DIY Holiday Decorations

To create holiday decorations this season that are eco-friendly and that will save you money, think like a kid! Remember the days when you were younger where you would get your hands dirty in school making all sorts of crafts – these are the best ways to make decorations for the home. Not only are these the most often eco-friendly and least expensive, but they hold sentimental value and can be cherished year after year. My parents still have a trunk in our attic filled old holiday crafts I made in elementary school. Plus, these holiday crafts are fun traditions the family can do together to help get in the holiday spirit. Cozy up with a warm mug of hot chocolate, turn on the holiday tunes and get to decorating! Below are a list of just a few fun and easy DIY holiday crafts the whole family can enjoy.

Popcorn and Cranberry Garland. Instead of decorating your tree and mantle with plastic garland, make your own by stringing popcorn and cranberries together on a string with a needle.

Toilet Paper Tree. Save up your old cardboard toilet paper roles for a month leading up to the holidays to make your very own miniature tree. Paint the tubes green and decorate with hand painted ornaments, then once they dry, stack and glue them to look like a tree.

Recycled Paper Snowflakes. Decorate your window with beautiful handmade paper snowflakes made of scrap paper you have lying around or recycled paper. To make the snowflake, start off with a square piece of paper, fold diagonally to make a triangle the fold it again 3 more times, cut off the top at an angle to make the points of the snowflake then make cuts to the outside to design the snowflake. Once you’re done cutting, unfold carefully. 

Christina B Castro Flickr/cc license

Get Crafty with Pinecones. Depending on where you live, you can find pinecones in your backyard or if not then at your local craft store. You can paint and decorate pinecones however you like to make trees, use a hot glue gun to make a homemade wreath or put them in a glass bowl for a beautiful centerpiece.

Paper Chain. Use recycled paper or scrap paper, cut evenly into 2 inch by 4-inch bars, decorate with markers, glitter and paint and once dry use tape to make a DIY paper chain. Once your chain is complete its good to go on the tree.

Popsicle Stick Snowman. Save old popsicle sticks to create a homemade snowman ornament. All you need is white paint, a hot glue gun, markers, pieces of scrap cloth for a top hat and two small twigs. Paint the popsicle stick, decorate how you like and glue his arms on and he is good to go!

For more crafty ideas, the best place to check out is Pinterest. You’ll find inspirational ideas to make Reindeers made of Wine Corks, Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes, Toilet Roll Reindeer and more. Some other eco-friendly tips to try – instead of using holiday lights and wasting energy, use candles instead just be careful to keep an eye on them. You can also opt for LED holiday lights, which don’t use as much energy as traditional holiday lights. If you are going to buy holiday decorations this year, save them to reuse next year. Since you only use these decorations once a year, they can last you a lifetime and even be passed down from generation to generation.