Step into a world where holiday cheer meets creativity, and your home transforms into a festive wonderland without breaking the bank. Four years ago, I found several DIY projects that got me excited about making adorable holiday decorations for our home, and all it took was basic craft supplies, wrapping paper, and boxes! What started as a fun crafting project turned in to something much more.
I didn’t realize then that these simple materials would bring so much holiday happiness to our home every year, but now we can’t imagine our home without them. In this blog, I share about this fresh tradition and discuss how crafting something simple can add an abundance of holiday joy into your home too. I loved them so much and decided to give it a whirl and see how they turned out.
My mom, who is a crafter, had a lot of the supplies, but I also befriended Amazon, Hobby Lobby, and Dollar Tree. I wasn’t spending a ton of money on these. Construction paper, eyes, and tape have been my mainstays over the years, so I keep a lot of that on hand.
My first year tackling this project, 2020, our Festive Figures included Santa Clause, Snowmen, Reindeer, and even a Train (my favorite to date!). Each character comes to life in the details…and sometimes you have to think outside the box. In 2020, I found some reindeer headbands at The Dollar Tree. I cut off the band and taped them to the top of the boxes and bam, reindeer ears. I had the Santa hats I used and I did splurge a little on the Snowmen hats…they just completed the ensemble, so I had to.
**TIP: My only rule is that I must use a gift to create my Christmas Character. I cannot find a placeholder just to compete the character**
In 2021, I focused on three Festive Figures: Toy Soldiers, Elves, & Gingerbread Girls. As you’ll see, I start out with a wrapping paper that is color appropriate. As I mentioned, my mom is the crafty type and has a lot of supplies that I raid each year…including the peppermint “button” stickers. Everything else you see from this year is wrapping paper, ribbon, construction paper, and eyes. That’s it!
**TIP: It can have a design and doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as the basic color is there, you’re good**
Last year, the Festive Figures were Mrs. Clause; her pets (at least in my head, lol): the Teddy Bears, Polar Bears, & Seals; and the Elf feet…because I had to work with boxes that were not conventional. You’ll notice that in addition to the old faithful eyes, Santa hats, and construction paper, I added the beards and polar bear feet with snow blankets and I use a lot of wrapping paper pieces for things like scarves. It serves a purpose and keeps me from being wasteful. The splurge last year was for the elf shoes. I could have made them out of construction paper, but I found a pair for $10 on Amazon and I just could not resist. To me, it really made that character.
**TIP: Sometimes the boxes gifts come in can throw you for a loop. Try to be creative and think outside the box. That’s why I went with Elf feet that year**
This year, I decided to up my game a little bit and create a Christmas Character Scene instead of individual figures. The main reason I decided to do this is because I didn’t want to repeat any I had done previously and this seemed to be the best way to do that. In my research, I came up with four different ideas and the one I landed on for 2023 is a Nativity Scene. Once it is all complete (because you know the presents aren’t all here yet), I will have Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Three Wise Men, Two Sheep, Two Donkeys, the Star of David, an Angel, and Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. I hate they aren’t all ready to show you, but I will update once all the gifts have come in. I do have most of them completed and you can see them in the photo album below.
Like last year, a box threw me for a loop and it took a while to figure it out, but I ultimately landed on creating a night sky with the Star of Bethlehem. My star leaves a little something to be desired, but that’s ok. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s all for fun and joy! This year, I used a good many blankets and a few articles of clothing from my closet to complete the look at each Festive Figure, but I also took the easy route and let Amazon supply the Hallo, Wings, Crowns, & Beards (those things feel like real hair!). Sometimes a few bucks is worth not having to hassle with constructing them. Plus, I like the 3D and texture that it adds.
**TIP: Search your house for the character details. I mentioned I used my own blankets and clothes, but I also used my mom’s button jar and old jewelry for the wisemen’s jewels **
I don’t plan the Christmas Characters ahead of time. We buy gifts like we normally do…from lists and what we know each person likes and enjoys. I make a plan after my shopping has begun and from there, finding boxes that work is key. Since we have transformed into a society of online shopping, I have a lot of help getting different size boxes from which I can choose. The funny thing is when someone gets a large box that feels empty and opens it to find a gift card. I gotta do what I gotta do to keep the aesthetics looking good, LOL!
Through my research for this year, I have come up with several different ideas for the years to come. If you want a sneak peak of what’s in my head, you can visit my Pinterest Page. I have a lot of inspo there.
Merry Christmas and Happy Wrapping!
