If you’re feeling uninspired by the festive apartment décor you find in stores (or if the nice stuff is out of your budget), why not have a go at making some DIY Christmas decorations for yourself? It’s a great way to make your apartment extra homely and festive, and you can save some money in the process!

Also, DIY Christmas decorations are a wonderful way to get into the festive spirit, especially if you can enjoy gathering with friends and family to make some easy Christmas decorations.

DIY advent calendar

One of the classic DIY Christmas decorations is the DIY advent calendar. This multi-functional piece of apartment Christmas décor can be reused, meaning you don’t have to worry about buying advent calendars again. Plus, it is hard to find chocolate advent calendars in Japan, especially on a budget, so this Christmas DIY is a great way to solve that issue.

There are so many different ideas for DIY advent calendars online. Some of the best we’ve seen is a matchbox advent calendar, painted and glued into the shape of a Christmas tree. Or, take a trip to a 100-yen store like Daiso or Seria and see what you can pick up to design your own, small pegs, little buckets, paint to decorate, and something to hang them off of is a great place to start.

For one of the ultimate easy Christmas decorations, you can pin festive coin envelopes (available at 100 yen stores) to a corkboard or glue them to a photo frame with the glass removed.

Christmas DIY candles

If you’re looking for some minimalist Christmas décor, candles work well for adding warmth into an apartment without necessarily cluttering the space. This festive apartment décor makes a great Christmas DIY activity for anyone who wants to spend an evening crafting with friends or family.

If you are looking for easy Christmas decorations, candles require very little effort to make, and the process can be very relaxing. The harder part is sourcing the materials. You’ll need wax flakes (ideally soy wax), candle wicks, a container for your candle or a mold, and a heat-safe container to melt the wax flakes in. Additionally, you can add festive scents with essential oils and colors with dye.

A popular DIY trend at the moment is twisted candles. Instead of making candles from scratch, you can buy a pack of long candles and soften them by putting them in warm water. Then you can twist the candles or bend them into abstract shapes. Or why not bend them into Christmas-themed shapes like a Christmas tree for some chic minimalist Christmas décor.

DIY Christmas tree (minimalist Christmas décor)

What’s Christmas without a Christmas tree? The most iconic festive apartment décor, the beloved Christmas tree isn’t always available. Real Christmas trees can be hard to come by in Japan, or expensive. A drawback to real Christmas trees is that living trees are cut down and will then only last for a short time as a Christmas tree.

Plastic Christmas trees just don’t cut it for a lot of people. Some don’t feel particularly Christmassy and others can look tacky. If you don’t want an artificial tree or a real one, but you still want a tree as part of your apartment Christmas décor, why not find another alternative.

Our first suggestion is finding a houseplant you can substitute for it. A plant isn’t just for Christmas so you can still benefit from it after the big day. Try a poinsettia for the ultimate Christmas colors, or find a large leafy houseplant that you can hang decorations off. Or, for a more involved Christmas DIY, try making your own succulent Christmas tree.

For some minimalist Christmas décor, find a nice branch or two, or some bamboo or driftwood and place this in a statement vase. Alternatively, make a Christmassy arrangement out of pine branches, holly, ivy, eucalyptus, and anything else you fancy.

Christmas DIY wreath

Christmas wreaths are one of the easy Christmas decorations for anyone looking to make festive apartment décor.

Wreaths are one of the popular DIY Christmas decorations across the world in the countries that celebrate Christmas. Like candle-making, an evening making wreaths with loved ones can be a wholesome way to get into the festive spirit.

It’s easy to find bases to make wreaths from at 100-yen stores and from there you can choose to decorate it as you wish. Perhaps going out for a walk in the countryside may be a nice way to find some things to put on a wreath (think pinecones, ivy, etc.) Florists often have Christmassy foliage you can use in wreaths if you are struggling to find what you want.

Dried Citrus Garland

For apartment Christmas décor that will not only make your home look festive but will also leave it smelling delicious, try making a dried citrus garland.

Dried citrus work well as minimalist Christmas décor since they are natural and have a rustic aesthetic. This zero-waste Christmas decoration is also a great way to work towards a more sustainable Christmas!

These dried citrus garlands are one of the easy Christmas decorations; cut an orange into slices and make holes to thread the garland in the top of each slice by using a chopstick or skewer. Bake them at a low heat for a long time so that they dry out – they may still feel a little sticky when you take them out, but they should dry completely overnight. The next day you can assemble the slices into a garland. For an extra bit of Christmas spice, press cloves into the slices for decoration.

Some honorable mentions for more apartment Christmas décor ideas include sewing stockings, making scented salt dough ornaments, and making large 3-D origami-inspired snowflakes.

Hopefully, you can enjoy trying out some of these DIY Christmas decorations. ‘Tis the season to get crafty by making some festive apartment décor! Merry Christmas!