Are you pining for a Christmas tree but don’t have the space? Here are ten creative DIY ideas to keep the holiday spirit alive while still giving you lots of room!
Potted Norfolk Island Pines
These natives of the South Pacific are not “true” pine trees. The needles look more like a spruce tree. But their tropical origins make them a good houseplant, and they only grow up to 6 feet tall. At Christmas, potted Norfolk Island pines double perfectly as a small tree and remain a beautiful houseplant throughout the rest of the year.
Tiny Bonsai Trees
Bonsai is an ancient way of pruning trees to keep them small and wiring them into creative shapes. You can turn almost any kind of tree into a bonsai, including juniper, spruce, boxwood, ficus, jade trees, and others. At Christmas, bonsai make beautiful little trees to decorate, and during the rest of the year, they remain a creative DIY project.
DIY Table-Top Succulent Trees
Here’s a Christmas tree craft idea for succulent lovers. All you need is some chicken wire to make a conical frame, sphagnum moss to fill it, and a bunch of succulents to plant into the moss and cover the frame. The end product is a tree of succulents that makes a wonderful centrepiece for your table.
Bottle Brush Trees
These tiny faux Christmas trees are perfect for a mantlepiece or bookshelf. Though they’re too small to decorate, they often come with built-in lights and frosted tips. Their small size evokes all of the charms of a gingerbread house or miniature North Pole workshop.
Miniature Faux Christmas Tree
Bigger than a bottle brush, these miniature Christmas trees are usually 2-3 feet high. They’re big enough for lights, ribbons, balls, and decorations but still small enough to perch on a coffee table. It’s everything you like about a full-sized tree, just in a cuter size!
Evergreen Garlands
Here’s another idea that offers ample branches to display your favourite decorations without taking up much room. Garlands can be hung around windows, shelves, mantelpieces, or on any wall. If you’re feeling creative, you can craft a DIY garland with wire and your choice of evergreen boughs.
Evergreen Boughs in a Vase
Swap out your cut flowers for evergreen boughs. Any vase or pitcher of water works well. For extra colour, arrange them with dogwood twigs or holly berries. Add some balls, bells, or ribbons, and you have yourself a tiny Christmas tree, as well as a table centrepiece.
Birch Branch and Twine Hanging Tree
This Scandinavian-inspired idea consists of a series of horizontal birch branches strung together with twine. The longest branch is at the bottom, and the others get consecutively smaller until you reach the peak, where you tie the twine to a star. Pin the whole Christmas tree arrangement on a wall, and hang decorations from each branch.
Pinecone Christmas Tree
Here’s a craft idea for any age. Simply stack and glue pinecones into the shape of a Christmas tree. You’ll enjoy all of the natural texture and scent of pine, but in a uniquely beautiful handmade sculpture.
A Tree of Books
Are you good at Jenga? Try stacking your books together into a pyramid. String lights around it, put a pine cone on top, and you have yourself a charming, tiny Christmas tree. The book covers give you lots of colours, and the books themselves lend a cozy feel. If you think about it, the paper comes from trees. So it’s no wonder that this DIY craft feels so natural.
With these ideas, you can fit a Christmas tree into even the smallest of spaces, and beyond being merely a substitute, each option offers something unique of its own. Visit one of our locations for supplies and for more inspiring Christmas and winter decor ideas!
