If you want to seriously impress Santa Claus this year, you might be in need of a dollop of inspiration. There’s really nothing quite like making your own Christmas decorations and ornaments. They’re unique. They’re truly personal. And we’re pretty sure you’re one-upping your neighbors!
Cute and witty, adorable and beautiful—our team here at Bored Panda has found something to impress and inspire everyone. Scroll down for some of the most imaginative DIY Xmas decorations that you’ve ever seen. Hats off to these people, they’ve seriously raised the bar!
When you’re done upvoting and enjoying the gorgeous photos in this list, we cordially invite you to take a peek at our earlier articles about creative holiday decorations right here and over here. We’d also love to hear about how you’re decking your halls this year, so be sure to swing by the comments and paint us a word picture.
Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Paul Bones, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Texas Woman's University, who works with wood as a hobby. He was kind enough to answer our questions about DIY, creating Christmas memories, and how even failing can be as fun as it can be frustrating. Read on for our interview with Paul. Meanwhile, you can take a peek at his hand-made Christmas ornaments right here and over here.
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Another Christmas Tree In The Process. Can't Stop Making Them
Woodworking enthusiast Paul told Bored Panda that making your own Christmas ornaments is "a great way to give the holidays a personal touch."
"So much of the holidays is about buying, so it's great to create. The main thing to keep in mind is that you're doing this for fun, and for family, so be kind to yourself. Making memories can be messy, and those imperfections show this is a labor of love," he said.
"As far as essential tools go, the only requirements are time and creativity. DIY ornaments can be extremely complex, or exceedingly simple. The goal should be to have fun with the process, and enjoy your own creativity. Laser engravers and wood lathes cost a lot of money, and can produce great results. But a wood round and paint can be just as good, if not better," Paul gave some advice.
DIY Christmas Tree For Minature Houses
Hand-Made Christmas Decoration
"If you are interested in making your own wooden ornaments, just remember to be patient. No one picks up a hobby and immediately succeeds. I know it's tempting to look at Pinterest, and try to perfectly recreate a project, but these things take time to learn. There are often classes you can find online or just YouTube videos from passionate crafters that you can follow," the woodworker told Bored Panda.
"Chances are you are going to fail if you try something too complicated. That's why Regretsy, Pinterest Fails, and even the Netflix show Nailed It exist. Creating is an involved process. And honestly? Failing can be as fun as it is frustrating. There's nothing quite as unique as a failed craft project. Just remember that you are creating memories, no matter what the end result looks like."
My Christmas Sloth Ornaments Are Ready. What Do You Think? Pattern Made By Me
My Home-Made Reindeer, Made From Chicken Wire, Metal Rods, Cable Ties And About 50 Hot Glue Sticks
My Wife Wanted A Christmas Gnome Door. So I Made One
Finally, Bored Panda wanted to get woodworker Paul's opinion about some quintessential Christmas decorations that no home would feel right without.
"I would say a tree is synonymous with Christmas for me, but I have cats. We have a new kitten, so even though my wife and I have a tradition of making turned wooden ornaments, and now laser engraved ones too, we know the tree would be on the floor in a matter of minutes. So I would actually have to go with stockings. They're simple, iconic, and relatively cat-proof. Plus they hold gifts! And who doesn't love those?"
Imitation is the best form of flattery, so don’t feel shy about taking a tad of inspiration from some of these photos this year, dear Pandas. There’s nothing like witnessing a dash of out-of-the-box thinking to get your creative juices flowing.
What’s most important is that you and your nearest and dearest love how your home looks. There’s really not much sense to put a ton of pressure on yourself and cater to others just for the sake of likes on social media. You do you, no matter how refined or quirky your sense of style.
My Sister’s Cozy Christmas Corner
I'm An Ink Illustrator, And Recently I Tried Making Some Christmas Ornaments
I would totally repurpose them as coasters to admire their beauty year round.
Some Of My Hand-Carved Christmas Ornaments
At the end of the day, you really won’t be able to please everybody with how you decorate your home. Someone might have an issue with the fact that you’ve chopped down an Xmas tree and propped it up in your living room.
Someone else might find your color choice for your baubles not to be in line with what’s stylish this year. And others might take issue with your hand-made ornaments because they value a different aesthetic.
In short, if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing nobody. Cater to your own tastes. Make decorations that will bring a smile to your parents’, partner’s, and kids’ faces. Set your inner Santa’s Workshop elf loose!
The beauty of it all is that there are so many different ways to be creative. The sky’s the limit (and if you’ve got access to Santa’s sleigh, you might go even higher). You can use a very wide range of materials for your Xmas ideas: from cloth and wire to cardboard and wood and beyond. It all comes down to how imaginative you are… and how dextrous your hands are.
Well, I Don't Craft Often Or Well, This Took Me A Solid Hour, But My Husband Loved It And I Feel So Accomplished. Merry Christmas
I took a strip of cardboard off an old amazon box and covered it in tin foil after pre-folding it into 4 equal lengths. Taped it together and I had a square-shaped tube. Then I put the pic in the back, adjusted it to perfection way too long and taped it in place. Cut out the hand on another copy of the pic and taped it to a tiny piece of thicker paper junk mail with a long tale that goes under the pic and is taped behind him. Next I took a pen and poked a hole in between McClane and his hand and shoved a Christmas light into it. When I was all done I noticed the light was sneaking in above and below the picture. It really bothered me so I made an additional square for the back, covered it in a tin fold and taped it on. The last step was shoving a paperclip into the top to hang it from the tree.
Well, The Wreath Is Ready. It's My Tradition That I Always Make Wreaths Myself For Christmas
I Made Christmas Ornament For My Sister - Say Hello To Blaze
You might not be able to get the result you imagined the very first time you sit down to do some DIY, but it’s important to keep at it. Watch some how-to videos on YouTube, search the internet for some guides, and come back to the challenge well-rested and raring to go.
Failure is temporary. Unique Xmas thingamajigs are forever.
I Made Minimalist Christmas Trees To Celebrate The Holidays
Christmas 2020
Early Christmas Tree Decorations I've Made
Of course, decorations are great, but they’re just the surface. The holiday season is about more than aesthetics—though a feast for the eyes can boost our mood.
Kindness, hope, charity, family, and love—this is what the holidays are all about. Human beings are hardwired for socializing, helping others, and even gift-giving: our brains reward us for these behaviors. However, it’s not just our biology that’s at play. How we’re raised also impacts how we view altruism and empathy.
Made A Reindeer For Christmas From Wire. Please Rate
Swirl Pearl Christmas Tree
I Made Watermelephant Ornaments For This Christmas
"Many of us are raised to believe it is the 'right thing to do.' Basically, all spiritual belief systems have a version of the 'Golden Rule, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,'" Professor Suzanne Degges-White, from Northern Illinois University, explained to Bored Panda where our instinct for kindness springs from, during an interview a while back.
I Made This Up As I Went Along, Never Made One Before But So Pleased With The Result. Such A Christmassy Welcome Home When You Pull Onto The Driveway
I Made Charlie. She Passed Away A While Ago, But She’s In Our Hearts, And Now Also On Christmas Tree
So cute and I am sure Charlie would approve, even though she is gone.
I Made A Christmas Tree Garland
"We also do good turns because we know that one day we may be in need of a little 'generosity from the universe,' so it's like putting 'money' into a karma account. Lastly, humans are wired so that when we do something kind for another, we feel good about ourselves and neurotransmitters like endorphins and oxytocin have been shown to get a boost when we do something good for another,” she said.
Annual Christmas Tree Decorating Competition In Our Office. I Went A Different Route
My Aunt's Christmas Decorations Were Moved Around By A Windstorm And She Woke Up To This
My LEGO Christmas Wreath
“It is through cooperation that society functions, so the survival of the human race depends on being willing to help others. Family values, spiritual beliefs, and biology all play a part in this motivation," the professor told us previously.
"Many of us take pride in being of service to others as it is culturally valued and we want to hold significance in our worlds. So when we do good deeds, we show others our willingness to help those in distress/need; we live out faith-based encouragement to treat others the way we would like to be treated, we uphold family values, and our brains get a positive jolt of happiness when we help others.”
Hand-Painted For A Grinch-Loving Family Member. I Wish My Paint Pen Set Had A Better Green Color To Work With, But Oh Well. Still Need To Seal So No Ribbon Yet
My New Passion Discovered At The End Of Last Year. What Do You Think?
Made These Two For The Coming Christmas. I Wish You All Warm Sweaters And Cozy Evenings
So while it’s great that we want to make our homes beautiful and feel full of the holiday spirit, we also shouldn’t forget what it’s all really about. The decorations we make and put up are more than just pretty things to admire—they’re a symbol of our values.
My Little Boys Were Concerned That Santa May Not Come Since We Don't Have A Chimney/Fireplace In Our House. So I Decided To Build One For Them This Week
Complete with a mount for a TV running the yule log video. I can't wait to see their reaction in the morning.
The Elves Are Busy At Our House. I Saw A Picture Of A DIY Christmas Decorated Tent, And I Said We Have To Do That
A Christmas Chandelier Made From Fallen Pine Boughs. I Love It
Which of these decorations impressed you the most, dear Pandas? Did any of them make your jaws drop (quite a few of them completely stunned us)? Were there any ornaments that you can’t wait to adapt to your own home’s atmosphere? How are you enjoying the holiday season so far? Drop us a line, share your experience with DIY, or just compliment all the creators in this list—it’s always a pleasure hearing from you.
Last Christmas I Made A Some Reindeers Out Of Branches And Stuff
Wife And I Worked On A Nightmare Before Christmas Wreath, What Do You Guys Think?
I Finished My Christmas Ornaments Surprisingly Early This Year
I Am Losing My Mind Over How Great This Turned Out. This Is An Ornament I Made With All Of The Books I’ve Read So Far In 2021 Inside
Waving Santa Plywood DIY Yard Decoration
I Know It Isn’t Much Compared To Many Of You, But I Proudly Made This For A Friend's Daughter For Christmas. It’s Made From Repurposed Wood
It's lovely, and well made (just checking, how many paws does the daughter have...)
I Made A Little Christmas Gnome/Elf Door
The door is approximately 20-25 centimeters tall. The stone parts were sculpted from Finnfoam and the door was from foam rubber, window frames are ice cream sticks. There is a piece of hardboard on the backside for support. The cat, doorknob and plant pot are silk clay and Fimo clay. The little pine tree and Christmas wreath I made of artificial flower parts. Painted the view in the window with acrylics.
I Made Some Christmas Ornaments
I Made It For Christmas And I Will Put It In Front Of The Christmas Tree
Christmas Ornament
I Made These Cross-Stitches For Christmas. What Do You Think About Them?
I Made A Scale Model Of Downtown Truckee, CA To Place Under Our Christmas Tree This Year
"Instead of scratch building every single detail of the other buildings, I opted for modular facades from woodland scenics for the windows and doors. These were pretty close to downtown Truckee. Everything is made of styrene. I bought styrene sheets in flat and brick molds for walls and other little details. I had to kitbash the white building with styrene brick sheets that I cut to match the modular pieces of the other buildings. After I cut out the "Cafe" wording on some red sticker tape that came included, I simply plugged it into a battery source and it lit up. I installed a smoke unit in the rex hotel chimney. Looks pretty real."
Because I am such a curious cat, I just had to go and google the real street, and I have to say, the guy who made this did a fantastic job, looks even better than the original. https://www.google.com/maps/place/10064+Donner+Pass+Rd,+Truckee,+CA+96161,+USA/@39.3280065,-120.1846758,3a,75y,286.89h,82.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRgCEHwVnLYgy658LyPoqkg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x809bdfc06007af8f:0xb9ab515caa5ced66!8m2!3d39.328176!4d-120.1849804
Hail Santa Wreath I Made
I Sewed Some New Stockings This Year
Gingerbread Houses As Far As The Eye Can See
I Really Like Paper Ornaments, And Today I'm Going To Add Some Color
I Know It’s Only The Beginning Of November, But Here Are Some Embroidered Christmas Ornaments I Made
DIY Project Christmas Wreath
A Starry Sky For Your Home
We Wish You A Nice Santa Claus
Just Made This 80's Christmas Wreath With Toys From My Childhood. All Materials (Wreath, Ball Ornaments And Vintage Toys) Were Thrifted For $1.49 Per Pound At Goodwill
Christmas Tree Ornaments I Beaded A Few Years Ago. I Keep Some Out All Year Long
Just Love Painting People's Pets For Them For Christmas
I Made It For Christmas, Origami Wreath
I Made These Christmas Ornaments
Every Christmas, My Significant Other And I Turn Old Lightbulbs Into Ornaments For Our Tree. Here's This Year's Batch
Today We Have A Cute Little Snowy Landscape For You
Mini Embroidery Cat Christmas Ornaments
Christmas Decor For The Kitchen. Crochet Tea Cozy
I knit and broke for 4-5 days like Penelope of Odysseus. After much experimentation, I did what I wanted to do.
Winter Wreath
I thought what is a deckchair doing in there, but on closer inspection I believe it's a sled
DIY Ski Village Wreath I Made
Made Some DIY Ornaments This Year For The Tree. Loved How They Came Out
I just used some air dry clay. I rolled out a slab and went crazy with the stamping.
Finished Some Ornaments In Time For Christmas
A Better Look At The DIY Ornaments. Love How They Turned Out
My Parents' Neighborhood Has A Christmas-Themed Golfcart Parade Every Year. This Was My Dad's Golf Cart
A Simple Door Design My Daughter Made. She's Awesome
So This Year, I Decided To Try To Create A Feeling Of A Mantle With What I Could Find In My Stash
Home-Made Garlands
My 12-Year-Old Loves Christmas. She Didn’t Want To Spend The Money On Countdown Blocks So Made Her Own
I figured it out. Make one block 1,2,3,4,5,6 and the other 1,2,7,8,9,0. Took me way to long to riddle that one out - and I'm a bit north of 12 years old.
This Is My Improvised Wreath This Year. I Didn't Go All In, And It's Not As Huge And Rich As Last Year
It Turned Out So Beautiful
Another Year, Another Bauble Full Of Thread Bits From My Stitching Projects. I Love The Clumps Of Colors, Reminding Me Of Specific Pieces Worked On Through The Year
How brilliant! I sew and I’m always ending up with thread bits and “ends”. I usually throw them away. I should start saving them!
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Cardboard Canvas
I love the natural look of it and it's so adorable. I think I'd add a deer 🦌 or two if I make one, lol.
My Wife Made This
This Year I Recycled Some Old Plastic Balls I Found In The Attic. With The Help Of Chalk Paint, Watercolors, And A Little Imagination, I Made Them Into Unique Decorations
A DIY That Anyone Can Copy. Simple And Beautiful
My Kindergarten Gingerbread Door. Took Around 10-12 Hours Of Work. Everything Is Hand-Made
The tiny “RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN” was a little creepy until I realized what it was talking about 😭
I Built The Little Mini Wreath For The Big Cone Out Of Packaging Material, So It Doesn't Look So Lonely Anymore And It's Used As A Table Decoration At Christmas
Last Year's Christmas Door. This Year It Will Be With Tulle
Made A Christmas Bulb Wreath! Really Happy With How It Turned Out
Great job! It can be tricky to hide each of the “caps” while also not leaving any un-filled space between them.
I’m Normally Not A DIY Christmas Decoration Person But I Was Feeling Crafty So I Made This With Stuff From The Dollar Store
Working On Monogrammed Wreaths As Christmas Presents, The First Of A Bunch
The Tree Is Now Decorated, And I Like It. This Is One Of The Balls That Get A Special Place On My Tree. I Painted The Deer Myself
I Wish You A Great Start Into The New Week. This Is My Christmas Decoration
I Made A Christmas Fairy Garden
And The Glass Snowman Is Ready
Just A Little Sneak Peek On What Christmas Is Looking Like At My House. Now Back To Crafting And Decorating
Just Finished This Year’s Wreath
A Little Frosted Crown
DIY Christmas Calendar
Christmas Picture Frame
I printed out Saskia's free template and transferred it to the pane of the picture frame. I glued the fir branches and the pepper berries to paper with hot glue.
My Christmas Begins With Pine Cones Decorations. I Made All Myself
Today I Got An Idea For The Christmas Tree. I Made These Cute Pendants For The Christmas Tree With My Girls
For this pendant, you need a wooden disc, two small branches, two pairs of eyes, a pompom, a string, and some glue. Have fun crafting.
A sweet little project to make with your kids or grandchildren.
A Little Christmas DIY Idea
All you need are old bottles, a few dried flowers, and a colored candle. A quick Christmas decoration is ready, which you can adapt to the seasons.
December Is Here, It’s Finally Time For The DIY Christmas Cottage Kits To Launch
Do You Know When You Have A Decoration In Your Head And You Absolutely Have To Try It Right Away? That's How I Felt With These Nuts
Home-Made Christmas Decoration
There Doesn't Always Have To Be A Candle In The Lantern. You Can Design The Content According To Your Wishes
Very cool idea. I have a extra large whitewashed lantern with a tin roof on it that would be fabulous for Christmas decor and I've never even thought about it 😀.
Paper Christmas Decoration
DIY Christmas Tree Decorations
Oooh! I love, love, love these. Dried fruit is nice, but this is next level!
The Wreath From My Youtube Video, Very Simple. The Decorative Elements Are All Self-Made
Christmas Wreath Made Of Birch Twigs And Corrugated Paper
I'm Loving My Handmade Wreath
So much talent and creativity! I'm proud of all of these crafters and their designs.
I've been doing illustrations on wrapped presents for the last 5ish years. It's fun but takes ages and I have to have all my shopping done by almost the 1st week of December so that I have time to wrap and paint everything :) The HoHoHo is my favorite so far this year, and I got the idea off a yard display :) 20221213_2...fc2c9f.jpg
This was the original wreath my friend made for her pet boutique door. Old-Wreath...9382b9.jpg
Why do so many christmas decorations have the label "reindeer", but look more like a lot of other deer species than the somewhat distinctive reindeers? Is it because people just see reinDEER and go: "Oh, I know what a deer looks like." Or because they don't look that elegant in comparison?
I need to born again to have this talent. I have no talent or skills. I'm a person in situations of out of talent.
I'd put all of them on an equal footing if the format allowed. Some of the handstitched items take ages to make and deserved higher status for example, but every item was beautiful and deserving of applause. I'd much rather see the results of folk spending time being creative than what's wrong with people from here, there or everywhere. Bravo for putting love and beauty into the world. Merry Christmas 🎅🏿 🧑🎄🎄☃️❄
So much talent and creativity! I'm proud of all of these crafters and their designs.
I've been doing illustrations on wrapped presents for the last 5ish years. It's fun but takes ages and I have to have all my shopping done by almost the 1st week of December so that I have time to wrap and paint everything :) The HoHoHo is my favorite so far this year, and I got the idea off a yard display :) 20221213_2...fc2c9f.jpg
This was the original wreath my friend made for her pet boutique door. Old-Wreath...9382b9.jpg
Why do so many christmas decorations have the label "reindeer", but look more like a lot of other deer species than the somewhat distinctive reindeers? Is it because people just see reinDEER and go: "Oh, I know what a deer looks like." Or because they don't look that elegant in comparison?
I need to born again to have this talent. I have no talent or skills. I'm a person in situations of out of talent.
I'd put all of them on an equal footing if the format allowed. Some of the handstitched items take ages to make and deserved higher status for example, but every item was beautiful and deserving of applause. I'd much rather see the results of folk spending time being creative than what's wrong with people from here, there or everywhere. Bravo for putting love and beauty into the world. Merry Christmas 🎅🏿 🧑🎄🎄☃️❄