply bring opposite corners of the fabric up and over the box, tying them together on top.

The best part of this DIY Christmas decor idea is your loved ones can reuse the fabric themselves, making it a wrapping technique that keeps on giving.

5. Natural Place Settings

DIY Christmas Decorations by Traci Beattie

When it comes to Christmas table decorations, DIY place settings add a highly personal touch to your dining room aesthetic.

DIY Christmas table decor gives your holiday table a natural flourish. Make each place setting unique with seasonal foraged items. We love holly and rosemary.

You can add dried berries for color or get your guests ready for Christmas dinner with divine smelling cinnamon sticks, dried sliced oranges, sage leaves, pine cones—really just about anything natural finds or craft supplies on hand.

If you have mason jars or vases, you can place the natural elements inside them. This not only adds stability to the arrangement but also serves as a decorative element.

6. Origami Stars

DIY Christmas Decorations by picalotta

The best homemade Christmas decorations are the ones that are fun to make. Origami stars are an enjoyable and creative way to decorate your home.

You can hang these colorful ornaments on your tree, stick them on the windows, make them into garlands, or they make great DIY Christmas ceiling decorations, too.

You can make these pretty stars out of upcycled paper you have lying around the house, whether it’s old newspaper, sheet music, or battered up books.

Cut the paper into squares. You can do any size, but keep in mind that the smaller the square, the more difficult and infinite the movements will be. For reference, a 12″ square will make a 7″ star.

We find this one much easier to learn visually, so check out this tutorial video on how to fold your paper.

While learning how to make origami stars may take a little longer than some of these other ideas, once you get the motion and pattern down, they’re incredibly easy Christmas decorations to make. 

Each one is completely unique, too!

7. Twig or Cinnamon Stick Star Ornaments

DIY Christmas Decorations by oksanashufrych

We can’t get enough of stars this year. 

These plastic free, zero waste DIY wooden Christmas decorations are made from twigs, string, and just a bit of creativity—that’s it! 

You can even mold them into other festive shapes using cookie cutters as a template while the glue dries.

We also recommend dyeing your string with natural dyes in advance to give it enough time to dry.

Or if you’re looking to infuse your space with the warm, inviting scent, you can make these charming ornaments out of cinnamon sticks instead, using the same method.

No matter which you choose, they’ll look prim and pretty on the Christmas tree or as part of your eco-friendly Christmas table decorations. You could even pop them up to decorate the mantel if you have one.

Plus, their natural look makes them a great option if you’re looking for DIY outdoor Christmas decorations.

8. Newspaper DIY Christmas Cards

DIY Christmas Decorations by nastyaphphotos

Have some scrap odds and ends after your origami stars? Some colorful string leftover from your twig stars? Newsprint leftover from wrapping gifts?

Keep them for easy homemade Christmas cards!

These are a great example of easy DIY Christmas decor. They’re so simple to make but are guaranteed to stand out with their fun rustic look. You can make them for your friends and family or stick up your creations at home.

There are almost endless options for how you can create these, but we personally loved playing with a 3-dimensional look by stitching flaps of paper cut into the shape of a Christmas tree to the outside of our card.

You can see how we made our own DIY Christmas cards, or play around with your own festive shapes and see what you come up with!

9. Seed Packet Christmas Cards

DIY Christmas Decorations by TanyaJoy

Similarly, you can combine holiday greetings with a touch of sustainability by repurposing seed packets into unique cards.

These are excellent, especially for the gardeners or those you know who love their house full of plants.

Simple, take a handful of empty seed packets, a piece of upcycled paperboard or cardstock, and trim the packets to fit the size of the card.

Attach the seed packets to the front of the cards using glue or double-sided tape, and write your holiday message inside the card.

Once given, they’ll make for the perfect piece of DIY farmhouse Christmas decor your giftee can display on their mantle or on the fridge for years to come.

10. DIY Christmas Wreaths

DIY Christmas Decorations by oksanashufrych

Instead of getting a shop-bought Christmas wreath, why not make your own? 

Use them as DIY Christmas wall decor or hang them on your door to be the envy of your neighborhood.

No matter where it’ll end up, they’re easy, eco-friendly, and a great excuse for a day of cozy Christmas decor crafts.

The cherry on top of this Christmas cake is that these ethical Christmas decorations will either last for years or will break down in the compost.

There are tons of Christmas wreath ideas for you to try, but because textile waste makes us feel pretty Scrooge-like, we especially love the idea of a fabric scrap wreath. After all, the best DIY ideas put use to otherwise wasted materials.

Simply take any colors and sizes of fabric scraps (perhaps from old sewing projects or just holey old t-shirts too ratty to donate) and cut them into strips, approximately 6-8 inches long.

Tie the fabric strips onto the wire wreath frame, creating a layered and textured look, continuing until the entire wreath frame is covered.

Fluff and arrange the fabric strips, or even hot glue on some dried berries and citrus slices to achieve a full and festive appearance.

11. DIY Christmas Tree

DIY Christmas Decorations by Olga Chetvergova

Now you’ve got Christmas wreaths, cards, and wrapping paper sorted, why not take it a step further with the ultimate Christmas DIY project: making your own sustainable Christmas tree?

This is a unique way to upcycle old items around the house, and your tree will certainly stand out. I

There’s no wrong or right way to make a DIY Christmas tree. You can keep it simple by making a pile of books in a tree shape. 

Or for a tree that doubles as a DIY Christmas wall decor idea, you could tie sticks together with the smallest size at the top, descending to bigger sizes further down.

If you love the smell of fresh pine but are low on space or don’t like the idea of cutting a living tree down, collect fallen pine boughs and other fresh greenery and string them together for a sort of deconstructed hanging Christmas tree.

Then adorn your creation with festive garlands and decorations—perhaps some of the DIY Christmas ornaments mentioned above!

Final Thoughts On DIY Holiday Decorations

Creating cute DIY Christmas decorations is fun, easy, and good for the planet.

Making your own decorations not only cuts down on waste and is more eco-friendly, but it’s also a budget-friendly alternative compared to buying decorations. You’ll save money while you’re saving the planet!

And all the DIY Christmas home decor ideas we’ve outlined here are easy and eco-friendly options that virtually anyone can do. 

So, this holiday season, try making your own Christmas DIY decor or have a crafting party with friends and family! DIY is always better if you do it together.

But for friends that live afar, at least give this article a share so they can add some crafty creativity to their sustainable Christmas season.