Halloween is packed away, the Christmas aisle is up, and the kids want to decorate now. Your decor money is small, and you want projects they will finish.
Here are seven Dollar Tree DIY Christmas decorations you can make in one weekend. Only one needs a glue gun (the porch lollipops). The three quick kid-led projects cost $20 together with glass jars, and all seven come to about $45.25 from one trip with glass jars, at the prices dollartree.com lists as of October 2026.
Each one has a shopping list, a total, a time, ages and the step an adult should do. One honest note: the prices come from Dollar Tree’s website, not from our receipt, and the times and amounts are our estimates.
Jump to the free Christmas Budget Planner 2026
Before you shop: Dollar Tree prices for Christmas decor on a budget
$1.25 is the starting price, not the only one
Dollar Tree moved its base price from $1.00 to $1.25 in all US stores in late February 2022. Today, over 6,000 of its stores also carry items at price points above $1.25. At the end of Q2 2026, about 6,600 of its 9,436 stores (US and Canada) used that multi-price format.
On dollartree.com, as of October 2026, most of this year’s Christmas House craft items list at $1.50, craft basics like paint, twine and clothespins at $1.25, wreath forms at $1.75, the mini glue gun at $3.00, and some decor at $5 or $7. So check the shelf tag, and expect a store without the multi-price format to skip some items.
Shop in the store, not online
The website sells most of these by the case, with a minimum order: for example 24 clear ornaments or 36 packs of mini bottle brush trees. In the store you buy one. Stock varies, and many items come in assorted designs, so yours may look different.
Three items on these lists showed as out of stock online on October 22, 2026, though still listed at their price: the foam sheets, the jute twine and the wood dowels. Look for those on the shelf in your store.
Give decor its own small number first
Decide what this trip can cost, inside your whole Christmas number. Our Christmas on a budget plan shows how to set that decor line.
After the trip, log the receipt on the expense tracker in our free budget printables.
Your weekend plan
| When | What | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday morning | One trip with the one-trip list (below) | You (kids optional) |
| Saturday afternoon | Projects 1, 2 and 3; kids also paint the lollipop plates (project 6) and the first coat on the votives (project 5) | Everyone |
| Saturday after bedtime | Glue the lollipop sticks (project 6) once the plates are dry; the votive paint keeps drying | You |
| Sunday | Project 4 (wreath); second coat and tea lights for project 5; wrap and bow project 6; then project 7 and hang everything | Everyone |
Only have one afternoon? Do projects 1, 2 and 3: $20 with glass jars ($21.50 with plastic jars), at dollartree.com listed prices as of October 2026.
Three quick kid-led Dollar Tree DIY Christmas crafts
1. Kid-filled Dollar Tree DIY ornaments
Clear ornaments the kids fill and name themselves.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas House DIY Clear Ball Ornament | 4 | $1.50 | $6.00 |
| Christmas House Colorful Pom-Pom Pack, 80 to 90 pieces | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Voila Curling Ribbon, 100 ft | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Total for 4 ornaments | $8.75 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $8.75 (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax).
Time: about 30 to 45 minutes (our estimate). Ages: 3 and up, with help.
- Take the top off each ornament.
- Kids drop in pom-poms, bits of curled ribbon or foam scraps from project 3. One pom-pom pack should cover 4 ornaments (our estimate).
- Put the top back on and loop curling ribbon through it to hang.
- Write the child’s name and the year on a ribbon tag with a marker from home.
Safety: pom-poms and ornament caps are small parts, a choking risk for children under 3 (see CPSC on small parts). Toddlers watch; they don’t fill.
Check in the store that the ornament top comes off before you buy four.
2. Make your own snow globe jars
A dry snow globe: no water, nothing to leak. It’s the simplest way to make your own snow globe with Dollar Tree supplies.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass Canning Jar with Lid, 16 oz | 3 | $1.50 | $4.50 |
| Christmas House Mini Bottle Brush Trees, 6-pack | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Christmas House Iridescent Faux Snow | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Total for 3 jars, with glass jars | $7.50 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $7.50 with glass jars (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax).
With kids under 5, use plastic jars by default: 3 Caterer’s Corner Clear Plastic Candy Jars with Lid, 55 oz at $2.00 ($6.00), plus the trees and snow ($3.00), comes to $9.00 with plastic jars (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax). With older kids the glass jars work, and an adult handles the glass.
Time: about 20 to 30 minutes (our estimate). Ages: 3 and up.
- An adult washes and dries the jars.
- Kids pour in a layer of snow.
- Stand 2 trees in each jar and add snow around the base. One bag for 3 jars is our estimate.
- Put the lid on and tie twine (from project 3) around the rim.
Check the jar mouth before you buy the trees: hold a tree pack up to the jar in the store. The 55 oz plastic jar holds about 3.4 times as much as the 16 oz glass one (55 รท 16), so it may need more snow or trees to look full (our estimate).
3. Foam shape clip garland
Stars, trees and mittens clipped to twine. Unlike the paper chains in our Christmas on a budget ideas, this one comes down in one piece and goes back in the box for next year.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crafter’s Square Foam Sheets, 6 x 9 in, 10-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Garden Collection Jute Twine, 180 ft | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Crafter’s Square Mini Clothespins, 50-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Total | $3.75 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $3.75 (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax). The leftover twine ties projects 2 and 4. The foam sheets and twine showed out of stock online on October 22, 2026, so buy them in the store.
Time: about 30 to 60 minutes (our estimate). Ages: 4 and up, with kid scissors.
- Trace stars, trees and mittens on the foam (cookie cutters make good stencils), and kids cut them out.
- Clip each shape to the twine with a mini clothespin.
- Hang it across a window, the mantel or the stair rail.
A Dollar Tree DIY wreath and a glowing table
4. No-glue Dollar Tree DIY wreath with ribbon
Ribbon strips knotted onto a wire ring, with no glue at all.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floral Garden Metal Wreath Form, 14.25 in | 1 | $1.75 | $1.75 |
| Christmas House 3-Yard Wire Edged Ribbon | 4 | $1.50 | $6.00 |
| Total | $7.75 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $7.75 (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax).
The math: 3 yards is 108 inches, so each roll cuts into 13 strips of 8 inches. Four rolls give 52 strips. By our estimate that makes a loose, ribbon-tied look; add a roll or two for a fuller one.
Time: about 1 to 2 hours (our estimate). Ages: 5 and up can tie knots with help; younger kids hand you strips and pick the order.
- Cut the ribbon into 8-inch strips.
- Tie each strip onto the wire rings with one knot, mixing the designs.
- Push the knots together and fluff the ends.
- Tie a twine loop at the top to hang it.
Safety: trim the wire ends of the ribbon so they don’t poke.
5. Glitter glow votives with battery tea lights
Glass votives the kids paint, lit with LED tea lights. They suit the Thanksgiving table too (see our Thanksgiving dinner on a budget plan).
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Glass Tealight Candleholders, 4-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Luminessence LED Tealight Candles, 2-pack | 2 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic Glitter Paint | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Total for 4 votives | $5.00 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $5.00 (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax).
Time: about 30 minutes over two days, plus drying (our estimate; follow the bottle). Ages: 3 and up paint. An adult holds the glass votive while the child paints, and handles the batteries.
- Saturday afternoon: wash and dry the holders, put newspaper down, and kids brush a first coat of glitter paint on the outside. Leave it to dry.
- Sunday: add a second coat and let it dry.
- An adult drops in the LED tea lights.
One bottle for 4 votives and 2 coats is our estimate.
Tea light safety
- Use battery tea lights, not real candles, around tinsel and ribbon. December is the peak month for home candle fires, and 60% of home candle fires started when something that can burn was too close (NFPA data, via the Illinois State Fire Marshal, which also suggests flameless candles).
- These tea lights run on LR44 button batteries, and the product page says “Please keep out of reach of children!” The listing also carries a small-parts warning.
- A swallowed button battery stuck in the throat must come out fast, because “severe damage can occur in just 2 hours” (Poison Control).
- Put the batteries in yourself and keep spares up high. If a child may have swallowed one, call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline (1-800-498-8666) or Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) right away.
Dollar Tree DIY outdoor Christmas decorations
6. Candy lollipops for the porch
Big swirl lollipops by the front door: the one project that needs a glue gun.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Disposable 7-in Plastic Plates, 12-pack (uses 6) | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Crafters Square Wood Dowels, 15.75 x 0.5 in, 2-pack (one dowel spare) | 2 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| Glad Cling Wrap, 45 sq ft | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Christmas House 3-Yard Wire Edged Ribbon | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Rich Art Acrylic Paint, 6 fl oz | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Crafter’s Square Mini Hot Glue Sticks, 20-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Total for 3 lollipops | $9.50 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $9.50 (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax), plus $3.00 for an AdTech Comfort Mini Glue Gun if you don’t have one. The dowels showed out of stock online on October 22, 2026, so look for them in the store.
Time: about 1 hour over two days, plus paint drying (our estimate). Ages: 3 and up paint the swirls; the glue step is adults only.
- Saturday afternoon: kids paint swirls on 6 plates and leave them to dry (follow the bottle; if they’re still tacky at bedtime, glue on Sunday morning).
- Saturday night: an adult glues a dowel between two plates, back to back.
- Sunday: wrap each “candy” in cling wrap, gather it at the stick and tie a ribbon bow.
- Stand them in a planter by the door.
Safety: our rule is adults only for the glue gun. The maker’s product page warns that “melted glue will burn the skin” and says to supervise children using it; we go further.
Honest note: plastic plates and cling wrap suit a covered porch or the front door, not a snowy yard.
7. A kids’ room tree for everything they made
The easiest bit of Dollar Tree DIY Xmas decor on this list: a small white tree for their room.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas House Mini White Table-Top Tree, 18 in | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Christmas House Mini Glitter Star Tree Topper | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Total | $3.00 |
Total at dollartree.com listed prices: $3.00 (estimate, as of October 2026, before sales tax). Time: about 15 minutes (our estimate). Ages: all, with an adult for the topper.
The kids decorate it with leftovers: one ornament from project 1, foam shapes from project 3 and spare ribbon.
The one-trip shopping list (all 7 projects)
All seven projects, with shared items counted once.
| Item | Qty | Listed price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas House DIY Clear Ball Ornament | 4 | $1.50 | $6.00 |
| Christmas House Colorful Pom-Pom Pack | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Voila Curling Ribbon, 100 ft | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Glass Canning Jar with Lid, 16 oz | 3 | $1.50 | $4.50 |
| Christmas House Mini Bottle Brush Trees, 6-pack | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Christmas House Iridescent Faux Snow | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Crafter’s Square Foam Sheets, 10-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Garden Collection Jute Twine, 180 ft | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Crafter’s Square Mini Clothespins, 50-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Floral Garden Metal Wreath Form, 14.25 in | 1 | $1.75 | $1.75 |
| Christmas House 3-Yard Wire Edged Ribbon | 5 | $1.50 | $7.50 |
| Clear Glass Tealight Candleholders, 4-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Luminessence LED Tealight Candles, 2-pack | 2 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic Glitter Paint | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| White Disposable 7-in Plastic Plates, 12-pack | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Crafters Square Wood Dowels, 2-pack | 2 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| Glad Cling Wrap | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Rich Art Acrylic Paint, 6 fl oz | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Crafter’s Square Mini Hot Glue Sticks, 20-pack | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Christmas House Mini White Table-Top Tree | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Christmas House Mini Glitter Star Tree Topper | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 |
| Total (32 items, with glass jars) | $45.25 | ||
| Optional: AdTech Comfort Mini Glue Gun | 1 | $3.00 | $48.25 with it (with glass jars) |
Estimate built from the dollartree.com listed prices linked above, as of October 2026, before sales tax. Prices and stock vary by store. The $20 kid-led starter (projects 1, 2 and 3, with glass jars) is the first 9 rows.
For kids under 5, swap the 3 glass jars ($4.50) for 3 plastic candy jars at $2.00 ($6.00). Then the kid-led trio is $21.50 and the one-trip list is $46.75 ($49.75 with the glue gun).
Make it last more than one Christmas
The wreath, garland, snow jars, votives and ornaments all pack flat or small. Wrap the glass in the garland and take the batteries out of the tea lights before storing. That’s how low budget Christmas decor ideas pay off: next year most of this list costs nothing.
Start here tonight
Screenshot the one-trip list, circle the 2 or 3 projects you’ll make, and check them against the decor line in the Christmas Budget Planner.
Then use our Christmas on a budget ideas for the family for the rest of your Christmas plan: gifts, food and travel.
