The story below is from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Get creative with family-friendly holiday projects that bring joy and warmth to your home.
Ever since the pandemic, a growing consensus online declares that the moment Spooky Season has ended, it’s game on for all holiday decor – and why not? It’s cold outside and the days have become shorter, and all those twinkle lights are downright practical when it’s dark at 4 p.m.
Maybe you’ve joined the ranks of the early birds determined to make your holiday cheer last as long as possible, or maybe you’re a holdout who likes to savor the special feeling of a short and sweet season – whatever your preferences, storefronts and online ads go full throttle with enticing deals by Labor Day. But some years, it’s just not in the budget to add all the ornaments, wreathes, linens, dinnerware, figurines, lights, garlands, throw pillows and blankets that catch your eye. Pre-season goods can be expensive (and you might have presents to buy on top of it!). If you are patient and able to stand the wait, you can build up your holiday decor in January for deep discounts over the years.
But what if you want to deck the halls right now?
The great news is that there are a ton of DIYs out there that are high impact, low effort and easy enough for non-crafters and even kids to do. And since the holidays are all about gatherings, these are the perfect activities that you and your guests can enjoy – whether you want to start in between trick or treaters or wait for a Christmas Eve DIY blowout.
So while you’re waiting on the post-season sales to add to your holiday collection, these are my favorite holiday DIYs that are inexpensive, easily accessible and fun, so you can make your home merry and bright for however long you like to enjoy your holiday season.
Greenery
Gather stray branches of pine on walks or from the bottom of your own tree. I’ve also gone to tree lots and asked for the scraps they remove when they clean up purchases for customers – the spare branches are usually lying around on the ground and no one minds if you scavenge a bit! Trim and bundle the branches for small, scented “mini tree” bouquets that you can keep around the house. Jars, pitchers and vases all work well for this! Play with the scale depending on what you have (a bundle of tiny trimmings or an armful of boughs look equally as charming) and you can even decorate them with ornaments or lights. I also love the elegant, nostalgic simplicity of a single branch in a blue mason jar wrapped in bakers twine or red ribbon.
Use a tension rod in a doorway for a renter-friendly garland hack. Simply drape and layer your garland over the rod until you can’t see it anymore, adding twinkle lights, ribbons, ornaments or anything else you like. If you need to secure anything, use ribbon, twist ties or floral wire to tie your components in place. Then, push the rod to the top of the doorway, making sure the tension is tight enough to hold the garland for the season.
Pine isn’t the only greenery that signals holiday cheer — holly, eucalyptus and even magnolia leaves will all create a beautiful atmosphere in any room. Use holly sprigs to brighten up table tops or to tuck into picture frames around the house. Eucalyptus brings a gorgeous blue accent to any floral arrangement and multiple stems bundled in a pitcher look as good as they smell. Magnolia leaves are a striking alternative to fir and pine garlands or wreaths and can also be bundled in vases with ribbon. The best part about all of these greens? They last all season long, very minimal care or water required! (Just beware the radiator proximity, which might dry them out prematurely!)
Paper
One of the best ways to achieve a crafty look for any and all skill levels is with a classic paper chain. I recommend cardstock, though almost any paper can work – even brown grocery bags! (Tissue paper and newspaper are not great for this, because they will tear and lose their shape easily.) Simply cut a strip of paper and connect its ends into a ring using a stapler, tape or a glue dot. Then cut another strip of paper and loop it through the first ring before repeating the process. You can make the chain as long or as short as you like, and you can use colored paper to create a pattern or all white printer paper to make a snowy landscape across your home. I love using paper chains as garlands on my tree, or hanging them from the center of the ceiling (like on a fan or light fixture) out to the edges and corners of the room to create a circus tent-like effect.
If you want to be truly classic then paper snowflakes is the way to go – all you need is printer paper and scissors. You can find tons of easy instructions online, but I recommend experimenting and seeing what happens. The basic rule of thumb is to start with a square and fold it diagonally two to three times, then cut shapes out of the edges. When you unfold the paper, you will have a snowflake! Make large snowflakes or small ones and string them up in a garland or hang them from the ceiling. Tape them to your windows or walls, or put them on your tree. If you want to get really fancy, you can even use an X-Acto knife to cut very fine shapes and patterns into your creations.
Tissue paper flowers are the favorite on Pinterest, but they can be a bit fussy for beginners or children. (If you’re so inclined, a quick online search will pull up tons of great tutorials!) For a more accessible variation that you can try with a mixed group of people, I love a tissue paper pom pom. All you need is tissue paper in your color preferences, tape and fishing line. Take three sheets of paper in a stack and make an accordion fold on the shorter side – start at the end and make a two-inch fold, then flip the stack and make a two-inch fold going the other direction, until you’ve compressed the entire stack into a long folded up two-inch strip. Secure the center of the stack with tape and then cut the ends into a rounded or pointed shape (experiment!). Tie some fishing line around the center. Then carefully unfold the entire stack, fluffing out each layer as you gently pull it apart. Depending on the size and the shape of the ends, these can end up looking like big puffs, clouds or even stars!
Food (That You Don’t Eat!)
Dried citrus is an old-fashioned holiday tradition that has made a recent comeback, and if you haven’t tried your hand at it yet I highly recommend this being your year. Slices of grapefruit, limes, lemon and oranges slowly dried in single layer batches in your oven not only create the most beautiful miniature stained-glass windows but they make your house smell absolutely incredible. Cut up whatever citrus you have into quarter-inch slices, then let them sit on paper towels or tea towels for an hour or so to soak up the excess juice. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put into an oven at no more than 150 degrees. Bake for three to four hours, flipping every half hour or so and making sure to pull them before they shrivel up or get too brown. I turn the oven off and let them hang out overnight before taking a needle and threading them into ornaments or garlands. I love adding them to wreaths as well, or hanging them in bunches with cinnamon sticks and some greens in the windows. They are festive additions to gift wrap, or used as a garnish on holiday cocktails, too!
String cranberries and popcorn and have yourself a truly old-fashioned Christmas. All you need is a needle, some thread and a bag of popcorn or cranberries. Mix them up or make strings of one and then the other, looping them around your mantle and the tree for a nostalgic and charming look.
Make cinnamon ornaments to use on your tree, to add to wreaths and garlands or to use as gift tags. All you need is 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce per 1½ cups cinnamon (buy the bulk stuff that isn’t as high quality), mix with your hands (you really need to use your fingers for this one!) until you have a dough, then roll out between two sheets of plastic into a 1/3-inch thick sheet. Use cookie cutters to make your ornaments, and a straw to punch holes for stringing ribbon or ornament hooks through after they’re dry.
You can bake them at 200 degrees for 2.5 hours, or let them sit out and air dry for a few days. They are done when they are hard (be careful not to burn them if you’re baking!). Then simply add your twine, ribbon, ornament hooks (or pipe cleaners for little kids) to hang wherever you like. You can paint and decorate these, but I love the way they look plain — plus, they smell incredible. And they last for years!
General Tips
For a low-cost, high visual impact, use a lot of a single or limited number of elements. If you’ve ever seen a few stems of baby’s breath, you’re likely to think they are just “filler flowers.” But imagine an enormous vase packed with hundreds of these stems, or every surface covered in jars and pitchers chock full of the white sprays. Imagine a tree decorated not with mismatched ornaments but laden with sprigs of these flowers until the branches appeared to be covered in snow. Going big on the number can transform a humble element into a statement.
Limit your color palette. If you want to create a cohesive look, pick no more than three colors for all of your components. Monochrome can even be a great way to simplify your efforts without compromising the final look: Red for a classic Christmas might mean red velvet ribbons, cranberry garlands, candles and tablecloths; for a preppier look, you might go with blue, using blue mason jars for your greenery, blue bows tying up your garlands and wreaths and blue ornaments on every branch of your tree. Add a complementary color (green for red; orange for blue) and one accent (a metal or white is always a safe bet!) and you’ve got a cohesive look.
On the flipside, go merry and bright with an explosion of color! This is ideal for homes with kids and animals, or an eclectic collection of holiday decor that doesn’t exactly “go together.” Make a garland of craft pom poms in every color and mirror them with an explosion of tissue paper pom poms hung from the ceiling. Put every ornament you own plus a bunch of new ones on the tree and dress up your candles and vases with multicolor ribbons.
No matter what, the guiding principle for decorating for the holidays is this: If it brings you joy, then you’re doing it exactly right.
The story above is from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!