There is something especially charming about a Christmas tree filled with ornaments made by hand. They do not need to be complicated or perfectly polished. A few craft sticks, buttons, pinecones, paper, cinnamon sticks, or dried orange slices can become decorations that feel far more personal than anything pulled straight from a box.
Homemade ornaments are also a wonderful December project because you can adapt them to the supplies you already have. Choose traditional red and green, embrace natural wood and twine, cover everything in glitter, or keep the colors simple and Scandinavian-inspired.
These six easy DIY Christmas ornaments range from rustic and natural to colorful and playful. Make one style for a coordinated tree or spend an afternoon trying several and create an eclectic collection you can unpack year after year.
🦌 1. Cinnamon Stick Reindeer Ornament
Cinnamon sticks are practically made for Christmas crafting. Their warm brown color creates a natural rustic look, and their familiar spicy scent feels right at home during the holidays.
A simple cinnamon-stick reindeer requires only a few small supplies and makes a particularly cute addition to a family Christmas tree.
What You’ll Need
Gather three cinnamon sticks, brown pipe cleaners, a small red pom-pom, two small googly eyes, ribbon or twine, craft glue, and scissors. A low-temperature glue gun can also be used by an adult.
How to Make It
Arrange two cinnamon sticks into a narrow V shape to form the reindeer’s head. Place the third cinnamon stick horizontally across the top, creating the forehead and helping hold the two angled sticks together.
Glue the three pieces securely and allow them to dry.
Cut two short pieces of brown pipe cleaner and bend each one into a simple antler shape. Glue the antlers behind the horizontal cinnamon stick so they extend above the reindeer’s head.
Attach two googly eyes to the front and glue a red pom-pom near the bottom point of the V for Rudolph’s nose.
Finish by tying a loop of ribbon or twine around the top or gluing the ends securely to the back.
You can make a whole herd using different ribbon colors, or replace the red pom-pom with a brown one for the rest of Santa’s reindeer.
🟢 2. Button Wreath Ornament
A miniature button wreath is colorful, lightweight, and easy to personalize. It is also a good project for using the assorted buttons that tend to accumulate in sewing boxes and craft drawers.
Traditional green buttons create the most recognizable wreath, but white, red, metallic, or multicolored buttons can produce completely different looks.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a piece of thin craft wire or a sturdy pipe cleaner, approximately 20 to 30 assorted buttons, narrow ribbon, scissors or wire cutters, and an optional small bow.
Choose buttons with holes large enough for the wire to pass through easily.
How to Make It
Cut a length of wire long enough to hold your buttons while still leaving room at both ends for joining.
Thread the buttons onto the wire one at a time. Alternate sizes and shades rather than trying to make everything perfectly uniform. Slight variation gives the finished wreath more texture.
Once you have enough buttons to create a small circle, bend the wire into a wreath shape and twist the ends together securely.
Cover the twisted section with a ribbon bow. Then add another loop of ribbon at the top for hanging.
For a classic Christmas wreath, use mostly green buttons with a red bow. For something more wintry, combine white, pearl, silver, and pale blue. A mixture of old mismatched buttons creates a charming vintage-style ornament.
Because loose buttons and small craft pieces can be choking hazards, this project is better suited to older children or should be completed with close adult supervision.
❄️ 3. Craft Stick Snowflake Ornament
Wooden craft sticks make one of the easiest foundations for homemade snowflake ornaments. The finished snowflakes can be painted, glittered, dotted with pom-poms, covered in sequins, or left as natural wood.
No two snowflakes have to look exactly alike, which makes this a good project when several people are crafting together.
What You’ll Need
Gather three or four wooden craft sticks for each ornament, craft glue, acrylic or washable craft paint, a paintbrush, ribbon or twine, and your choice of decorations such as sequins, small pom-poms, rhinestones, or glitter.
How to Make It
Place two craft sticks across one another to form an X. Add a third stick across the center horizontally so the ornament resembles a six-pointed snowflake.
If you want a fuller shape, add another stick vertically through the center.
Glue the sticks together where they overlap and let them dry completely before decorating.
Paint the snowflake white, icy blue, silver, gold, or another color that works with your Christmas tree. You can also leave the wood unfinished for a rustic ornament.
Once the paint has dried, add small decorative details. Dot the ends with sequins, paint tiny snowflake patterns, attach miniature pom-poms, or brush a thin layer of glue over the wood and sprinkle on glitter.
Glue a loop of ribbon or twine to the back for hanging.
Making several snowflakes in different sizes looks especially pretty on a tree decorated with white lights and natural ornaments.
⭐ 4. Folded Paper Star Ornament
Paper ornaments can look surprisingly elegant, particularly when made from patterned scrapbook paper, old book pages, sheet music copies, kraft paper, or metallic cardstock.
A simple accordion-folded star creates plenty of dimension without requiring special crafting equipment.
What You’ll Need
Choose lightweight decorative paper, scissors, a ruler, pencil, glue or double-sided tape, and thin ribbon or thread for hanging.
How to Make It
Cut two matching rectangles of paper. A size around 4 by 6 inches creates a manageable ornament, although you can make the stars larger or smaller.
Fold the first rectangle back and forth in narrow accordion pleats from one short edge to the other. Repeat with the second rectangle, keeping the folds approximately the same width.
Fold each completed accordion in half. Glue the two inner edges of each folded piece together to create two paper fans.
Join the fans along their straight edges until they form a full circle. The pleated paper will radiate outward like a starburst.
For a more pointed appearance, trim the outer ends of the folded paper at an angle before opening the fans.
Attach a small ribbon or thread loop near the top.
These stars look beautiful made from metallic paper, but ordinary brown kraft paper creates an understated ornament that pairs especially well with dried oranges, pinecones, and wooden decorations.
🦉 5. Pinecone Owl Ornament
Pinecones already have wonderful texture, so they need surprisingly little decoration to become woodland Christmas ornaments.
An owl is particularly easy because the overlapping pinecone scales naturally resemble feathers.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a small clean, dry pinecone, felt or sturdy craft paper in several colors, scissors, craft glue, twine, and optional googly eyes.
If you collect pinecones outdoors, make sure they are dry and free of dirt and insects before bringing them to your craft table.
How to Make It
Place the pinecone upright with its wider end toward the bottom.
Cut two large circles from felt or paper for the owl’s eyes, then two slightly smaller circles in a contrasting color. Layer the pieces and add small dark centers or googly eyes.
Cut a tiny triangle for the beak and two simple wing shapes.
Glue the eyes and beak near the upper portion of the pinecone. Attach the wings along the sides, tucking their inner edges slightly between the pinecone scales if possible.
For a snowy owl, use cream and white felt. Brown, rust, and tan create a more woodland-inspired look, while bright colors can make the ornament playful rather than realistic.
Tie or glue a loop of twine securely near the top.
A collection of pinecone owls also looks adorable tucked among evergreen branches on a wreath or garland.
🍊 6. Dried Orange and Cinnamon Ornament
Dried orange slices have become a favorite natural Christmas decoration for good reason. When fully dried, the translucent fruit catches the light beautifully, and the warm amber color pairs naturally with evergreen branches, cinnamon sticks, pinecones, and twine.
Making individual dried-orange ornaments is even easier than stringing an entire garland.
What You’ll Need
Gather oranges, a sharp knife, baking sheets, parchment paper, cinnamon sticks, twine or narrow ribbon, and optional star anise.
An adult should handle the knife and hot oven if children are participating.
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to a low temperature, around 200°F.
Slice the oranges into rounds approximately 1/4 inch thick. Try to keep the slices reasonably even so they dry at a similar rate.
Blot excess juice gently with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, then arrange the slices in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Dry them in the oven for approximately 2 to 3 hours, turning them periodically. Drying time can vary depending on the thickness and moisture content of the fruit, so watch them closely toward the end. The goal is to dry the slices rather than burn or deeply brown them.
Allow the oranges to cool completely.
Thread twine through a small opening in the dried orange flesh near the rind. Tie a cinnamon stick above the orange slice and add a piece of star anise if desired.
Finish with a hanging loop.
You can make the ornaments very simple with only an orange slice and twine or embellish them with small bows, wooden beads, cinnamon, or evergreen-colored ribbon.
🎨 Choose a Christmas Ornament Color Palette
Making several different ornaments does not mean your tree has to look chaotic. Repeating a small group of colors can make completely different crafts feel like part of one collection.
For a traditional Christmas tree, use forest green, red, white, and touches of gold.
For a rustic tree, concentrate on natural wood, cinnamon brown, dried orange, cream, kraft paper, and jute twine.
For a winter woodland look, combine pinecones, white snowflakes, brown kraft-paper stars, soft green ribbon, and wooden details.
A bright family tree can use every color imaginable. Let children choose their own paints and embellishments and allow the collection to grow naturally from year to year.
You can also repeat one material throughout the tree. For example, use the same red velvet ribbon as the hanging loop on every ornament even though the decorations themselves are completely different.
🎁 Turn Homemade Ornaments Into Christmas Gifts
Handmade ornaments are particularly good small gifts because they are inexpensive to make but still feel personal.
Tie a cinnamon reindeer onto a jar of homemade treats, add a paper star to a wrapped present instead of a bow, or place several ornaments into a small gift box lined with tissue paper.
You can also personalize ornaments with names and dates. Write the year on the back of a craft-stick snowflake, attach a small kraft-paper tag to a dried orange ornament, or add an initial to a button wreath.
A collection made over several years can eventually become its own record of family Christmases.
👧 Making Christmas Ornaments With Kids
Many of these projects can be adapted for children, but the tools and materials should match the child’s age.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends choosing art materials intended for children, reading product labels, using age-appropriate tools, and providing direct adult supervision. Small pieces such as buttons, pom-poms, beads, and googly eyes need particular care around younger children.
Adults should handle sharp knives, wire cutters, hot ovens, and hot-glue guns. For younger crafters, prepare those steps in advance and let children concentrate on painting, arranging pieces, choosing colors, and decorating.
The finished ornament does not need to look like the example. A lopsided snowflake or unusually colorful reindeer may end up becoming the decoration everyone looks forward to hanging each December.
🌲 Mix Handmade and Store-Bought Ornaments
You do not need an entirely handmade tree for these projects to work.
A few homemade ornaments can soften a tree filled with shiny glass baubles and metallic decorations. Natural pinecones and oranges add texture, while paper stars and wooden snowflakes provide visual contrast against smooth commercial ornaments.
If your tree already has a strong color scheme, simply adapt the crafts to match it.
Paint craft-stick snowflakes black and gold for a dramatic tree. Make button wreaths entirely from white buttons for a snowy look. Use velvet ribbon instead of twine on rustic ornaments to make them feel more polished.
The projects are starting points rather than strict designs.
📦 How to Store Homemade Christmas Ornaments
Allow paint and glue to dry completely before packing ornaments away at the end of the season.
Store delicate paper stars flat or loosely wrapped in tissue paper so the folds are not crushed. Pinecone ornaments should be placed where heavier decorations cannot snap off their felt details.
Craft-stick, button, and cinnamon ornaments are sturdier but will still last longer when packed in a dry container rather than tossed loosely into a large decoration box.
Dried natural ornaments require the most attention. Make sure orange slices are thoroughly dry before storing them, and discard any natural decoration that develops moisture, mold, or deterioration.
You may also decide simply to make fresh orange ornaments each Christmas. They are inexpensive, easy to recreate, and turning the process into an annual tradition can be part of their charm.
✨ More Ideas for Making Each Ornament Your Own
Once you have mastered the basic versions, there are countless ways to personalize them.
Add tiny bells beneath button wreaths. Paint names onto craft-stick snowflakes. Use pages from damaged vintage books for paper stars. Tie miniature plaid bows onto cinnamon reindeer, or make an entire woodland collection of pinecone owls in different colors.
You can also create miniature versions to use as gift toppers or make oversized ornaments for windows, mantels, and door decorations.
The easiest Christmas crafts often leave the most room for creativity because there are no complicated instructions to protect. Once the basic structure is finished, you can decorate it however you like.
❤️ Handmade Decorations Worth Bringing Out Every Christmas
Part of the appeal of homemade Christmas ornaments is that they do not need to be perfect.
A tree filled entirely with flawless decorations can be beautiful, but the handmade pieces are often the ones that eventually carry the most stories. You remember who made the crooked snowflake, which child chose the unexpected purple reindeer, or what year everyone sat around the table making button wreaths together.
Start with whatever supplies you already have and choose one project that sounds enjoyable. Before long, you may have a little collection of handmade ornaments that comes out of the box every December.
And unlike many Christmas decorations, these are just as enjoyable to make as they are to hang on the tree.
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