Decorating for the holidays can be budget-busting, especially if you enter the store without a list. Just imagine: long aisles full of decorative paper, garlands, bells, stockings, snow globes, and so on. Finally, you leave for home with several bags packed tight with decorations, and an empty wallet in the pocket.

 

It doesn’t have to be like this.

 

All you need to save money before the holidays is a pair of scissors, some craft paper, and a glue stick. Yes, it can feel strange if you decorate your house with paper crafts only, but DIY ornaments can add a cozy vibe to your store-bought decorations if you combine them properly. White paper angels will look very elegant among golden lights on the Christmas tree, and some snowflakes hanging by the window will create an atmosphere of white Christmas.

 

And if you don’t know what to make – here’s a whole list of the best DIY Christmas decorations. Just make sure your scissors are not dull – and if they are, you can always use the sharpest hairdressing scissors – which you can find, for example, on scissortec.com or in your local hairdressing store.

 

Ready to get creative? Read on!

1.  Ornament Balls

Want to add some new and original balls to your Christmas tree? Try this DIY and make beautiful Christmas ornaments from spare decorative paper and beads. Yes, it’s not extremely easy, and if you have little children, you may want to look for something simpler – but they look a-ma-zing and extremely exquisite. We promise the guests won’t be able to tell they’re not store-bought.

2.  Snowflakes

Whether you’re a lover of classic-style snowflakes cut out from one piece of paper each or a fan of more elegant ones, made from paper strips glued together, you will definitely have fun cutting them out and hanging on the tree or around the house. You can ask children to help or organize a family gathering where you’ll make snowflakes, sing Christmas songs, and drink hot cocoa in the evening.

 

You can make a snowflake curtain by threading some wool onto a large needle and then threading snowflakes onto it. Make several strings to fit the window’s width and fix them to the top of the frame with scotch tape.

3.  Teardrop Garland

For this easy-to-make Christmas decoration, you’ll need only white A4 paper (preferably red if you want to add some color), scissors, and a glue stick. Make small teardrops from around 10.5*10.5 cm pieces of paper:

 

  1. Fold them diagonally, make two parallel cuts on each side of the triangle, though don’t let them meet.
  2. Unfold the paper, take the free points of the inner square, and glue them into a tube.
  3. Turn the paper, repeat, and continue until you get a small teardrop.

 

For larger drops, use larger squares of paper, approximately 14*14 cm. Then, punch holes in the top and bottom corners of every drop (you can use a hole punch, a large needle, or even the scissors – just be careful), and thread a ribbon through every teardrop. You can hang such a garland from the underside of your handrail.

 

Or, you can always make a 3D star out of teardrops by simply gluing them together in a star shape.

4.  Hearts

Another easy way to make inexpensive decorations and have fun is to cut hearts out of white and red paper. It’s safe for children – just make sure they know how to use scissors and watch out for sharp blades. You’ll need half a piece of A4 paper for a larger heart and a square for a smaller one. Fold it in half, draw half of a heart from the fold outwards (so the fold will be in the middle of your heart), and cut it out. Unfold and done! You can hang them on a tree or make a flower garland out of several hearts.

 

For the garland, take ten stems of gypsophila (or use string lights), wrap them tightly in a garland using the florist wire, and hang the hearts on it, alternating short and long lengths.

Creativity Saves Christmas

Handmade decorations really can save Christmas – and your money. And they don’t have to look dull – you just need to look for great ideas, change, and implement them. Add flowers for the decoration to look more gentle, or choose pastel or gold/silver colors for a more exquisite look. The classic DIY ornaments can look not much different from store-bought decorations if you change them slightly and place them right.

 

And don’t forget to have fun! After all, you’re preparing for Christmas and decorating your house, saving money is secondary. It’s not your job – it’s a great way to spend time with your family and friends. Enjoy a winter evening, drink a hot beverage, and sing carols. It’s like Christmas is already here!
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Kimberly Atwood

Kimberly Atwood’s books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Kimberly lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, an exceptionally perfect dog, and an attack cat. Before she started writing historical research, Kimberly got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from Ohio State University. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of London and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships with some really important people who are way too dignified to be named here. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time.