It’s no secret that Christmas can be a stressful – and costly – time of year. There are presents to buy, parties to attend, extravagant meals to prepare. But one thing you should have to worry about is your holiday decorations. No matter if you like to keep things simple, or your home resembles Santa’s workshop each year, you don’t have to be a scrooge when it comes to being creative.

We’ve pulled together 12 awesome DIY decorating tips to save you money and ensure your home is truly festive during the Christmas season. 

1. Display your holiday cards

You don’t have to buy anything (or even leave the house) to make this easy decoration. There are some gorgeous holiday cards out there – so why not make the most of them and turn them into a focal point in your home? Each time a card lands in your mailbox, simply hang it on a string of lights for a super festive display. Alternatively, you can create a place to frame them all and keep your mantelpiece clutter-free. Your loved ones will be so glad their card went to good use.

2. Make an ornament wreath

Add some colour and Christmas cheer to your home with a handmade ornament wreath. Grab a bunch of tree decorations and baubles, or even make some handcrafted ornaments, and then glue them together in a circle to create a unique wreath arrangement.

3. Framed advent calendar

We all love an advent calendar, especially one that contains chocolate. But rather than buying one from a shop, make a DIY advent calendar with an old photo frame. Hang string lights within the empty frame, clip separate pouches with December dates to it, and then fill them with your choice of goodies. It’ll look amazing, and your daily chocolate will taste so much better knowing it’s your own handiwork.

4. Formal finishing touches

If you find yourself with too many decorations for the tree, give them a home elsewhere. Put garlands and tinsel along the bannister and doorways, string paper chains from the ceiling and add big bows and baubles to your dining chairs for extra flair. You can put finishing touches everywhere.

5. Wrapping paper chains

Save yourself the hassle of a trip to your local crafts shop, dig out your Christmas wrapping paper and let your creative instinct shine. Making paper chains out of wrapping paper is a fun and easy thing to do with the kids, and you can hang your festive chains all over the house.  

6. Mini trees

It’s easy to add some holiday decoration to your table or mantel with some DIY mini trees. Find some old branches, spray paint them in festive colours and tuck them into a large a vase. You can even add decorations if you like to create the perfect minimalist trees for your Christmas displays.

7. Water works

Instead of wasting perfectly good red wine, fill some vases with water and add food colouring. Reds and greens work best to achieve that ever-so-Christmassy look. Then just line your vases up in the centre of a table or along the mantel and pop in a floating candle to create some magical glow.

8. Present-ation

Presents are a big part of Christmas, and a well-wrapped parcel always looks great. So why not use gifts as decoration? Rustle around for some old cardboard boxes and wrap them up. Top them off with a big festive bow and place them in spots around the house to evoke feelings of wonder and delight. If you’re feeling really generous, fill them with candy and let your kids open them on the big day.

9. Let it snow

This decoration couldn’t be simpler to make. Craft your own snowflakes using white paper and scissors, then hang them at different heights in the windows. They look best when you cut out shapes from the middle to let the indoor and outdoor light shine through. If your walls are painted dark colours, hang a few up there too as they’ll really pop.

10. Christmas centrepiece

There’s no better time of the year to indulge in candy treats than at Christmas. Turn your sweets into a centrepiece by taking separate red, green and silver-wrapped lollies and layering in colour-coded stripes inside a jar. Just be aware that you’ll need to keep an eye on any greedy fingers.

11. One-of-a-kind Christmas stockings

If you have any Christmas jumpers lying around the house that you no longer wear, you can turn them into unique stockings. It’s a great way to repurpose unwanted sweaters and it guarantees to make your mantel look a million times more festive.

12. Personalised baubles

Add a little personal touch to your tree this Christmas with some custom baubles. Get your crafty cap on, grab some paint and glitter, and decorate plain coloured baubles or foam balls. You can accessorise them to fit in with your festive décor or in honour of a loved one. 

We hope you have a very crafty Christmas. If you’d like more DIY festive decorating tips from interior designers near you, head on over to Yellow Pages for a browse today.