53 Fun, Easy Christmas Crafts for a Homemade Holiday 2023
Apart from the obvious excitement in the air, one of the best parts of the holidays is the chance to get involved with all the homemade Christmas crafts and treats to share with loved ones.
Pass the time and stay cozy indoors making all sorts of festive trinkets to deck your halls or spread holiday cheer with friends and family. The season is all about quality time with loved ones, and spending that time doing something creative is like a feel-good bonus.
Finding that creative outlet can help you process your emotions, plus it’s good for your brain to make use of that innate creativity, according to Psych Central.
Even small crafts can help take the edge off if you’re stressed about a long holiday to-do list, and if you make any number of cute Christmas crafts, you can accomplish two tasks at once — decorating and de-stressing.
You don’t need to be a gifted artist to make up these crafts, and they double as fun DIY gift ideas. Get inspired and get crafting with this list of Christmas crafts so you can have fun and festive holiday.
Wondering How to make Christmas crafts for adults? There’s no wrong way. This list will show you how to reuse and upcycle items you may already have into festive decorations.
Jump to Section
- Fun Christmas Craft Workshops
- Easy Christmas Crafts for Adults
- Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids
- Christmas Paper Crafts
- Christmas Ornament Crafts
- Christmas Handprint Crafts
- Christmas Crafts to Make and Sell
Fun Christmas Craft Workshops
1. Handmade Ceramics
Create your own Christmas crafts from clay when you sign up for pottery classes in Portland, pottery classes in Austin or pottery classes in Chicago. Create festive mugs, clay snowmen or a handmade ornament for your tree.
Wherever you live, there are pottery classes near you to help bring your clay craft ideas to life. Not to mention, the pottery studio makes a super fun venue for a holiday work party where everyone can de-stress and get creative.
2. Christmas Arts and Crafts Classes
Is it your first year attempting homemade Christmas crafts? No need to feel intimidated! With art classes in Houston to art classes in the Bay Area and art classes in NYC, there are gifted local art teachers ready and waiting to instill you with confidence.
You’re sure to find a plethora of Christmas painting ideas that you’d like to recreate, and each class comes with all the equipment necessary to complete these fun Christmas crafts.
Master the art of depth as you paint a snowy forest or snow-laden tree. You can always take online painting classes to learn from the comfort of your home.
3. Holiday-Themed Paint and Sip
Turn arts and crafts for adults into a happy hour full of holiday influence. With paint and sip in Chicago to paint and sip in Atlanta or paint and sip in Boston just to name a few, there’s definitely a paint and sip near you waiting to host you and your friends.
Create fun holiday-themed Christmas crafts like paintings of gingerbread houses or snowmen to show off in your space. No need to show up with a plan, sip and paint ideas usually come to you in the moment, or you can recreate some of the impressive designs they have on display.
4. Candle Making
You can make your own candles at home, but chances are there are some local workshops offering all the things you need to make a few amazing candles that will serve you well and make a great gift.
This easy Christmas craft can be great for a hostess gift or party favor if you want to make a bunch of miniature scented candles.
5. Make a Fresh Wreath
A fresh and fragrant wreath is a beautiful Christmas craft to hang inside or outside your home. Your local gardening center probably offers a few different wreath-making classes so you can create a gorgeous holiday decoration out of fresh greenery.
Plus, they’ll have all the supplies you need and it’s usually a flat fee for the class rather than buying all the supplies separately. Invite your mom or give her a wreath, both options make a great Christmas gift for Mom.
Easy Christmas Crafts for Adults
6. Cinnamon Stick Candle Holder
Turn those boring or weird-colored candles into adorable holiday decorations with this easy Christmas craft. You’ll need a bunch of whole cinnamon sticks, some twine and a hot glue gun.
You can either glue the cinnamon sticks directly onto the candle (make sure they’re not too tall!) and add a twine knot just for visual appeal, or you can glue the sticks together on the twine before tying it around the candle.
7. Furoshiki Place Settings
If you’re hosting a dinner party this holiday season, incorporate the Japanese Furoshiki technique to elevate your place settings.
This fun Christmas craft involves wrapping a small box or present with a regular table napkin or a tea towel. Each guest is greeted at their seat with this adorable Christmas treasure to unwrap.
8. Bundt Pan Wreath
This mess-free Christmas craft will tie together holiday decorations with a love of all things culinary. Take an old bundt pan and using a hot glue gun, affix oranments inside the cavity.
Once dry, hang it with a beautiful ribbon in your kitchen for you to admire as you complete your holiday baking.
9. Candy Cane Place Holder
This Christmas craft is best done right before you host a holiday party, but the good news it it couldn’t be simpler. You’ll need a bunch of miniature candy canes and some glue, preferably a hot glue gun.
Glue two stems together in a V-shape and let them dry. Gently rest each person’s name tag in your adorable new holder.
10. Holiday Cloche Scenes
This fun holiday craft idea is a bit more involved, but the outcome is well worth it. On a freezing cold day, this makes for an enjoyable winter activity you can do inside, plus it’s a unique art idea.
These beautiful holiday-themed vignettes are like snapshots in time, a hand-crafted peek into an imaginary world. You’ll need a large glass dome or bell jar and your selection of holiday decorations to fill it with.
11. DIY Drink Picks
If you’re hosting a holiday party at home, you’ll want something cute to keep everyone’s drink separate. Make your own colorful tree toothpicks with a few easy steps.
Find teeny tiny Christmas trees, ideally in different colors, from a craft store then using a hot glue gun, affix them to the top of toothpicks. If you can only get green trees, take this Christmas craft a step further and spray paint them so they are different colors.
This is a great Christmas craft to label different drinks or serve finger food. It’s the little things that turn holiday party ideas into the “best party ever.”
12. Santa Hat Drink Stirrers
Make adorable Santa hat drink stirrers the next time you’re looking for a fun Christmas craft. Even if you’re not hosting a party, these festive straws will get you in the holiday spirit.
You can create your own tiny felt hats or buy a package of miniature ones online or from a craft store. Attach them to a red and white striped straw or stirring stick for instant joy.
13. Homemade Sugar Scrub
Winter weather means your skin needs some extra love, so whip up a batch of DIY mint sugar scrub for an easy Christmas craft that will help you relax.
Wondering how to make a simple Christmas? It doesn’t get much easier than this. All you need is sugar, essential oils and an optional drop or two of green food coloring.
Mix everything up and store your creation in a mason jar with a festive bow. Plan an at-home spa date for a cozy winter date idea with your sweetheart.
14. Painted Pine Cone Wreath
Instead of going with the classic green, red and maybe a hint of brown for your holiday wreath, go a step further by making and adding your own colorful pine cones.
Set aside an afternoon for this easy Christmas craft and using a sharp knife, slice the tops off your pine cones so they have a nice flat center part exposed. Paint any and all colors that bring joy, then affix them to your greenery.
15. Pennant Tree Skirt
Add some colorful vintage flare to your tree this year with a homemade pennant tree skirt. Collect pennants that are meaningful to you in some way, then stitch them together for a quick Christmas craft that you can proudly display.
16. Reindeer Name Plates
With a handful of small plastic deer from a craft store or kid's store, you can add a few festive touches to make an adorable Christmas craft into a fun nameplate for a dinner party.
Glue on some gold or silver pipe cleaners for antlers and glue a cute name card in the antlers. Each guest has a fun party favor to take home.
17. DIY Candle Centerpiece
You’ll need an old set of candles (or you can thrift some!) and your trusty hot glue gun for this Christmas craft. Take some old ornaments or get ambitious with faux greenery, and glue holiday decorations artfully around the bottom of the candle.
What once was plain is now a festive holiday decoration for your mantle or a coffee table.
18. Terracotta Place Cards
Hold onto that terracotta pot that broke in the shed and turn it into a rustic place card. This Christmas craft involves painting (and possibly sanding down) any sharp edges, then artfully writing each person’s name with a paintbrush or paint marker. You probably have all the supplies you need on hand already.
Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids
19. Ornament Tree
This colorful Christmas craft is a fun and interactive holiday party idea that anyone can do. Get a few foam cones from a craft store, along with Elmer’s glue and some ornaments (glass or plastic).
Set up an area and let kids or adults take turns gluing ornaments or tinsel onto the cone until it resembles an ornament tree. The finished product looks beautiful on a mantle or tablescape.
20. Snowman Hot Cocoa Bombs
Just like a bath bomb is mesmerizing to watch fizzle and break apart, with a little help from the adults, kids can create snowman hot cocoa bombs that melt into a heartwarming cup of hot chocolate.
You’ll need some chocolate sphere molds to make this edible Christmas craft come to life, but otherwise, no candy-crafting skills are required.
How to Make Snowman Hot Cocoa Bombs
- Melt down white chocolate or almond bark and paint a thin layer of melted chocolate into the molds.
- Let them set in the freezer before inverting on a baking sheet.
- Fill the inside with a few mini marshmallows or mini chocolate chips, then with the help of an adult, carefully heat hot water in a cup.
- Take a spoon, dunk it in the hot water, and use it to gently heat the edge of the circle so you can seal them together. Proceed to decorate with frosting to look like a snowman.
- To enjoy, pour warm milk or water over the ball, then stir after melting is complete.
21. Beaded Garland
The dark green color of Christmas trees make them the perfect backdrop for a bright pop of color. You’ll need a beading kit for this, so run to the craft store or pull one out of storage and prepare for an easy inexpensive Christmas craft for children.
Whether in a pattern or totally random, stringing brightly colored beads onto a long string makes for an adorable addition to your tree or mantle.
22. Glittery Reindeer Treat Jar
Turn an old mason jar into a glittery and festive treat jar with this Christmas craft for kids. You’ll need glitter, glue, pipe cleaners, googly eyes and a few pom poms for a nose.
Paint the outside of the jar in glue, then roll it in glitter. Brown glitter makes for a realist reindeer while fun colors make the project just a touch more whimsical.
After sealing the dry glitter down with something like Mod Podge, you can add pipe cleaner antlers, eyes and a red of black pom pom for the nose.
23. Button Wrapping Toppers
Let your kids get involved with wrapping and decorating the presents this year. For an easy and free Christmas craft, take your stash of old buttons and glue a few of them together on top of the presents for a DIY bow replacement. Using a mix of colors and sizes is ideal here.
24. Paper Roll Winter Village
Roll up paper to turn it into an adorable and miniature winter village with your kids for a cute Christmas craft made with things you have around the house. Cut the rolls down so they're three inches or less, then add details like windows and a roof.
Set each tiny house over a battery-powered tea light for a cute tabletop decoration or an individual night light.
25. Paint Rocks
An easy Christmas craft for kids, painted rocks are a fun way to add color to your front door or tablescape this holiday season. From snowflakes to tiny Santa hats and little elf faces, there are tons of festive rock painting ideas you can bring to life.
26. Glittery Winter Birds
This Christmas craft feels like the definition of arts and crafts but with a holiday spin. You’ll need small foam balls, glitter paint, construction paper and a few other odd things.
Paint the foam balls with glitter paint, red like a cardinal or any color that you like. Then design and cut out other features like wings and a head for your bird creation.
27. Ladder Advent Calendar
If you’ve got a decorative elf ladder on display in your house, or a functional one in your library, it makes the perfect backdrop or an easy advent calendar kids can make.
Craft a bunch of little squares with numbers on them and attach them with cute holiday ribbons for a fun snowy day Christmas craft. Getting a little treat or reading a cute quote each day helps build the excitement for Christmas Day.
28. Pinecone Elves
Head out into your yard and collect a few pinecones to turn into cute elves with some glue and a creative eye. This fun Christmas craft is fun for the whole family, but suitable for just kids.
Using the pinecone as the body, glue a small wooden circle with a hat on for the elf head, tie a tiny thread around their neck for a scarf and cut tiny felt shoes as a stand. Feel free to add other details like facial expressions or little trinkets in their hands.
Christmas Paper Crafts
29. Snowflakes
Perhaps the original Christmas paper craft, this list wouldn’t be complete without snowflakes. All you need is scissors and some paper, and maybe some supplies to hang your beautiful creations.
Opt for all-white for a classic look or go retro with red and green snowflakes. This is a super easy Christmas craft with paper that almost all ages can do.
30. Ombré Ribbons
Cut down on paper waste this year and opt for a simple, DIY wrapping for your gifts. After you’ve tucked your presents into neat white or brown boxes, you can wrap them up with colorful DIY ombré ribbons.
You can get resourceful and use long fabric scraps or grab some plain white ribbon from a thrift store. With a set of clothing dye and a little time, you can turn the ordinary into something colorful and extraordinary.
31. DIY Wrapping Paper
Lean into eco-friendly Christmas crafting and make your own wrapping paper. Take that stash of paper bags and carefully cut them so they lay flat. Using paint, washi tape or even just markers, create fun designs on the bags.
This is a fun couple’s painting idea you can do together one night at home that is actually useful. When it comes time to wrap presents, you can use your handmade, custom wrapping paper.
32. Gingerbread House Gift Tags
You can turn brown paper bags or little pieces of wood into adorable miniature gingerbread houses with this Christmas craft. Cut the paper bag into the shape of a tiny house, approximately three inches or smaller.
Repeat until you have as many houses as you would like, then using paint or markers, turn that piece of paper into an adorable and cozy home. Hang them individually as ornaments or use them as gift tags. This is a cheap and easy school holiday craft idea, too.
33. DIY Holiday Cards
Washi tape comes in all sorts of fun colors and patterns and you can turn any plain card into a beautiful holiday card with a little creativity. The tape itself can be found at Target and Walgreens or your local craft store.
Make elegant lines, your own take on plaid or even a unique Christmas tree to take these envelopes or cards up a notch. This Christmas craft is perfect for adding some flare to your holiday cards or thank-you notes.
34. Christmas Sweater Garland
Just like ugly sweater parties become the event of the season, play off that theme with this cute Christmas craft. Using construction paper and maybe some markers, make a bunch of miniature Christmas sweaters to hang on a garland. Looking for a cheap and easy activity for your holiday work party? This is it.
35. Paper Doll Family Christmas Card
This Christmas craft might not make the most sense if your mailing list is long, but for a select few it’s super fun. Create a miniature bunting complete with tiny paper doll cutouts of each member of your family. You’ll definitely win some creativity points with this one!
36. Fabric Coasters
Visit your local fabric store and make your own DIY holiday coasters with ease. This Christmas craft leaves you with an easy project that will make adding a holiday touch to any room easy.
Cut and stitch plaid or other festive fabric together and maybe add an iron-on letter or saying. These cute coasters are a fun gift, too.
Christmas Ornament Crafts
37. House Ornament
Whether you’re a family that moves a lot or a couple of new homeowners, this easy Christmas craft for adults will remind you of childhood while creating new, sentimental tokens.
You’ll need a small piece of wood from your local craft store, oval or circular work great, and a photo of the outside of your home. Using Mod Podge paste, glue the photo onto the round and if you like, affix a ribbon trim. Let your creation dry completely before attempting to hang it on your tree.
38. Popsicle Window Ornament
Year after year, unboxing a handmade Christmas craft like a homemade ornament lets the memories flood in. Create these easy window frame ornaments using paper and popsicle sticks.
Print out an image of your child’s face (or a pet!) and using colorful popsicle sticks, create a grid over blue construction paper to make it look like your child is peering through the window. Add a small loop with ribbon and it’s ready to hang on your tree.
39. Pom-Pom Pinecones
Massive pinecones are a fun seasonal decoration, but why not add a colorful twist? Kids and adults alike can easily glue tiny colorful pom poms into the spaces on a pinecone.
The pinecones can be laid out as a table decoration, carefully stuffed into a Christmas tree or a number of other places to make your home feel cute and festive.
40. Chalk Paint Ornaments
Take old ornaments with blotchy colors or a cheap dozen from the thrift store and paint them with chalk paint. Grab yourself a paint marker and add wintery designs or holiday words to your new DIY ornaments.
This easy Christmas craft is a cheap and fun office Christmas craft idea for a party.
41. Citrus Garland
This free Christmas craft for adults adds a colorful touch to a fireplace mantle or tree. Thinly cut and dehydrate slices of citrus, like oranges or blood oranges, and once dry, feed a piece of string or nylon through the slices to create a beautiful garland.
You probably have all the supplies you need for this easy and colorful decoration.
Christmas Handprint Crafts
42. Handprint Santa
Few things are more fun than sticking your hand in paint and getting to make something cool. Guide your kids to create adorable handprint Santas using their handprint minus the thumb.
After the initial outline dries, they can paint or glue on things like a Santa hat, eyes and more. This Christmas craft for kids couldn’t be simpler.
43. Upside-Down Hand Penguin
While it may be a little abstract, it’s still art! Guide your kids to make an upside-down hand print using black paint and adding in eyes and a white belly for a cute, wintery animal.
Penguins are fun winter animals that aren’t always the first thing you think of when it comes to Christmas crafts.
44. Thumbprint Christmas Light Cards
Take turns dipping your thumb into various colors of paint and creating a thumbprint Christmas light card. Connect each colorful print with a black marker to make it look like a string of lights.
These easy Christmas craft cards are perfect as thank-you notes or invitations to a holiday party.
45. Handprint Snowman Ornament
For a handprint Christmas craft idea that will last year after year, make a special memory by preserving your child's handprint on a Christmas tree ornament.
46. Thumbprint Reindeer
Using just your child’s thumb and some brown paint, let them press out a family of reindeer onto some plain white cards.
Draw in extra details like eyes, noses and mouths or glue on some tiny ribbons and you’ve got an adorable homemade name card, party invite or even just tiny wall art.
Christmas Crafts to Make and Sell
47. Paper Poinsettias
Experiment with color and texture as you create beautiful poinsettia flowers that will last forever. Using special crepe paper and ideally, the Cricut master crafting machine, you can create tons of these beautiful flowers to sell individually or in bouquets. You can certainly hand-cut each and every petal, it just might take a bit longer!
This easy Christmas craft to make and sell are sure to be a crowdpleaser because there’s no effort required to keep those pink and red leaves looking amazing.
48. DIY Ice Skate Wreath
For the expert thrifter-turned-artist, turning an old pair of ice skates in a beautiful Christmas craft is a dream.
You can go any direction with the skates from painting them, gluing on faux fur or embracing the vintage feel and make the whole thing super festive by adding in real or fake pine needles and red berries.
The result is a beautiful work of art that people can hang on their door or display in their home.
49. Advent Calendar
Whether your gift is felt, calligraphy or something else entirely, advent calendars are a popular way for people to count the days until Christmas. This fun art idea for teens or adults can easily turn into a small business opportunity.
With your own creative flare, you can take Christmas crafting a basic calendar into a festive advent calendar. It’s up to you if you want to transform an already existing December calendar page or create your own from scratch.
50. Retro Bulb Centerpiece
Combine retro art with modern flare as you make this retro bulb centerpiece. Using those giant and colorful old light bulbs, you have two options here.
The first option is to glue them to a foam sphere and call it a day. Or, you can put more time into things and attempt to leave your design hollow in the middle so the light of a candle might be able to shine through.
Either way, this fun Christmas craft for adults to make and sell ties together old and new in a unique way.
51. Painted Tote Bags
If you’re a gifted painter looking for a unique Christmas craft, consider making some beautiful painted tote bags. There are a number of fun tote bag painting ideas you could bring to life, like wintery animals or snowy cities from across the world.
Buy cheap canvas tote bags online and you can sell your beautiful creations at a winter market.
52. Stove Top Potpourri
Wondering what to make for the Christmas fair? Putting together a neat little gift item like stovetop potpourri is a great thing to sell at your local Christmas market.
Carefully curated combinations like orange and clove or cinnamon and pine are eye-catching in a mason jar. Add on a decorative ribbon and your company logo make these a one-stop-shop for holiday hostess gifts and DIY spa kits.
These simple but beautiful kits take the work off someone else’s plate when they can buy them already made from a small business.
53. Upcycled Candles
Head to your favorite antique or thrift store and collect some semi-large bowls to make big candles out of. Something about an extra-large candle just feels so cozy.
Melt and mix your own wax and essential oils for seasonal scents that are sure to fly off your shelves. Wondering what can I sell in a Christmas craft stall? This is a relatively cheap craft that anyone can make, and who doesn’t love a scented candle?
Whether you’re a dedicated crafter, gearing up to start a small business at the Christmas market or just someone looking for some easy and festive ways to get your home in the holiday spirit, Christmas crafts are for everyone.
These handmade trinkets and decorations can become a new holiday tradition for your family, and some of the more involved projects just may become keepsakes that you hold onto for years to come.
Take a trip to the flea market, the craft store or maybe just scope out your basement for a romantic date night activity or a cozy way to stay busy on a snow day.
For even more fun art ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
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