Do you find yourself stuck in your ways every Christmas season? If you’re looking for incredibly easy and completely new ideas this year, keep reading! We have picked a few of our favorite DIY decor and activity ideas to share with you. We cannot stress it enough, these ideas are super simple but will liven up your holidays!
Orange Garland
This decorating tip is for Old Towne Orange lovers like myself! Creating an orange garland adds a touch of small town pride to your home. Every time I look at my orange garland I can’t help but smile! I picked up my oranges from last weekend’s farmers market, and I would definitely recommend the same for this DIY project.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 2 oranges
- a knife
- cookie sheet
- paper towel or cloth
- parchment paper
- twine
- scissors
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat your oven to 250 degrees
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Cut both oranges into thin slices and thoroughly pat them dry with a paper towel or a cloth
- After they are dried, place them on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour and a half and then flip the slices
- Bake for another hour and a half until they are slightly browned and completely dried
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool
- After they are cooled, use a pair of scissors to poke a small hole at the top of each orange slice, about 2 in from the top of the slice
- Thread oranges onto the twine and then wrap around your tree or hang up in your home
Fill Your Christmas Tree
Do you notice that your Christmas tree is looking a little bare? Then you clearly haven’t saved every ornament from childhood like I have, lol! Don’t worry, there’s an easy fix for that. Pick up green tinsel from the store and use that to layer the tinsel on the inner branches of the tree and fill any huge gaps between branches. One year when we accidentally procrastinated and picked out our tree really late, there were only a few Charlie Brown’s left, so I used this hack and it was awesome! You can find tinsel at Target, Walmart, Amazon, or literally any store that sells holiday decor!
Store Your Christmas Lights Without Tangles
This is a post-Christmas idea! When you’re taking down your Christmas lights, don’t just throw them in a box! Take a clothes hanger and wrap the lights around them. This prevents any tangling and will save you so much time next year. Your future self will thank you!
No-Bake Hearts For Hot Chocolate
Skip the mini marshmallows for this hot cocoa idea. Add a personal, homemade touch to your hot chocolate this year. The best part about this recipe? There is no baking required!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a 9×11 inch baking pan with parchment paper and let the paper drape over both sides of the pan
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of cold heavy cream into a large bowl and use an electric mixer to mix the cream
- Add in the 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar and keep mixing until peaks form
- Spoon the whipped cream onto the lined pan and spread it evenly until it is about 1/2 inch thick
- Put the pan into the freezer for about an hour or until it is completely frozen
- After it is frozen, remove it from the freezer and remove it from the pan
- Press a heart-shaped cookie cuter into the cream (make sure the size of the heart will fit into your mugs!)
- Work quickly because the whipped cream will begin to melt if handled for too long.
- Store the hearts in the freezer until you’re ready to plop them into your hot chocolate!
Snow Slime
You know how much my kids love slime! We had to add a snow slime recipe in here. This will keep the little’s entertained while they’re on winter break this year. All you need is 2 cups of silver glitter glue and 1-2 cups of liquid starch.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour 2 cups of silver glitter glue into a large mixing bowl
- Slowly mix in your liquid starch little by little until you reach your desired slime consistency
- Once you have your slime, clean your hands and then remove the slime from the bowl and knead it
- Finally, put your slime in the fridge for about an hour before you play with it so it actually feels like you’re playing with snow!
Candy Cane Holders
If you’re hosting a holiday party this year, you have to try this idea! It’s simply too cute and too easy not to! Simply take three mini candy canes and hot glue them together for festive name card holders or to display the name of different food dishes. Just a precaution, make sure the glue is dry before using these cute displays!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
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Last Updated on May 24, 2023 by Pattie Cordova
