If you ask us, choosing our very favourite part of Christmas is really hard. We love spending time with friends and family, having a little bit of time to relax, and getting to eat all of the delicious food we could possibly imagine. Okay, we’ll admit it, we also love getting fun gifts on Christmas morning! One of our very favourite parts of the entire holiday, however, is setting up and enjoying the Christmas tree! Not everyone, however, has the space for a whole full sized Christmas tree in their home, even if it’s a fake one rather than a real tree. If that describes you then don’t stress! Your DIY skills are here to save the day, as always.
Check out these 15 totally awesome Christmas tree DIY projects that will have your home feeling festive and fun even if you don’t have the space or time to put up a full on Christmas tree!
1. Wood and nail art tree
79 Ideas suggests getting the tools out to make yourself an awesome Christmas tree alternative! You’ll still get the cute, classic shape of a tree and you’ll even still get to hang some adorable little decorations all over it, but it’s a lot more space efficient because it’s 2D. See how they used nail art techniques to make a tree shape by hammering the nails into a slab of wood in the correct shape and wrapping green yarn around them.
2. Upcycled scrap wood tree
Are you the kind of crafter who will take any opportunity to use up scraps or upcycle at the same time as you’re making something new? Then this is the kind of Christmas tree DIY for you! It’s made of scrap wood from an old palette cut into a tree shape and then strung with a chain of adorable orb lights. Check out the full details on My Scandinavian Home!
3. Repurposed ladder tree
Do you love the look of rustic chic projects that are clearly DIY and upcycled? Do you adore things that light up? Then we think you’ll be pretty into the idea of repurposing an old wooden standing ladder as a Christmas tree! We love the way NE Design Build wrapping this ladder in a string of Christmas lights and hung a few ornaments from them. It’s not necessarily the best option if space is your issue, but it’s a great way to still enjoy a “tree” if your qualm was with having to actually go get a real Christmas tree itself.
4. Small dried tree
Do you love the idea of bringing a little bit of the outside world in for Christmas but you don’t want to cut down a perfectly healthy, living tree to do it? Try using a dried tree or a large, naturally fallen branch as your Christmas tree instead, just like Norske Interior Blogger did here! Sure, it might be a little more sparse looking than your traditional luscious fir, but there’s something charming about the way the ornaments contrast the naked branches they adorn.
5. Christmas house plants
Perhaps the issue isn’t either space or the ability to go get a Christmas tree, but rather that you’re going to be away for most of the holidays and you don’t have time to set up something special that’s separate from your already existing home decor? Then it’s time to use what you’ve already got! Instead of bringing a new tree into the house, simply hang your favourite ornaments on the house plants you already have. If you have many, it’ll be like you have lots of little Christmas trees instead of one big one!
6. Washi tape wall trees
Are you looking for a DIY Christmas tree design that really keeps it easy and stays right out of your way? Then why not try this washi tape tree idea from Bloesem? The technique is so simple that we hardly need to describe it for you; simply choose your colours and stick straight lines of washi tape to your wall in the shape of a Christmas tree! You could even use other wall stickers or party garlands inside the tree as “ornaments” if you felt like getting fancy.
7. Book pile tree
Are you a huge book worm with more of an appreciation for artistic versions of things rather than really overtly festive designs? Then this “Christmas tree” made of piled books is definitely the one for you! Make the trunk out of regular closed books turned so we can see their ends and then pile opened books on top in decreasing size so they make a smaller point closer to the top, just like the shape of a fir tree. Check out how it’s done on Twig and Thistle.
8. Felt shingled tree
Have you been obsessed with felt lately? It’s just so versatile! Whether you’re sewing projects from felt material or straight up felting, it’s a great tool to work with for DIY. It can also help you out when it comes to unconventional DIY Christmas trees! Check out how Papier Valise made this adorable little textured tree by cutting out lots of felt circles and pinning them to the surface of a foam cone.
9. Chalkboard wall Christmas tree
Are you an artist? Do you live in the kind of fun household that has a whole chalkboard wall in one room? Then perhaps you don’t need to DIY yourself a physical tree at all! We absolutely adore the way A Legg Up sketched out this super decorative Christmas tree design. The best part, to us, is that you can make it look however you want without being constricted by which ornaments you actually own in real life!
10. A money tree
Is someone you love a struggling college student who you know won’t have either a Christmas tree or a whole lot of spare cash to really treat themselves or celebrate the holidays with? Then take the old saying literally and make them a money tree! Then She Made shows you how to fold bills to look like fir branches, wrap them in wire to make a vertical trunk shape, and decorate them for Christmas!
11. Trinket tree
Maybe your favourite part of decorating the Christmas tree is just that- the decorating part- and you’re so in love with all of your cute little ornaments that you don’t really care whether there’s an actual tree or not? Then this awesomely kitschy little trinket tree design from Apartment Therapy is the one for you! If you don’t have enough ornaments to make a tree the size you want on the wall, follow their lead and throw in some random household objects or tools for extra character! We spy at least one unconventional “ornament” here and we think it’s hilarious.
12. Origami Christmas tree
Do you still want to keep tat classic Christmas tree shape and style you love so much, but you really need to have a teeny, tiny version of the tree you usually set up this year? Then try using the art of paper folding to make a little tabletop tree! Paperman Origami guides you through the process of folding your very own Christmas tree, complete with a star on top.
13. Decorative box Christmas tree
Have you always had a taste for vintage glamour that you try to sneak into every decor scenario possible because it suits your home and personal style? Then we’ve found the only Christmas tree DIY project for you. Over the course of the year, collect gift boxes, storage boxes, shoe boxes, or hat and clothing boxes that have a pretty, decorative feel. Make sure you get them in all different sizes so that you can stack them in decreasing order, then pile them up to make a pointed tree shape and voila! We love this blue toned one from House of Bliss.
14. Fabric tree advent calendar
Maybe you don’t have the space for a full blown Christmas tree this year but you still want to keep at least a hint of the traditional tree alive for your kids? Something like the origami tree is a good idea, but Oh Happy Day has thought of something more fun. Paint, silk screen, print, or buy a picture of a Christmas tree on some fabric and hang it on the wall. Next, cut out and decorate little Christmas bobbles and number them 1 to 24. Each day, starting on December 1st, stick one bobble to the tree to decorate it while you count down from 24 days until Christmas morning! It’ll be like a tree decorating advent calendar and your kids will have so much fun that they won’t mind having a print instead of a tree.
