7 simple but stunning Christmas decorations

Older kids can help with another citrus-centric decoration project: Scandinavian-inspired orange-slice garlands. To create these festive festoons, slice oranges thinly before drying them, first in the oven and then at room temperature. This may take a few days, so plan ahead if you’ve got crafting on the calendar for a weekend. String the slices on sturdy kitchen twine. They’re gorgeous even by themselves, or make a more elaborate garland with the addition of cranberries, holly leaves, cinnamon sticks, ribbon, or pine cones. (Protip: for these last two, simply wrap and tie the twine around them, rather than trying to punch holes through them.)

For a particularly colorful Christmas garland, swap the regular oranges for their crimson-hued cousins, blood oranges, and alternate with dried lime slices.

Instead of recycling your toilet-paper and paper-towel rolls, try upcycling them. It’s a snap to transform these tubes into surprisingly tasteful snowflakes. You will need a hot glue gun and a sturdy pair of scissors (or a craft knife), as well. Once your materials are gathered, simply cut the cardboard into rings, like you would a roll of cookie dough. Flatten slightly and crease at one or two points to create oblong shapes. Use a combination of larger, paper-towel tubes and smaller, toilet-paper ones to fashion your snowflakes, gluing or even using sturdy double-sided tape to secure. Then it’s a matter of deploying the glitter—if you dare. Younger children (or glitter-averse adults) can use sparkly markers or metallic washi tape to make their flakes gleam.

Have an old hula hoop hiding in the corner of your garage or under your teenager’s bed? Press it into service come Christmastime to make a big, beautiful wreath that’s perfect for adorning your porch. Wrap it in plaid ribbon or rustic burlap for a farmhouse aesthetic, or go a bit glitzier with shimmery fabric or even flexible fairy lights. You could also keep it simple by spray-painting the hoop, then adding interest with a few oversize ornaments, sprigs of mistletoe, pine cones, or poinsettias.

Hung horizontally from the ceiling, a hoop can also become a whimsical chandelier. Try draping it with swags of pine, then letting the children trim it with small, sturdy ornaments or paper chains while you handle hanging fragile or delicate decorations on the tree itself.

Pine cones and wine corks combine to form darling little Christmas trees that can stand on a mantelpiece or be strung up and hung on the true tannenbaum. While the painting and gluing parts of this charming craft might be better handled by older children, younger ones can participate when it comes time to decorate the trees. Placing beads or itty-bitty, glittery pom-poms on the pine-cone “branches” will help toddlers practice fine motor skills. Top off each with a star cut from cardboard and covered with gold or silver foil.

Cinnamon sticks make fun and fragrant stirrers for hot cider, cocoa, or mulled wine, but if you bought them in bulk and have extras lying around, consider using them to craft a scented candle holder. This creation is best with a wide, squat candle, but a taller pillar would work in a pinch. After gluing the sticks vertically around the candle and trimming them to size, wrap the whole kit-and-kaboodle with raffia, ribbon, or yarn. If desired, attach additional touches like buttons, mistletoe, miniature candy canes, or jingle bells. These cinnamon-stick candles do double duty as centerpieces or last-minute holiday presents, too.

Here’s a Christmas craft that requires only four items, some or maybe even all of which might be right in your junk drawer: small round balloons, kitchen string, white glue, and glitter. Once a grown-up has blown up the balloons, little hands can get delightfully messy dipping the string into watered-down glue. Help them wrap it gently around the balloon, as though winding up a ball of yarn. Be sure to leave plenty of space between the strings, however. Not only will an open, lacy effect be more beautiful on the bough, but it will also make removing the balloon after popping it that much easier. One last coat of glue, a dusting (or a dumping, depending on the age of your crafters) of glitter, a ribbon loop for hanging, and you’ll be good to go.