That's right folks it's that time again! Christmas is on its way and we're getting ready by creating some of the most inventive DIY outdoor Christmas decorations around. By adorning your garden or outdoor space with these, we can guarantee Santa won't skip your home this Christmas.
All of the DIY Christmas yard decorations in this list can be handmade using mostly everyday items, you'll just need to add a little bit of DIY magic. From giant candy canes to glowing presents, we're sure you'll find something you love (and the kids will adore).
Have a crafty Christmas
Do you love DIY? Try out these Christmas crafts for adults, or get the kids involved with these easy Christmas crafts for kids.
18 DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
1. Make your own wooden log reindeer
Come Christmas you'll often see these wooden log reindeer for sale at garden centres and DIY stores, but if you're handy with a few woodworking tools they're surprisingly easy to make yourself!
Check out this fab video tutorial to see how it's done.
2. DIY Gardening Pot Giant Silver Bells
These novelty-sized bells are ideal to add some Christmas cheer to your home! Made simply from a plant pot and a giant bauble.
You can spray paint them any colour you like too –gold or silver will give them that classic festive feel. These DIY outdoor Christmas decorations are fun to make and the kids will love them!
- Watch the video on How to turn garden pots into giant silver bells
3. Giant lollipop DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
These giant and imaginative lollipops are so much fun and they would transform your back garden into a real wonderland!
They're also low-cost to make. They are made from pool noodles, which you can pick up from most supermarkets or toy stores (you could even ask your local swimming pool if they have any old ones they're getting rid of).
- Watch the Giant DIY lollipops tutorial on YouTube
4. Glowing gift boxes DIY Christmas yard decorations
Lighting is certainly one of the top ways to bring that magical atmosphere to your outdoor space. These light-up gift boxes do just that!
You won't need a lot of materials for these DIY Christmas yard decorations – they're simply made from a plastic box, some ribbon and a waterproof light (in the tutorial they use a bulb, but you could try fairy lights).
- Check out the Glowing gift boxes tutorial on MarthaStewart.com
5. Tyre DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
We love the creativity behind these giant Christmas ornaments made out of old car tyres! If you've got an old worn-out tyre hanging around it's a great way to upcycle it, but if not you can usually get them for very cheap (or even free) if you ask nicely at your local garage.
The tutorial shows you how to make both a snowflake bauble ornament as well as a candy ornament.
- Check out the full DIY Christmas tyre ornament tutorial at Lilyardor.com
6. Giant Christmas lights outdoor decorations
Oh, how wonderful are these? Nothing screams Christmas as those little fairy lights draped around your tree. Why not add a twist this Christmas and create these giant fairy lights to decorate a tree in your garden?
You can also upcycle and reuse your 2L plastic bottles to create them too!
- Learn how to make these DIY Giant Christmas lights with Blossom
7. DIY Christmas decorations outdoor candy garland
Create your own candy land with this imaginative and colourful garland! It uses fairy lights, clear boxes and translucent cellophane in a variety of colours (you can pick this up in most craft stores or online).
You can use this DIY project at any time to brighten up your backyard, not just Christmas!
- Try this DIY Candy Garland tutorial from Over the Big Moon
8. Giant baubles DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
Santa certainly won't miss your house with these giant shiny baubles scattered around your garden!
These DIY Christmas yard decorations are easy to make and the kids will love the magic of them (it's also a great way to reuse any balls they've got bored of playing with).
- Check out the Giant baubles DIY tutorial from DIY n Crafts
9. DIY Christmas decorations outdoor illuminated light ball
For these DIY outdoor Christmas decorations, you'll only need some chicken wire and outdoor fairy lights. You can make them in a variety of sizes, and they look very pretty illuminating the garden or the front of your home.
- Make this Illuminated Christmas light ball tutorial by Christmas Lights Etc
10. DIY Christmas decorations outdoor mason jar lanterns
You don't have to go over the top with your DIY outdoor Christmas decorations – even just some simple lights in key positions can give your yarn a touch of Christmas magic.
This DIY mason jar lantern tutorial keeps things simple by using solar-powered fairy lights inside the jar and a bit of wire to act as a hanger.
The tutorial also includes instructions on how to make a wooden post to hang your lanterns on, but they'd look equally great positioned alongside a garden path or hanging from a tree.
- Check out the DIY mason jar lanterns tutorial from Old Salt Farm
11. DIY Christmas decorations outdoor Santa wooden logs
This fun Danish tradition sees these little wooden logs being made into Nisse (a mythical gnome-like creature of Scandinavian Folklore)... although they also kind of look like Santa.
Why not try something a bit different this year and give these a go?
- Try this fabulous Santa Wooden Logs tutorial from Smart Girls DIY
12. Reuse tomato cages to make light-up trees
You're unlikely to be growing tomatoes at Christmas time (well unless you live in the southern hemisphere). So make use of your unused tomato cages (or make your own with bamboo canes) and transform them into fabulous outdoor light-up Christmas tree ornaments!
- Learn how it's done with this DIY tomato cage Christmas tree tutorial from the funfrugalgirls.com
13. Wooden pallet Christmas tree
Give those old wooden pallets a new lease of life and create them into something special.
These fun Christmas trees are a fabulous DIY project, plus you'll be upcycling (yay for the earth). In the tutorial below they stick to the classic wooden colour, but why not try painting them?
- Make a Wooden pallet Christmas tree with this tutorial from Beyond the Picket Fence
14. Coat hanger snowflake DIY Christmas yard decorations
This DIY Christmas decoration is a fab way to use up your old coat hangers to create a fabulous snowflake, which is suitable to hang outdoors.
If you want to add that extra sparkle, try adding fairy lights to your creation.
- Make a coat hanger snowflake with Craft Bits
15. Light up trees DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
Create simple yet effective trees out of fairy lights. This is a super cheap alternative to buying ready-made trees for your garden and uses just a single pole and some pegs to create a stunning display with your outdoor fairy lights.
- Learn how to make easy light up trees with Home Talk
16. DIY Christmas decorations outdoor yardstick star
We love the beautifully rustic feel of this star. Again it is a great low-cost alternative and a great way to upcycle some old junk.
This tutorial uses metre or yardsticks but you can use any wooden sticks as long as they are all the same length.
- Try the Yardstick Star tutorial from Our Southern Home
17. DIY Lighted PVC Candy Canes
These DIY Christmas yard decorations are going to take a little bit of extra DIY handiwork to create! But we believe in you.
You can check out the tutorial below for the full list of tools, and a step-by-step guide.
- Make these epic DIY Lighted PVC Candy Canes with Amber Oliver
18. DIY Christmas decorations outdoor Santa Sleigh
Ok so this one is a project for the hardcore DIY enthusiast! But if you've got the time and the tools (not to mention the outdoor space), then you should try making this amazing DIY Santa Sleigh!
It's guaranteed to go down a treat with the little ones, and you'll get some fab photos to use on your family Christmas cards too!
- Find this DIY Santa Sleigh tutorial at Diydecormom.com
Get clever with your DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
These DIY Christmas yard decorations not only look fantastic but can also be a great opportunity for a bit of upcycling. Once you've found a project you want to try, have a look around your garage or shed to see if you've already got any materials you could use or repurpose.
Scrap wood, plant pots, PVC pipes and tyres are all things that you will often find being thrown away in skips, so keep an eye out in your local area and don't be afraid to ask if you see something you can reuse – remember, one person's trash is another person's treasure!
Planet-friendly crafts for Christmas
The festive season often involves a lot of waste and single-use plastic, but you can use your creativity to help save the planet with our list of eco-friendly Christmas crafts on Gathered.
