10 DIY Christmas Tree Ideas Not To Be Missed

Did you know that even a DIY Christmas tree can be created with recycled material? Here are some ways to experience a more sustainable holiday by replacing the plastic Christmas trees that decorate millions of homes.

Contents

1 Buying a Christmas tree: Natural Vs Artificial
2 Tips for a real Christmas tree
- 2.1 DIY outdoor Christmas tree
3 Tips for a DIY Christmas tree
4 More DIY guides

Christmas is the time of year in which our imagination can really run wild with decorations and gifts, because the magic of this period is not the same without the tree. For those who are still undecided whether to buy a real Christmas tree, opt for a plastic one, or a DIY tree, perhaps made of recycled material, here are some tips and ideas that could prove useful in making a decision.

Buying a Christmas tree: Natural Vs Artificial

Both real and synthetic Christmas trees are popular in the world, and the preference varies among households. It’s not difficult to determine which type is more widespread: artifical trees are certainly more popular nowadays, because they are reusable and require less maintenance, even tough data can significantly vary by region. Some people still prefer the tradition and aroma of a real tree, but it is certain that the real tree is less and less widespread.

According to Jami Warner, executive director of American Christmas Tree Association, which supports the use of both types of Christmas trees: “Approximately 94 million people displayed a Christmas tree last year in the US. And 84% of those trees displayed were artificial.”

Those who opt for a real fir must decide whether they want it with or without roots. Traditionally, especially in Northern European countries and France, real Christmas trees are sold with the trunk cut, but they will have to be cut into logs and thrown away or burned in the fireplace after their use. They also lose their needles, which gradually turn yellow, due to the heat in the house, forcing continuous sweeping. So, better to choose it with roots, therefore, to be able to replant it later.

Tips for a real Christmas tree

If it’s a real fir with roots, you should always keep it away from heat sources at home (better if on the balcony or in the garden). And after the holidays you can plant it in a garden or a public park, or make sure that the shop you got it from accepts it back so they can replant it. Some chains pffer this option in many countries, for example Ikea and Viridea.

If you want to plant it in the garden, however, it is best to choose a sunny area and well-drained soil, to avoid stagnation. Better if away from other already tall plants, which it will shade as it grows, and disturb with its large roots.

First, however, it is necessary to acclimatise it to the cold by placing it on a porch or covered terrace, because the heat of the house makes it more fragile. The excavation must be twice as wide as its roots and large enough to accommodate them well. The earth removed from the excavation must be kept dry and warm before filling the planting hole.

DIY outdoor Christmas tree

Anyone who has a garden would do well to take advantage of one of the trees already planted, even if they are different from the classic spruce, the traditional Christmas tree. Just choose it from the evergreen ones and arrange an outdoor light to create the atmosphere of the holidays.

A birch, a magnolia or a Japanese cherry tree will do, but even a simple oleander can have its own Christmas effect. For example, you can find a vast selection of LED lights, light diodes and bright outdoor decorations on Amazon.

However, if you don’t want to give up the traditional fir tree under which you can gather your Christmas gifts well packaged with colored paper and bows of all kinds, here are some ideas for doing it yourself.

A light mulch will help the fir take root. It does not require soil until spring.

Tips for a DIY Christmas tree

Alternatively, why not use all your creativity for a DIY Christmas tree, preferably a green one. There is certainly no shortage of ideas and ideas and it could be an opportunity to recycle something you have at home.

Creative recycling offers lots of fun solutions to transform the tree into something truly amazing and eco-chic!

DIY artificial Christmas tree

Creative recycling offers lots of fun solutions to transform the tree into something truly amazing and eco-chic!

DIY wooden Christmas tree

A wooden tree is a decoration that can be used several times. Think about recovering pieces of various sizes. You can use both peeled branches of a tree and old boards obtained from pallets or fruit crates, or parts of a broken piece of furniture. Lights and decorations will make it Christmassy.

Try gluing or nailing a few degradé wooden or balsa slats onto a wooden T-support. To give the right size all you need is a small hacksaw or a sharp cutter.

DIY Christmas tree made of cardboard and paper

Here is a tree made of a corrugated cardboard shape, preferably recycled: decidedly ecological and reusable. You can cut out the four equal sides with a cutter and then assemble with a staple gun or hot glue. Naturally, it can be colored as desired, even several times, by children.

And then there is the classic one made of newspaper, the one made from cardboard rolls of paper towels or made with old books.

Even overlapping newspaper clippings or cards of various sizes will be a beautiful Christmas idea, perhaps sprayed with gold paint or silver glitter, with the final touch of the star.

Hanging DIY Christmas tree

Try hanging the baubles under an old wooden trestle ladder topped with a shining star. It’s a great idea for an unusual hanging tree!

DIY Christmas tree for children

A nice idea for an eco-friendly Christmas for children too is this an unusual tree created from remnants of colored fabric cut into discs to be stacked on a rigid support inserted into a base. For example, a thin iron rod attached to a wooden base or an aluminum plate.

Even simple colored paper will allow children to make Christmas trees. You can let them do it, because this 3D model is so simple that even a 4 year old can do it without the help of an adult. Just follow the tutorial exemplified in the photo below.

DIY Christmas tree on the wall

You can hang colored pencils on the wall glued with a gun onto a cardboard support or a wooden board, even an old cutting board will do.

Or you can attach a group of wooden coat hangers together and decorate them with Christmas garlands and festoons.

But the ideas for making a wall-mounted Christmas tree are potentially endless. For example, for a truly personal touch, you could group the photos you like most in a tree composition and illuminate it with a garland of small LED lights, which cost very little. A perfect DIY Christmas tree idea for families, especially large ones.

DIY Christmas tree with dry branches

A hanging tree, made up of sticks, branches and logs found in the woods in autumn, or on the beach this summer, will certainly be an eco-friendly decoration! Even more rustic if you leave the bark on.

Not just to hang, but even a composition of dry branches, perhaps pickled willow, can become a very elegant Christmas decoration if you hang the classic baubles from the tree.

DIY Christmas tree with recycled material

A nice idea, simple but effective, is to overlap used cans, for example those for paint, peeled tomatoes, coffee, all of different sizes, painting them green and decorating them with pompoms and festoons.

Plastic cutlery can prove very useful not only for feasting during Christmas binges…

DIY Christmas tree with plastic or glass bottles

Even empty bottles (plastic or glass) can be a valid ally in the design of our eco-friendly tree. Here is an example of a wire structure with concentric circles that supports the bottles strung upside down and illuminated by a garland of LEDs that make them shine in the night.

Or you can create bottle garlands inserted directly into the lights and hung. A hole must be provided in the bottom from which the wire can come out.

If you have green plastic bottles, the chromatic effect is guaranteed. It is an idea that someone will surely have already seen in the squares of some city in your country or abroad and it can easily be recreated (in a small way) within the walls of our home.

DIY Christmas tree with books

We see it especially in book shops, but even at home it can be an effective and ecological idea. Zero waste, zero waste and above all everything is “recycled”, in the sense that the books return to the shelves after Christmas. We tried this and the only caveat is to preferably use hard cover books for greater stability.