DIY Christmas Crafts for Decorating Your Home on a Budget

As this year draws to a close, many of us are breathing a sigh of relief. The events of the year can now be set aside and replaced by the joy of the holiday season. But many of us are on a very tight budget this year and it may not be as merry of a Christmas as you’ve had in years past.

One way to help out with this is to create some of your own decorations for your home. These do-it-yourself projects can provide you with not only beautiful decorations, but also memories of spending time together with your loved ones while making them.

Here are 4 do-it-yourself Christmas decorating ideas I’d like to share with you:

• Cinnamon Candle — Candles are always a beautiful decoration for the holidays, but scented candles seem to be getting more expensive every year. This year, get one large candle that isn’t scented. Look for a candle that is a holiday color like red, green, or white. Take your trusty hot glue gun and a cinnamon stick and glue the stick vertically to the candle. Then, keep repeating the process until you have the candle completely covered. You can spruce this up with a festive holiday bow or even some garlands around the base. But your home will have the beauty of soft candlelight and the warm smell of cinnamon. You can see the process here.

• 2020 Ornament — For this one, you’ll just need a Sharpie marker and a plain, undecorated Christmas tree ball ornament. On the ornament, write one of your favorite memories of the past year. You can even invite all of the family to do this so that you have a collection of your favorite moments from this year. And, at the end of the season, you can box these up and keep them as mementos of the year that was.

• Tabletop Christmas Trees — For this project, get together your hot glue gun, some poster board, and felt (preferably in festive colors). Roll the poster board up into a cone so that it will sit flat on a table while looking roughly like a Christmas tree. Glue the top of the cone together to hold it and then wrap the “tree” in felt and glue this in place. You now have a homemade Christmas tree for your holiday displays. In a pinch, you can substitute old wrapping paper for the felt. Like this idea but want additional options? Check out this article on 14 DIY Tabletop Christmas Tree crafts.

• Cardboard Box Gingerbread House — Gingerbread houses can be fun to make, but they are definitely messy. Use a DIY alternative from an old cardboard box.  Take a square box as your house base and then use another box and cut it up to form the triangular roof of the house. Glue these together and then use paint to decorate it as elaborately as you please. You can even create a village out of cardboard boxes with everyone in the family making their own house. Get inspired by these adorable examples.

Christmas doesn’t have to be an expensive holiday. The real joy comes from doing things you love with your friends and family. This year, spend some time creating your own holiday ornaments and decorations and make memories that will last a lifetime.

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