13 Stunning DIY Christmas Shelf Decor Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank

This post provides 13 DIY Christmas Shelf Decor Ideas that are affordable and fit multiple design styles!

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When it comes to decorating for Christmas, the shelves in your home are going to be some of the best festive real estate! There are so many different options, though, that it can be hard to hone in on your approach.

A great place to start when preparing to decorate for the holidays, is to identify what design style you are most drawn to. Don’t feel like you have to narrow it down to one, but keeping one design style per room keeps things clean and organized.

Here are some of the most common design styles that I’ve been seeing in 2023.

DIY Christmas Shelf Decor Theme Ideas:

• Traditional Christmas: This is exactly what it sounds like. In a traditional Christmas design style, we see lots of reds and greens. For patterns think plaid and polka dots. The little red Christmas tree trucks are a hit for people in this design style.
• Rustic Christmas: I love a good rustic Christmas theme. This style incorporates a lot of natural elements like raw edge wood, grape vine, and plenty of greenery. All natural materials and textiles is the way to go.
• Silver and Gold Christmas: Silver and gold Christmas is going to be very glam, shiny, and full of sparkle. Flocked trees and glitter is the go to!
• Vintage Christmas: A warm vintage Christmas theme will feature a lot of old books, amber glass, and rosy-cheeked pictures of Santa. I especially love the old fashioned St. Nicholas style Santa for this style.
• Minimalist Christmas: At first glance a minimalist Christmas style can look like almost no decoration has been added to the space. Upon further investigation, though, this lovely and subtle style shows itself in small but thoughtful ways. Maybe some added ribbons or almost hidden mistletoe will be the only touches.
• Neutral Christmas: For those who love beiges, whites, and greys, neutral Christmas is the way to go. What I love about a neutral style is the opportunity to play with textures. Though there may be a lack of color, there is plenty of visual interest.
• Kitsch-y Christmas: A kitsch Christmas is quickly becoming a popular choice among the younger crowd because of its nostalgic properties. For a kitsch theme, the more knick-knacks and chachkies the better. I always think of the old, large glass bulbed, multicolor Christmas lights that make me think of Christmas as a kid!

DIY Christmas Shelf Decor

Obviously there are many more themes and each with their own variations, but identifying what you are drawn to will help immensely when it comes to shelf decorating! If all of your decorations fit within a theme, your chances of things looking messy or uncoordinated go way down.

Now I know Christmas is notoriously one of the most expensive holidays to decorate for, so I’ve compiled a list of 13 DIY Christmas Shelf Decor ideas so you can get in the holiday spirit, without breaking the bank.

1. Hot Cocoa Stand

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I love this idea of incorporating a hot cocoa stand into your kitchen shelf decorating!

For those drawn to the traditional Christmas design style, these cherry reds and cozy lettering will speak to you.

Plus, if you have kids or plan on having company, how fun for them to be able to build their own hot cocoa drink.

2. Snowball Basket

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This subtle bucket of snowballs would be great for a Minimalist Christmas themed shelf.

I just love how simple this decoration is, both to assemble and as a visual statement.

Also, you can keep this decoration on your shelf past Christmas since it technically is just a snow decoration!

3. Amber Glasses with Pine Branches

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Amber glassware is one of my favorite design trends for 2023.

It brings so much instant warmth to a space and they are so multi-functional.

Use your amber glassware for holiday decorating by placing some pine branches and snow berries in them.

4. Christmas Tree Garland

Credit: Layered Lounge

Make your own Christmas tree garland that will last you for many years to come!

This would be a great craft to do with kids and you can paint both the beads and trees to fit any theme or style.

I love the added visual interest that any kind of hanging decoration brings to a shelf.

5. DIY Christmas Shelf Decor Trees

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How gorgeous would it be to fill your home and shelves with assorted trees?

Take any cute container or vase that isn’t being used, and fill them with these mini trees from Amazon to turn your house into a woodsy winter wonderland.

This is a another great decoration option to keep up past Christmas making your home warm and cozy for the whole winter season!

6. Book Page Trees

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These Christmas trees made from pages out of books will add such a lovely vintage touch to your shelving.

If you already have a lot of colorful decorations and need something to ground it all, this would be a great project for you!

If you have any avid readers in the family, surprise them with this fun themed DIY Christmas shelf decor idea.

7. Wooden Christmas Village

Credit: Wood Shop Diaries

Christmas Villages can get so insanely expensive when you start to put together all the parts.

Not only that, but sometimes it is hard to find the style you want or the buildings you want.

Circumvent these problems by building your own! Get your family or friends together to build a whole village and you’ll have an awesome story behind it as well.

8. Ornament Display

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The great thing about a large ornament display like this is it can take up a lot of shelving space!

If you’re struggling to fill out your DIY Christmas shelf decor, use this idea as a your life saver.

It’s also super customizable as you can easily switch out the color and style of the ornaments you use.

9. Plush Plaid Trees

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I simply cannot wait to make a million of these for my own home.

Pairing multiple different plaids together in different holiday colors would look SO cute.

Imagine using past years Christmas pajamas as fabric to make these so you can reminisce on years of Christmas past!

10. DIY Christmas Shelf Decor Ornament Mugs

Source: www.harbourbreezehome.com

Popping your leftover Christmas ornaments in some themed mugs is a great way to utilize two things that often get over collected in a home!

Doubling up on metallics adds such a beautiful glimmer that really feels like Christmas.

Match your DIY Christmas shelf decor to your tree by using the same ornaments.

11. Wire Advent Calendar

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This wire DIY advent calendar is probably the most challenging project on the list, but the payoff is INSANE.

This decoration would look amazing on any shelf and suits pretty much every Christmas design style.

The red ribbon is such a lovely detail and you could change the color of the ribbon to match the theme on your self!

12. Burlap Banner Sign

Credit: www.stonegableblog.com

This cuztomizable burlap banner sign kit from Amazon makes this DIY so EASY!

You get to decide the message you want displayed in your home whether it’s “Joy, Joy, Joy”, “Ho, Ho, Ho”, “Merry Christmas”, or “Happy Hanukkah”.

Burlap looks great with greenery and other natural textiles for winter.

13. DIY Christmas Shelf Decor Vine Wreath

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One thing I was blissfully unaware of before owning a home was how EXPENSIVE wreaths are!

It’s such a classic holiday decoration so I figured they couldn’t be too bad, but boy was I wrong.

The only solution to this is to make and customize your own! Grape vine wreaths are beautiful and so easy to make.

I can’t wait to see what you all do with your space this holiday season! Seeing how creative people get with their Christmas decor is one of my favorite things about the season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!