10 DIY Christmas Decorations to Bring the Holiday Spirit to Your Home

Whether you're looking to add color or create something more traditional, use these DIY holiday projects to channel the Christmas spirit.

The frigid weather outside gives us the perfect excuse to stay in and work on decor for the holiday season. Invite the most wonderful time of the year into your home with these crafty DIY Christmas decor projects. These simple DIY ideas include traditional ornaments and wreaths but also projects like citrus garland and a fun advent calendar.

Window Snowflakes

These wintry decorations are so easy to make that the kids can help while you finish party prep. Simply paint craft sticks in your desired shades of blue, then glue them into star or snowflake shapes. The best part about this DIY Christmas decoration? There's no wrong pattern when it comes to designing your snowflakes. Once complete, hang them with fishing wire or feature them as ornaments on your Christmas tree.

Dried Citrus Garland

Making dried citrus slices is easy and you can use them for so many fun, nature-inspired projects. Use blood oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and clementines to make this garland. You'll also need cloves, bay leaves, greenery, a paper punch, wood beads, paint, a cookie cutter, and twine.

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the fruit into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange on the baking sheet. Bake 2 to 3 hours or until fruit is nearly dried, turning over once or twice if needed. Small fruit, such as lemons and clementines, will dry more quickly (2 to 2-1/2 hours) than larger oranges. Cool completely.

2. Press cloves into the fruit near the edges. Punch small holes into bay leaves using a paper punch. Wrap one end of twine, cord, or ribbon with tape (any kind will do). It will give you a stiff end for easier stringing.

3. Use a cookie cutter to punch stars from lemon and orange peels, or paint wood beads with acrylic paint. String the beads, stars, bay leaves, and dried citrus slices onto twine.

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DIY Christmas Wreath

Put a vintage spin on a traditional evergreen with retro-inspired ornaments. Glue colorful pastel ornaments to light reflectors to form faux flowers. Attach the accents to a wreath using floral wire. Hang your DIY holiday wreath using velvet ribbon in an unexpected shade, like this dusty pink.

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Festive Bar Cart

This DIY Christmas decoration idea is perfect for the entertainer. Trim your bar cart with strands of garland and ready-to-drink seasonal cocktails to prepare your home guests. Create an ice mold for chilling wine by freezing water with orange slices and cranberries. This bar cart will surely be the topic of conversation at your holiday party.

Tiny Tannenbaums

How lovely are the branches when you turn gathered twigs into charming mini trees? Make these DIY Christmas ornaments with budget-friendly crafts supplies and a few sticks from your yard. Start by gluing two 4- to 6-inch twigs to create the trunk. Cut additional twigs at graduated lengths and hot-glue them onto the trunk. Lightly spray them with gold paint and embellish them with a garland of gold twine. Form a loop from the same twine and hot glue it to the top of the tree for hanging.

Hanging Poinsettia Planters

Replace the succulents in your macramé hanging planters with a more seasonal plant: poinsettias. Fill a glass planter with a few inches of water, then clip a bract off the plant. Place it in the planter for a floating effect. Be sure to replace the water often to keep the poinsettias fresh.

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

This is not your average advent calendar. Make faux trees in various sizes with the help of fun green paper. Simply roll the paper into a cone shape, and use double-sided tape or glue to close. Cut out paper circles and write the date on each one, 1 through 25, then attach one to each paper tree. Arrange each tree by date on a mantel or coffee table, and put small treats or phrases under each day so the whole family can indulge in the fun of counting down the days until Christmas.

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Monochrome Holiday Mantel

Show off your gift-wrapping skills by displaying decorative boxes on your fireplace mantel for all to see. Choose wrapping paper and ribbon in a Christmas hue like red or green for a uniform, monochrome effect. Finish the display with a stunning garland made of DIY paper poinsettias.

Colorful Pinecone Decorations

These fun pinecone crafts make for good easy holiday decor, gift toppers, or presents for the kids to give to teachers or grandparents. Go on a nature walk to find the perfect pinecones and hot glue colorful pom-poms onto each one. Tuck them into an evergreen garland on your mantel along with a few candlesticks for a colorful Christmas display.

Painted Glass Ornaments

Transform your Christmas tree with an array of vibrant ornaments. Simply take the top off of glass ornaments and drip crafts paint directly into them. Swirl it around until you have your desired coverage. Turn the ornament upside down into a plastic cup and let the excess paint drip out until dry. Reattach the top to the ornament and deck your tree!