Hot Christmas Ideas Posts

How To: Create Polish Star Christmas Ornaments Out of Paper

To be honest, these Christmas ornaments look more like sea urchins than stars to us. Either way, these festive ornaments are beautiful and cheap alternatives to purchasing standard ornaments at the store. Give each ornament character by using a different color or pattern paper.

How To: Build Star Wars Christmas Tree Ornaments Out of LEGOs

LEGOs are more than just a toy for young children— it's an emerging art form combining photography, stop-motion (i.e., brickfilms), and imitative models that portray today's pop culture as it is. It's something visual culture analysts are sure to be studying over the next decade, and Chris McVeigh, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, is sure to be studied for his LEGO mastery.

How To: Forget Hallmark—Save Money by Making These Awesome Popup Pixel Christmas Cards

Greeting cards. Everyone hates buying them, they're way overpriced, and the majority of them go right in the trash after they're opened. So why do we still buy them?

How To: No More Tape? Use These Tapeless Gift-Wrap Hacks on Last-Minute Christmas Presents

Every year I wait until the last minute to wrap Christmas presents. I always tell myself I'm going to get it done ahead of time, but it never happens. And the worst thing that can happen when you put it off is running out of Scotch tape.

How To: Make a Deliciously Accurate Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo Holiday Snack

There are very few times (if any) the word poo and delicious belong in the same sentence, but any fan of South Park (or chocolate) will appreciate this awesome Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo treat, created by Degroof.

How To: Make a gumpaste Santa Claus for a Christmas cake

With gumpaste, anything is possible in the cake world. Gumpaste allows a cakemaker to mold intricate parts and cake accessories of all shapes, sizes, and theme. In this two-part cake decorating tutorial, learn how to make an adorable little Santa Claus using gumpaste for the perfect Christmas themed cake. Impress your next Christmas party with a stylish cake that's both delicious & creative.

How To: Make the Best "Ugly Christmas Sweater" Ever, Complete with Animated Burning Fireplace

Christmas sweaters are one of those anomalies that everyone complains about, yet so many are sold every year that someone has to like them (kind of like fruitcake). Whether you're keeping tradition for tradition's sake, or secretly you actually enjoy ugly sweaters (we won't tell anyone), why not at least make this year one to remember?

How To: Draw and color a beautiful Christmas tree

Here's a neat little demonstration video on how to draw a Christmas tree using a pencil, an eraser and pen. This tree will be drawn with a more realistic looking drawing style, compared to the simplified abstract stack of triangles that people normally draw Christmas trees with. British children's author Shoo Rayner, writer and illustrator of over 200 books, shows you how.

How To: 5 Weird & Easy Ways to Water Your Christmas Tree

Christmas trees, once decorated and brightly lit, are the penultimate holiday decoration, but authentic pines lose their brilliance fast without any nourishment. Plus, they are major fire hazards without regular hydration. But watering one requires a lot of sliding around on the floor, and it can be hard to tell how much water is in the bowl beneath the dark, prickly branches. These five hacks can help!

How To: Hang a Christmas Wreath Without Damaging Your Door

Whether you choose to hang an authentic or artificial pine Christmas wreath on your door — or an entirely different type, like ones made of paper waste or even food — chances are you've spent a year or two struggling with how to keep your decor hanging. With one easy to apply, quick to remove trick, you can skip the shiny wreath holder and any further damage to your front door.

How To: 60+ Free Paper Snowflake Templates—Star Wars Style!

Everyone knows how to make paper snowflakes, but the kind you learned to cut in kindergarten can get a little boring. However, they are free DIY holiday decorations, and they don't have to be a generic snowflake design. They can be anything you want, from nerdy math kirigami to all the Star Wars characters you can think of!

How To: Fill in Ugly Bare Spots on Your Christmas Tree

You've found the perfect tree — or so you think. As hard as we try to display an ideal tree each year, both plastic and pine can disappoint, especially when you're shopping on the cheap.

How To: 5 Awesome DIY Christmas Gift Ideas for Beer Lovers

There's nothing better than gulping down an ice cold beer to calm the senses and ease the mind. The holiday season can be very stressful as people scramble around trying to find the best gifts for friends and family. And we all know that gifts can be very hit or miss, but it's pretty hard to go wrong giving someone a nice bottle of whiskey or a nice selection of beers.

How To: Make Christmas Presents Look Better with These Cheap & Easy Gift Wrap Hacks

For as long as I can remember, I've always sucked at wrapping presents. No matter how careful I am, my gift-wrapping usually ends up looking like a toddler did it, so I'm always looking for easy ways to spruce up my packages.

How To: Make a Cheap Snowflake Christmas Tree Topper Out of Toilet Paper Tubes

Every Christmas tree needs a topper, but most of them are boring and generic. If you want something a little more unique, making it yourself is a great way to go, and a DIY Weeping Angel topper is a good twist on a classic, but not everyone is a Dr. Who fan.

How To: Make a Christmas card using Cricut Winter Woodland

In this Arts & Crafts video tutorial you will learn how to make a Christmas card using Cricut Winter Woodland. The card is 4 1/2 x 6 1/4 inches and it has a picture of a deer and the word "Joy". On page 56 you will find the picture of a deer. Cut it out at 4 1/2 inches and the word "Joy" is on page 78. Cut it out at 1 1/4 inch. Use the snow flake punch to cut out a snow flake. From "The Winter Matstack" choose a paper that has some snowflakes on it. Then you can cut out thin strips of some or...

How To: Fix Broken Christmas Lights Faster with a Lighter

The most annoying thing about Christmas lights is when one bulb blows, the whole string stops working. There's no easy way to tell which one is out when it's a huge strand, so it can take forever to fix.

How To: Make a vintage inspired Christmas gift tag

This is a quick and easy project you can use to make a beautiful, vintage inspired gift tag that you can attach to all your Christmas gifts! All you need is some basic papercrafting supplies in muted tones and your favorite vintage stamps!

How To: Craft a dual-colored origami wreath for Christmas

While it's true that Christmas wreaths are traditionally meant to go on your front door, you needn't think so inside the box when it comes to the donut-shaped Christmas decor.

How To: Create a delicious Christmas candy centerpiece

Kids and former kids all grew up dreaming about perfect Christmases filled with snow, toys, and of course, Christmas cookies and treats! Christmas is not Christmas without a sprinkling of holiday goodies like cookies, candies, and pastries.

How To: Craft an intricate lacy paper snowflake decoration for Christmas

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...how beautiful would a Christmas tree be, though, without any ornaments? If you've finally hit the tree lot and picked out the perfect grand fir, make sure it shines bright by decorating it with several of these intricate lacy snowflake decorations.

How To: Make Holiday Decorating Easier with a Glue Gun

You've probably tried just about every method of hanging your holiday decorations: nails, thumbtacks, sticky hooks, and, in desperation, even tape. Each method can leave a host of complications when removed, though, from chipping paint to visible holes.

How To: Don't Like Traditional Christmas Trees? Try Out One of These 7 Festive DIY Alternatives

The concept and structure of Christmas hasn't changed much since its inception. In its infancy, Christians recruited Roman pagans by associating Christmas with the Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn (also held in December). The pagans had long worshiped trees (as did other historical cultures) and would bring them into their homes and decorate them, something that influenced our modern holiday decorations. While certain things such as gifts and ornaments have b...

How To: Fold a simple origami Santa Claus for Christmas

Whether you want to admit it or not, children tend to derive the most joy from the holidays during their Christmas present opening feeding frenzy. But if you want to engage them in something other than, well, greed, this holiday season, teach them the joy of crafting by making this origami Santa Claus.

How To: Make a Spinning Optical Illusion Decoration for Christmas

The holiday season wouldn't be the same without decorations. Ornaments and fancy lighting brightens up a neighborhood and helps spread the holiday cheer. While decorations and Christmas lights are fantastic, why not get a little more creative and some fun in the process?

How To: Geek Up Your Holidays with These 10 Nerdy DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments

One of the more enjoyable parts of Christmas (other than opening gifts of course) is going out to find the perfect tree, struggle bringing it into the house, and decorating it. As the years went by, I realized that our tree looked exactly like every other tree in the neighborhood: the same lights, the same angel at the top, and the same red, green and white ornaments.

How To: Replicate the Famous Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding by Heston

No, not Charlton Heston. The only pudding he ever made was steak and kidney. I'm talking about Heston Blumenthal, world famous chef and pudding lover, and the man behind the "Heston"— a plum pudding with an orange hidden within, brought to you by Waitrose (see video below).

How To: Make a Christmas style wreath bow

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a Christmas style wreath bow. First, cut a piece of holiday ribbon and pin it into place. After this, make a bow out of the ribbon. Next, curl the ends of the ribbon and pin them into the wreath as well. Use your fingers to make curls and waves in the ribbon to make it look like it's moving in the wind. Pin these securely into place. Once you are finished, hang up your wreath and enjoy the decorations! This is a great project to do that will save you a l...

How To: Make Your Own Photo Snow Globe

As the holidays draw closer and closer, stores are getting more and more crowded, and of course, many have put off their Christmas shopping until the very last minute. Why not avoid the mall rush this holiday season and make a personalized do-it-yourself snow globe to gift to those closest to you? This is also a perfect opportunity to put of those cell phone photos that you've been snapping to use! What You'll Need

How To: 10 Last-Minute DIY Christmas Decorations for the Cheap & Lazy

Some people put up their holiday decorations as soon as Thanksgiving is over. Some wait until Christmas Eve. Right now, the only thing in my whole apartment that would tip you off is a tiny little fake tree on the counter. I've been planning on decorating all month, but I haven't quite gotten around to it yet.

How To: Make Christmas ornaments from soda cans

Diet Coke can be festive! After you drink all the Diet Coke, you can turn the empty cans into Christmas tree ornaments. Make sure you rinse all the cans and take the tabs off, and you'll also need a very sharp knife. Make soda cans into something cool!

How To: Make a Cheap Desk Christmas Tree!

Here's your chance to get creative during the holidays, especially if you're a "DIY" person. Why buy a small Christmas Tree for your desk when you can make your own for a fraction of the price and have fun as well. For further instructions refer to the video tutorial. Merry Christmas!!!

How To: Make a Christmas Tree

How to make 3 different Christmas trees. Brighten up your home this Christmas with a beautiful homemade Christmas tree or three!

How To: Make Your Decorated Christmas Tree Mathematically Perfect

Christmas is just a few weeks away and the decorating has already begun. The centerpiece for most home during the holiday is, of course, the Christmas tree. But let's face it—that tree can be a big pain in the ass to decorate. You'll run out of tinsel, your lights will be too short, and a missing bulb with throw the whole thing off balance.

How To: Craft a simple folded paper flower ornament for Christmas

Have your Christmas tree up finally but have very little time to adorn it? Not a problem. Instead of resorting to those cheap shatterproof ornaments you can get at any drugstore, put a more homespun - and beautiful - touch on your tree this year by crafting your own ornaments. Check out this video to learn how to make paper flower ornaments.

How To: Make lovely Christmas tree ornaments out of wire

Decorate your Christmas tree with wire this year! You don't need much - just some 16 gauge wire, a little 26 gauge wire, various pliers (like needle nose and round nose), colored beads and a good surface to hammer your wire on.

How To: Dress up a poinsettia plant with gold foil for Christmas

What's the easiest way to turn a plain old poinsettia plant you can get for cheap at the grocery store into a dazzling centerpiece that any hostess would appreciate as a gift? Add a beautiful gold foil wrap to the pot.

How To: Make a Christmas tree from sheets of rolled newspaper

This video demonstrates how to make a christmas tree out of newspaper. The author suggests that you start with 3 full sheets of newspaper and have scissors and scotch tape ready to use. Begin the tree making process by rolling the newspaper tightly and then using the scissors to create multiple cuts on one end of the roll. After doing so the newspaper roll should achieve a frayed look on one end. Pull on the frayed side to elongate the other newspaper that was rolled inside previously and the...

How To: Origami a Paper Christmas Tree Ball

This icosidodecahedron can serve as Christmas tree ball!! Easy folding, even easier assembly. Barbabellaatje has been providing us with origami instructional videos for the past year. Always exciting to see a new origami video from this Dutch artist. This origami video demonstrates the folding of an origami christmas tree ball. Enjoy this origami tutorial video by barbabellaatje.

How To: Make a tomato cage Christmas tree

Decorating for the holidays can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work if you let it get out of hand. Keep it simple and try and use as many things as you have around the garden, like tomato cages.