43 DIY Christmas Tree Ideas That Are Better Than Any Tree You Can Buy (2024)

Celebrations

Christmas

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  Yarn Trees

  

  If you love crafting, this DIY tree is an easy craft to do with the whole family. Start at the top of a cone-shaped floral foam piece, and wrap yarn around, securing with hot glue on the low setting. Embellish with a wooden star and a "trunk" made from wood dowels and blocks.

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  Cedar Shim Trees

  

  You can get everything you need at the local hardware store to make these cute DIY tress. The tree leaves and stands are made from cedar shims, and glued together and painted in a wintery green color to create beautiful abstract trees. Finish the look by wrapping LED string lights for a charming look.

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  DIY Alpine Trees

  

  If you love the look of a real tree, but don't have the space or budget for one, you can create your own alpine tree with thick branches and faux stems. Get the full tutorial here.

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  Ornament Tree Luminary

  

  Ornament tree stands are an elegant decor idea for Christmas, and you can make it your own with a monochromatic color palette or a colorful one. This stand features gold baubles attached to an acrylic frame and lighted with fairy lights. Get the full tutorial here.

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  Rainbow Ornament Tree

  

  Not only is framed chicken wire a budget-friendly, but it's a great way to display your favorite ornaments without them getting lost on your main Christmas tree. This ornament display features ornaments in rainbow colors arranged into a Christmas tree shape that makes a stunning mantel decor piece.

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  Spruce Wood Tree

  

  This elaborate wooden tree may not be something everyone can make, but the wood design makes a stunning Christmas tree if you have woodworking skills. This tree, built by Bernhard, required building at a 1:5 scale model.

  Bernhard used 2-3/8" x 3/4" spruce wood strips and built the strips surrounding a threaded steel rod on a wood base to make it easier to move the strips for a desired tree shape, as well as easier dismantling for storage.

  He embedded tea lights in the strips using a Forstner drill and added ornaments by adding small screw sockets into drilled holes.

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  Space-Saving DIY Tree

  

  If your goal for this year is to save space in your home and go minimal, this festive tree is the perfect fit. You can find budget-friendly garland, lights and other Christmas decor at your local bargain store. Then, simply hang the lights in a Christmas tree shape and fill the tree with all your decor.

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  Ladder Tree and Lush Garden

  

  You can hardly tell the frame of this tree is a wood ladder. A ladder makes a perfect frame for an alternative tree, especially when you adorn it with lush garland and all-natural ornaments.

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  Twine-Wrapped Trees

  

  Neutral Christmas decor doesn't have to mean you can't be festive. These dollar store cones get a makeover with hot glued twine, mini pom poms, and wood star toppers.

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  Doorknob Tree

  

  Take a rosemary plant and another small plant and glue them to a crystal doorknob for a cute, easy, and budget-friendly decor idea. Embellish with ribbon or fabric that complements the rest of your home's decor.

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  Wood Herringbone Christmas Tree

  

  The herringbone pattern of this DIY Christmas tree only looks complicated, but a stencil makes it a fairly easy project that will bring a high-end look to your Christmas decor.

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  Mudcloth Patterned Wood Trees

  

  African mud cloth is a handwoven cotton fabric that's dyed using fermented mud. But, you can create the same look with acrylic paint and a paint marker. Get the full tutorial here.

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  Dried Palm Leaf Tree

  

  If you have an old tree, spruce it up this year with dried palm leaves and starburst lights. This is a tree you can keep up all season long and is a fitting tree for New Year's Eve, too.

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  Twig Tree Ornament

  

  A hanging Christmas branch like this one takes only minutes to make and is a great addition to a bedroom door or even over the fireplace. To spruce it up, hang different baubles and greenery, including a DIY tree ornament made from twigs.

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  Elegant Pampas Grass Tree

  

  If a traditional tree isn’t your style, go with a more elegant look like this pampas grass tree. Use an old artificial tree as the base, and attach the pampas grass stems by twisting the artificial branches around them. The look is so stunning that you don’t need many ornaments to decorate.

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  Wood Tree Shelf Decor

  

  To create this beautiful Christmas tree shelf decor, cut tree shapes out of wood in a variety of sizes and drill holes in a few of them. Finish by painting the trees in your desired color palette.

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  All Natural Tree

  

  If you love using all-natural, sustainable items as your decor, this DIY Christmas tree is for you. Use tree branches to create each tier as well as the star topper. Decorate by hanging natural items from the branches like dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks.

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  Christmas Tree Porch Sign

  

  A little reclaimed wood, paint, and a stencil make an adorable and inviting Christmas tree porch sign. The base of the tree is a wooden crate that you can fill with gifts, treats, and small decor. Learn how to make this here.

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  Wood Scrap Tree

  

  This wood-scrap Christmas tree looks like a complex art project, but really it’s just a series of overlapping triangular shapes in varying sizes. The design creates a whimsical touch to any style home.

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  Plastic Spoon Tree

  

  You could make this DIY Christmas tree with items you have at home. All you need are plastic spoons, glitter, poster board, and glue. Get the full tutorial here.

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  Industrial-Style Trees

  

  This upcycled DIY tree only requires a few materials and supplies to make and adds a one-of-a-kind look to your Christmas decor. It requires an old fence post, rusty gears and some milk paint that is true to the chalky, rustic look.

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  Illuminated Christmas Tree Sign

  

  An old bulletin board is given new life as a lighted Christmas tree mantel sign. Donna of Funky Junk Interiors painted the bulletin board all black, then taped off a Christmas tree shape. She then stenciled smaller Christmas trees in white within the taped area. She drilled small holes in each tree and threaded string lights throughout to illuminate it. Get the full tutorial here.

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  DIY Chicken Wire Tree

  

  For an easy, almost-free tree idea, gather branches from your yard, poke the branches through chicken wire molded into a Christmas tree shape. Use scrap wood as the base to create a cute tabletop tree.

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  Pallet Christmas Tree Sign

  

  This is about as simple as it gets when it comes to crafting. A tree shape is easy to emulate, especially if you arrange reclaimed wood pallets.

  To create this look, start with a small piece of wood and gradually cut longer ones to create the tiers of a Christmas tree. Then, stencil the planks with your favorite sayings and add branches and a rustic base like a galvanized bucket to complete the look.

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  Bottle Brush Tree Place Setting

  

  Doorknobs are fairly inexpensive and they make a cute base for your tree decor. This bottle brush tree with a doorknob base makes the perfect place setting for your Christmas dinner.

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  Fir Branch Decor

  

  Is there anything more wintery than a fir tree? Hang a fir branch on the wall and adorn it with simple decor like miniature pinecones and small gifts wrapped in kraft paper.

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  String-Wrapped Wood Christmas Trees

  

  You can use several small items to create a base of a tree. Here, Donna used items from her stash like Mason jar lids and other vintage items as the base of these small reclaimed wood trees. For an extra vintage vibe, she wrapped them in a variety of twine, rope, and string.

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  Wood Christmas Tree Farm

  

  Not only is using reclaimed wood for craft projects almost free as well as sustainable, but it also brings a charming rustic look to your home. Use old fence posts, stencils, and paint to create this adorable Christmas tree farm for your indoor our outdoor decor.

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  Wood Ladder Tree

  

  A ladder is a great alternative to a real Christmas tree because of its shape, and it adds a fun, unexpected touch to your Christmas decor. Add a string of large bulb lights and a start-shaped mylar balloon as the tree topper.

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  Potted Branches

  

  Simple branches are a one-of-a-kind way to display a variety of Christmas decor and ornaments. Add the branches to a galvanized bucket filled with pinecones for a rustic look.

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  A Mossy Green Tree

  

  If you have mossy branches and sticks in your yard, use them to make a festive DIY tree. This tree features matching green and silver star ornaments for a cohesive look.

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  Reclaimed Wood Porch Tree

  

  Don't forget about the porch when decorating for Christmas. This reclaimed wood tree is made with old fence posts. Get the full tutorial here.

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  A Winter Wonderland Bedroom

  

  This bedroom is the cutest winter wonderland with natural evergreen branches, including a large branch hanging above the bed. The small gifts hanging from the branch are a fun way to open a gift in the days leading up to Christmas.

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  A Simple DIY Tree

  

  If you don’t have the woodworking skills to make an elaborate tree, but love the natural look of wood, try this simple tree. Attach three wood strips together to the wall into a triangular shape, and adorn with faux floral garland. Add a wooden stool at the bottom as the tree trunk to complete the look.

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  Firewood Christmas Trees

  

  If you have a wood burning fireplace, you probably have firewood lying around. If you look at the ends of each log, you'll notice some of them have a perfect Christmas tree shape. That's exactly how Donna created these cute firewood trees. Get the full tutorial here.

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  Zigzag Hanging Christmas Tree

  

  If you can draw a zigzag pattern, you can create this hanging DIY Christmas tree within minutes. Hang string lights in a zigzag pattern starting from the bottom up, gradually making each line across smaller. Add greenery and a few simple ornaments to finish the look.

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  DIY Wood Trees

  

  Wood blocks at the base of these Christmas tree-shaped scrap wood pieces create a cute and easy tree skirt. They're so fun and easy to make, you'll want to create several of them. Place them all around your home, from the mantel to your kitchen countertop.

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  Stenciled Wood Trees

  

  Old fence posts or other reclaimed wood is easy to come by, and you can create nearly any craft out of it. Here, a fence post was cut into tree shapes then stenciled with winter themed images. Place them in vintage containers like a suitcase or toolbox for a rustic look.

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  Whimsical Tree

  

  You don’t need any Christmas ornaments or decor to make this cute, hanging DIY tree. Gather branches and fairy lights to create the tree shape, and decorate using items you have around the house, like bows and tassels within the same color palette.

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  Edible Tree

  

  This broccoli tree will be the centerpiece of your next holiday gathering. Add the broccoli to a cone-shaped piece of foam using toothpicks, and decorate with cherry tomatoes and bell peppers. This broccoli tree may be too cute to eat.

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  Stenciled Plaid Wood Christmas Trees

  

  These handcut reclaimed wood trees get a winter makeover with a plaid stencil in black and white. Group them together and place them in a crate for a cute coffee table centerpiece.

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  Bottle Brush Tree Wreath

  

  In lieu of a DIY tree opt for an easy DIY wreath. All you
  need to make this wintery wreath is a grapevine wreath, velvet ribbon, a few bottle
  brush Christmas trees, and faux snow to complete the look.

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  A Hanging White Tree

  

  The bedroom is a great spot in the home to display a DIY Christmas tree. This hanging tree is made with white-painted branches and silver and black themed ornaments, as well as greenery. It looks stunning above this bed that matches the tree’s theme.