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Because a DIY December is the best type of December.

Deck the halls with crafty, colorful, and cute Christmas decor! These festive DIY Christmas crafts include ideas for pretty Christmas wreaths, DIY Christmas ornaments, and a plethora of other Christmas decorations that are sure to fill your home with cheer. From adorable, stockings made using old Christmas sweaters, classic salt dough ornaments you can make with the kids, to a load of ideas using vintage Shiny Brite ornaments there's something here for every crafter, regardless of their level of experience (or attention span). Many of these easy Christmas crafts are sophisticated enough to give as gifts to someone in your family or best friend, and all are beautiful enough to be displayed proudly on your mantel, front door, or holiday table.

Of course, as with any craft project, it's not all about the end result—nor are the best Christmas craft ideas the ones that yield the most beautiful, over-the-top finished products. Instead, we'd prefer for you to focus on the experience of crafting, and on sharing that experience with your friends, family, and little ones. After all, it really is the thought that counts. When the tinsel's been taken down and the Christmas tree's put away, your kids may not remember the exact number of stitches you added to each of their crochet Christmas stockings—but they'll remember you sitting down to your sewing machine to make them something special by hand. (Check out our best Christmas crafts for kids too!)

Add instant and easy flair to curtains by simply threading ribbons through the loops of a few Shiny Brites and tying them around your curtain tiebacks.

Decorate the mantel or holiday table with a few of these easy-to-create festive candlesticks.

To make: Hot-glue ornaments in assorted sizes to silver or glass candlesticks.

Simply tie strips of green felt around a wreath form to create this fluffy and fun holiday decor.

To make: Cut strips of two different shades of green felt. Tie strips around a wreath form. Attach small red ornaments throughout the wreath with hot glue. Loop a length of wide ribbon around the wreath to hang.

For a colorful kitchen display, line a Bundt pan with Styrofoam, cutting to fit and attaching with hot-glue. Secure ornaments to the Styrofoam using hot-glue. Finish with a large bow.

This special ornament, featuring a photo of your home, will make a heirloom for years to come.

To make: Mod Podge a photograph of your house to an oval wood crafting blank. Once dry, attach a length of felt or twine to the edge with hot glue. Use an awl or small drill bit to create a hole in the top; thread a ribbon through the hole to hang.

Hang these "bells," made from mini Bundt pans and molds on the front door or over the mantel.

To make: Stack mini molds and Bundt pans to form bell shapes; affix together using epoxy. Hot-glue small ornaments to the bottom to create the clappers. Glue ribbon loops and a bow to the top for hanging. Add a swag of greenery, if desired.

So shiny and bright and festive, you will proudly display these sparkling beauties year after year.

To make: Cover Styrofoam cones (we used 12- and 15-inch cones) with ornaments, attaching them with hot-glue. Start with larger ornaments at the bottom, transitioning to smaller ones as you work your way up. Fill in any gaps with mini ornament balls. If desired, wrap the finished trees with vintage tinsel and beaded garland.

Kids will love helping you make this sweet holiday noise maker. Have them thread the bells on the ribbon while you tie the bow. Hang on the front door, above the mantel, or at the end of a bed.

To make: Thread large jingle bells onto three lengths of ribbon; knot one end of the ribbon. Tie the unknotted end around a small wreath form or a length of wire shaped into a circle. Wire together a small bunch of seasonal greenery; attach to the wreath or circle form. Tie an oversized bow and hot glue to the wire just above the greenery.

Old bulbs make for inventive napkin rings! We love the colorful, happy look of this easy DIY.

To make: Attach a loop of red-and-white baker’s twine to the base of a bulb with hot glue; wrap base completely with twine and tie around rolled napkins.

Any tree, big or small, is easily spruced up with the addition of a citrus garland. It's easy to make: Just thread dried citrus on a thin piece of wire, twine, or nylon thread.

Ambitious crafters, take note: This is two DIYs in one! Wooden bead stars work look just as beautiful scattered on your table runner as they do hanging from your tree. And an "acorn tree" is a decidedly sophisticated centerpiece—perfect for the winter months.

To make wooden bead stars: Draw a five-point star on paper. Make a loop in one end of a piece of silver craft wire. Thread beads on wire, bending wire per drawing as you go. Feed loose end of wire through loop, crimp, and cut.

To make acorn tree: Paint nuts with white craft paint, leaving caps natural. Attach a loop of twine with hot glue. Hang from a spray-painted branch set inside a spool of twine.

A rustic tobacco basket and bright berries are the loveliest complement to one another. But our eyes are drawn to that oversize checked bow—how cheerful! Use floral wire to fasten greenery in a bunch, then add pine cone accents.

Both vintage and brand-new Christmas cards work well for this fun (and incredibly easy) DIY! A galvanized bucket can be used to collect even more holiday mail, as well as packages from friends near and far.

Colorful card-stock poinsettias, cut by hand (find the template here) and secured with a button, are beyond beautiful. They're almost like a 3D charm atop solid and gingham wrapping paper. Finish with a fringed ribbon!

Your guests are sure to comment on the beautiful aroma that wafts from this DIY garland. Made with fresh cedar and grapevine twigs, it's as refreshing to be around as it is beautiful.

To make: Bundle 12-inch lengths of fresh cedar and grapevine twigs and use green metal wire to hold them together. Repeat until you have enough to go around the doorframe. Affix bundles together in an overlapping pattern with green wire. Hang over the doorway using nails or hooks. Add berries and pine cones.

Fur-embellished ice skates filled with evergreen are one of the most original, ultra-creative wreath ideas we've seen in a long time. Add a fluffy pom-pom and a few silver ornaments, and you're in business.

Here's a fun way to use those lovely-looking vintage wooden spools: Wrap them with an assortment of thread, baker’s twine, ribbon, and rickrack to provide pops of color, then attach them to a wreath form. It's a DIY that hints that further DIYs are in store!

Own a few vintage ceramic trees? Then you'll love incorporating them into a bulb-themed bash this season. This centerpiece ties the whole party together!

To make: Cut off the bottom of a small round Styrofoam ball and attach vintage Christmas lights to the top and sides with hot glue.

A homespun garland could be all it takes to make the difference between an "ordinary" and "extraordinary" Christmas at home. You just might have everything you need to make this one right in your pantry!

You'll need navel and blood oranges, parchment paper, two cookie sheets, jute or natural twine, a skewer or nail, and decorative hooks.

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.

2. Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (four oranges make a six-foot garland).

3. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pat orange slices dry with paper towels, and place them on cookie sheets in a single layer.

4. Bake for approximately 3 hours or until dry. (To ensure the slices dry flat, turn them over at the midway mark.) Remove from oven.

5. Using a skewer or nail, poke two holes into the top of each orange slice.

6. Thread twine through each hole, evenly spacing the oranges on the garland. Tie off each end with a loop, and hang from hooks.

Your pup deserves a Christmas craft just for him, and this one's a cinch: Simply add dog bone "bows" to classic wreaths using a hot glue gun.

These straws are eye-catching and delightful, and they couldn't be easier to DIY. Simply attach small die-cut holly leaves and berries to a red-and-white paper straw with a dab of hot glue.

Magnolia leaves and greenery are one of our favorite organic-looking pairings. Here, they share center stage with dried oranges and pine cones, which add texture, color, and warmth to the whole display. A burlap ribbon is just the cherry on top of this DIY masterpiece!

It looks Christmassy, yes, but even more importantly, this DIY runner sounds Christmassy! The "berries" scattered throughout it are actually red jingle bells.

To make: Cut holly leaves from dark and light green card stock. Use a bone folder or wooden skewer to indent veins in leaves, then trace indents with a green colored pencil. Run down the center of the table and lay red jingle bells throughout.

You don't need to be a crafting pro to make something truly breathtaking. Even beginners can have fun cross-stitching this ornament with our easy-to-follow pattern.

To craft this fun wreath, you'll want to start by spray painting various sizes of flat wood rounds, wooden balls, and a biodegradable floral craft ring with white spray paint. Paint peppermint stripes on rounds and balls with red craft paint. Once dry, spray with Super 77 spray adhesive and sprinkle with diamond dust glitter. Wrap a long length of striped wired ribbon around the ring (for hanging), and then attach glittered rounds and balls with hot glue. (Intersperse a few small solid-colored balls if desired.) Tie a bow with the same striped ribbon and attach with hot-glue.

All it takes is a simple red pillow to create this exciting holiday piece. A sprig of greenery adds an extra ounce of fun (but an ornament or pair of jingle bells works too!).

Vintage thimbles—which you can find on Etsy for less than $5—resemble bells and can become gorgeous necklaces in minutes. Use a small hammer and a two-penny nail to punch a tiny hole in the center of the thimble's top. Insert a flat head pin through the hole from the inside, so the pin's head remains inside the thimble. Twist the pin's exposed wire into a closed loop with needle-nose pliers, then use the pliers to attach a 6-mm jump ring to the loop. Thread the pendant onto a chain necklace, and wear.

Tennessee homeowner Holly Williams knows how to whip up some Christmas cheer in a kids' room: Add a garland! Green and red felt bunting (plus a few red pom-poms placed just so) livens up these beds and makes for an enticingly wintery scene.

Create your very own teeny-tiny winter wonderland! Turn salt and pepper shakers into snowy vignettes by filling them with toy evergreens, deer, and "drifts"—then place them out on display.

Pinks and muted greens make for a stunning combination in this pine cone wreath. It's effortlessly chic and oh-so-festive.

Get the tutorial at The House That Lars Built.