One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was making ornaments for our tree with my family. Throughout the holiday season we got to enjoy our home being decorated for Christmas and be reminded of a great night together as a family.
As an adult, I like making my own Christmas decorations for the same reasons, but I also love to incorporate reused materials to give them a second life and save a little bit of money, which is especially important around the holidays. This year, you can join me in making projects from cardboard, newspaper and toilet paper rolls.
Cardboard boxes tend to pile up during the holidays which makes them the ideal Christmas crafting material. Instead of tossing them into the recycling bin immediately, consider turning them into a gingerbread house garland.
Start by cutting the cardboard into small house shapes. Once your shapes are ready, decorate them using markers or paint. White paint or markers work well for mimicking icing details, and you can add windows, doors and candy-inspired patterns in festive colors like red, green and gold. To make the paint look more like icing, use puff paint to add dimension.
After decorating, punch a hole in the middle of either side of each house and string them onto a piece of twine. This garland can be draped over your mantel, hung across a staircase railing, or strung in a window for a festive and homey touch.
Toilet paper rolls can pile up all year long, not just during the holidays, but they make a great holiday craft to do with the kids. Twigs can be attached to the inside top of the roll using hot glue to serve as antlers, giving the reindeer a natural, woodland look. For the face, glue on googly eyes or draw them on and use a pom-pom for the nose. These reindeer figures are versatile and can be used as centerpieces for your holiday table, decorations for your mantel or even hung from your Christmas tree if you add a loop of string. They’re a wonderful way to involve children in holiday preparations and bring a little bit of the outdoors inside during the cold December month.
Another creative project involves reusing old newspapers to craft snowman ornaments. You can use the newspaper to create a unique, beautiful ornament that you can keep for years.
Begin by cutting the newspaper into strips, add glue to one side, and roll them into at least two swirls of different sizes to represent the snowman’s body. Cut a small rectangle out of cardboard to be used as the base of the body.
Once the swirls are ready, stack and glue them to the cardboard base with hot glue, creating the classic snowman shape. Then add details to the body: glue on buttons or small beads for eyes, use a bit of orange construction paper for the nose, or create a scarf from leftover fabric scraps. Small twigs can be glued on as arms. Attach a loop of string to the back of the cardboard with either glue or tape. These little snowmen are a delightful addition to any tree and will last for years.
Reusing and repurposing decorations isn’t just about being eco-friendly, it’s also about creating meaningful holiday experiences. Handmade decorations often become cherished family heirlooms, reminding you of the time spent together crafting them even years down the line.
Whether it’s a gingerbread house garland, a snowman ornament made from newspaper or a reindeer crafted from toilet paper rolls and twigs, each decoration tells a story — one of creativity, resourcefulness and a commitment to a greener holiday season.
Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.