DIY Christmas Decorations: 15 Easy Ideas to Make at Home

Make your home feel festive without spending a fortune. These 15 DIY Christmas decorations use paper, foraged greenery, dried fruit and things you probably already own. Most take under an hour, cost less than £5, and each one lists exactly what you need.

Paper decorations

1. Classic paper snowflakes. Materials: white paper (printer or baking paper), scissors, string. Time: 15 minutes. Cost: pennies.

1. Fold a square of paper into a triangle, then fold into thirds.
2. Cut small triangles and curves from the folded edges — keep some paper along the folds so it holds together.
3. Unfold, thread string through a corner and hang.

Tip: baking paper makes delicate, slightly translucent flakes.

2. Paper chains in festive colours. Materials: coloured paper or old wrapping paper, glue stick or tape, ruler. Time: 30 minutes. Cost: £1–£2.

1. Cut strips about 2.5cm wide and 20cm long.
2. Loop the first strip into a ring and glue the ends.
3. Thread the next strip through the ring and close it; repeat.

Hang across doorways, bannisters or the tree.

3. 3D paper stars. Materials: kraft or coloured paper, scissors, glue, string. Time: 20 minutes. Cost: £1.

1. Cut 5 identical strips.
2. Fold each into a pointed petal and glue the bases together in a star shape.
3. Layer two stars offset for a fuller look, add string and hang.

These look especially good in brown kraft paper with a sprig of dried lavender glued in the middle.

Natural decorations

4. Dried orange garland. Materials: 3–4 oranges, baking tray, string or twine, needle. Time: 3 hours mostly hands-off (drying). Cost: £2.

1. Slice oranges 5mm thick and pat dry.
2. Dry on a low oven shelf (90°C) for 2–3 hours, turning once, until leathery.
3. Thread onto twine with a needle, spacing slices 3–4cm apart.

Hang on the tree, mantel or in a window — they catch the light beautifully. For more festive kitchen projects, see our Christmas Day 2026 guide.

5. Pine cone ornaments. Materials: collected pine cones, white or gold paint (optional), ribbon, glue. Time: 20 minutes plus drying. Cost: free–£2.

1. Brush off the cones and let them dry fully indoors for a day.
2. Dab the tips with paint for a frosted effect, or leave natural.
3. Glue a loop of ribbon to the base and hang.

Safety: bake cones at 100°C for 30 minutes first if you want to kill any insects — let them cool before handling.

6. Eucalyptus and fir sprig bundles. Materials: fresh eucalyptus, fir or spruce cuttings, twine. Time: 10 minutes. Cost: free if foraged, £3–£4 from a florist.

1. Trim stems to equal length.
2. Bundle 3–4 sprigs together and tie tightly with twine.
3. Tuck into the tree, lay along the mantel or tie onto napkins as place settings.

Keep away from open flames.

7. Cinnamon stick bundles. Materials: cinnamon sticks, twine, dried orange slices (from idea 4). Time: 10 minutes. Cost: £2–£3.

1. Bundle 3 sticks with twine.
2. Tuck in a dried orange slice or small fir sprig.
3. Use as tree decorations, gift toppers or table favours — they make the room smell wonderful.

Upcycled decorations

8. Jar lid photo baubles. Materials: clean jam-jar lids, small printed photos, ribbon, glue. Time: 20 minutes. Cost: free.

1. Trace the lid on a photo and cut the circle out.
2. Glue the photo inside the lid.
3. Glue ribbon around the rim for a finished edge and hang.

A lovely personal touch for grandparents’ trees.

9. Twig star ornaments. Materials: straight twigs, garden string, secateurs. Time: 25 minutes. Cost: free.

1. Cut 5 twigs to equal length.
2. Lay them in a star shape, overlapping the ends.
3. Lash each joint tightly with string and add a hanging loop.

Rustic and sturdy — great for a Scandi-style tree.

10. Button and ribbon tree. Materials: a polystyrene or cardboard cone, assorted buttons, pins or glue, ribbon. Time: 45 minutes. Cost: £2–£4.

1. Pin or glue buttons onto the cone from the bottom up, overlapping slightly.
2. Fill gaps with small ribbon bows.
3. Top with a star cut from card.

A good rainy-afternoon project for older children.

Table and mantel decorations

11. Candle centrepiece with greenery. Materials: a tray or shallow bowl, pillar candles, fir sprigs, pine cones, dried oranges. Time: 15 minutes. Cost: £3–£5.

1. Place candles in the centre of the tray.
2. Arrange greenery, cones and orange slices around them.
3. Scatter a few whole spices.

Safety: use LED candles if children or pets are around, and never leave real flames unattended. See how the whole day comes together in Christmas Day 2026.

12. Folded napkin Christmas trees. Materials: green paper napkins. Time: 5 minutes each. Cost: pennies.

1. Fold a square napkin into quarters, then fold diagonally into a triangle.
2. Fold the long edges in to make a tree shape.
3. Stand upright on each plate — add a small star sticker on top for guests’ names.

13. Place-card pine sprigs. Materials: small fir or rosemary sprigs, card, pen, twine. Time: 15 minutes. Cost: £1.

1. Write each guest’s name on a folded card.
2. Tie a sprig to the card with twine.
3. Lay on each plate.

Rosemary doubles as a fragrant keepsake.

Window and door decorations

14. Window star suncatchers. Materials: coloured tissue paper or sweet wrappers, clear sticky-back plastic or laminating pouches, scissors. Time: 20 minutes. Cost: £1–£2.

1. Cut star shapes from the sticky-back plastic.
2. Stick small pieces of tissue paper onto the sticky side.
3. Seal with a second star and hang in the window with suction hooks — daylight does the rest.

15. Simple door wreath. Materials: a wire or willow wreath base, fir or holly cuttings, wire or twine, ribbon. Time: 40 minutes. Cost: £4–£6.

1. Push cuttings into the base at an angle, working clockwise and overlapping.
2. Wire in pine cones, dried oranges or cinnamon bundles for texture.
3. Tie a big ribbon bow at the top and hang.

For festive days out to inspire your decorating, browse the best UK Christmas markets.

Tips for decorating success

• Keep a colour palette. Two or three colours (for example red, gold and green, or white, silver and blue) make even simple makes look coordinated.
• Supervise sharp tools. Scissors, secateurs and craft knives are adult jobs; give children the gluing, threading and arranging.
• Store carefully. Wrap paper decorations flat between sheets of tissue; keep dried oranges in a paper bag somewhere dry and they will last for next year too.
• Go LED. Battery fairy lights woven through garlands and wreaths look magical and stay cool to the touch.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make Christmas decorations cheaply?

Use what you have: paper, cardboard, foraged greenery, pine cones and dried fruit cost almost nothing. The most expensive item in this list is the wreath base at around £4–£6, and even that can be made from bent willow or a wire coat hanger.

What can I use instead of a Christmas tree?

A large branch in a sturdy vase, a wall-mounted twig tree, or stacked books wrapped in fairy lights all work. Ideas 9 (twig stars) and 15 (door wreath) scale up well for a statement alternative tree.

Are homemade decorations safe for children and pets?

Mostly yes, with common sense: avoid small parts for under-3s, keep real candles out of reach (use LED), and note that some festive plants — mistletoe, holly berries and poinsettia — are toxic if eaten, so keep them well away from children and pets.

How long do dried orange decorations last?

Fully dried slices kept somewhere dry will last for several Christmases. If they go soft or sticky, they were not dried enough — give them another hour in a low oven.

When should I start making Christmas decorations?

Late November is ideal: dried fruit and paper crafts keep for weeks, and fresh greenery cut in mid-December will stay looking good through to New Year if kept cool.