DIY Decorations: Christmas decorations that are simple to make at home

Intro

With Thanksgiving over, it’s finally time to decorate for the holidays — Christmas lights, reefs, decorated trees and more. But as I browse through the Target Christmas section, I’m overwhelmed by the shocking cost — $15 for one freaking nutcracker. With the pricey cost of Christmas decorations that can quickly add up, I decided to make some of my own this year. Plus making crafts, especially holiday crafts, always puts me in good spirits.

Paper Snowflakes

Paper snowflakes are a project that I’ve had fun making since my kindergarten class in 2010. It’s so easy to make these great decorations while multitasking by watching your favorite cheesy Christmas movie — I watched “Frosty the Snowman.” The materials are simple — you only need paper and scissors, and maybe the additional string or tape if you want to hang them up. First, you take a piece of white printer paper and cut it into the shape of a square. Next, fold the square twice and keep it folded. The last step is the most fun part: cut out random shapes, from circles to hexagons. When you unfold the paper, it looks like a homemade snowflake. A group of them hung up together looks so pretty, and you don’t have to pay the price of store-bought decor.

Paper Chain Countdown

Paper Chain Countdowns are a project that I started making with my neighbors in elementary school that never grew old. This one is also super simple. The materials needed are paper, scissors and tape or glue. First, pick out whatever color paper you’d like — I typically go with the classic, Christmas red and green. Second, cut out strips from the paper. The amount needed should be the number of days until Christmas. Then, loop your first strip of paper and tape or glue it so it makes a circle. Continue this process, attaching each loop through the last, until you have a chain. I like to alternate colors with every loop to be more decorative. These chains can be hung anywhere and you can cut off a loop every single day until there are none left — and then it’ll be Christmas! Not only is this craft simple and inexpensive, but it is also interactive and helps keep track of the seemingly infinite days leading to Christmas.

Magazine Collage 

The final homemade decoration I made was a magazine collage. Lots of families like mine have subscriptions to random magazines —  if not, you can print out Christmas images online to cut out. For this project, you need a magazine or Christmas pictures, scissors and tape or glue and some sort of background — I used a canvas. The first thing I did was search through magazines and cut out pictures that included Christmas trees, ornaments, reindeer, presents  and more. Once you have your images, tape or glue them to your background to form a fun Christmas collage. The magazine college is the perfect thing to add some holiday spice to any room — while also saving money.