For the first time ever, my girls are old enough that they were excited about putting up the Christmas tree AND they actually wanted to help decorate it. My 5 year old dug through the ornament box, excited to find all the crafty little doo dads she made last year in junior kindergarten. And my 3 year old dug through the box yelling, “Oh look! There are teddy bears! There are snowflakes! Ooooo… There’s a STAR!!!” While I was feeding their baby brother his snack in the kitchen, they took the ornaments and hung them ALL on the low branches on one side of the tree. I almost burst out laughing when I walked in and saw them all in one spot! (And I may or may not have cringed on the inside…) I could totally relate to this quote I saw on Facebook the other day, “I didn’t know I had OCD until I watched my kids hang ornaments on the tree wherever they wanted.” haha YES!
Luckily, about 5 minutes after they got the ornaments onto the tree, they pulled all of the ornaments off the tree, and put them in a big pile in the corner behind it. In stealthy mommy fashion, I grabbed as many as I could from their pile and spread them out evenly. And the tree actually looked pretty good when we were done! Handmade ornaments and all! In my husband’s words, our tree is “just the right amount of tacky!” Ha! When we were done decorating – for the first time ever – we all sat down and watched a movie as a family! I’ve dreamed of having a day like that my entire life! To have kids excited to help me decorate the tree! And kids that will sit still long enough to watch a movie! Ahhh… such a great day!
38 Handmade Christmas Ornaments
Homemade ornaments don’t have to be tacky. I mean, some of them definitely are (especially if you have young kids), but those are usually the ones with the best memories! Just like my husband’s description of our Christmas tree, this list has “just the right amount of tacky” ornaments. There are lots of beautiful ones you can make yourself, and then some super awesome keepsake ones that will make you smile ever year when you take them out of their box. Enjoy!
DIY Sprinkles Ornament via Gimme Some Oven
Reindeer Thumbprint Ornaments via Little Bit Funky
3D Doily Ornaments via Martha Stewart
Bottle Cap Snowman Ornaments via One Artsy Mama
DIY Cinnamon Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments via Crafts Unleashed
Paper Towel Roll Stars via Blog A La Cart
Peppermint Candy Christmas Ornaments via Hello Homebody
Wire Angel Ornament via Adventures of a DIY Mom
Acorn Ornament via Sweet Something Designs
DIY Sequins Ornaments via The Peanut Butter Lover
Ribbon and Beads Tree Ornament via Stars Inspiration
Puppy Salt Dough Ornament via Crafty Morning
DIY Ninja Turtle Ornaments via Crafting Chicks
Felty Christmas Tree via Julia Crossland
Paper Printable Ornaments via Picklebums
Ribbon Tree Homemade Christmas Ornaments via Fireflies & Mud Pies
Handmade Stitched Ornaments via Pilli Pilli – Flickr
Mosaic Ornaments from CDs via Crème de la Craft
Paper Star Ornament via Remodelista
Pom Poms and Pinecones Christmas Ornaments via One Little Project
3D Paper Ball Ornaments via How About Orange
Pinecone Elves via MMMCrafts
Onesie Ornament via Edge of Clarity – Etsy
DIY Styrofoam Ball Cupcakes via Smarty had a Party
Twine Candy Canes via Sassy & Sweet
Old Fashion Cinnamon Scented Ornaments via Smart School House
Handmade Star Wire Ornament via Alyssa & Carla
DIY Cork Reindeer via The Homeless Finch
Pinecone Gnome Ornaments via Better Homes and Gardens
Button Wreath Ornament via Martha Stewart
Almond Bird Christmas Ornament via Better Homes and Gardens
Santa Handprint Ornament using Salt Dough via Messy Little Monster
Snow Owl Ornaments via Pam’s Party and Practical Tips
Stained Clothespin Snowflake Ornaments via Stephanie Lynn
Mini Paper Angels via The Craft Train
DIY Paper Snowflake Ballerinas via Wonderful DIY
Handmade Felt Skiing Boots Ornament via Decor4all
Fingerprint Christmas Ornaments via Cutesy Crafts
