DIY Christmas present decorations is an easy and affordable way to decorate. Wrap your presents early this year and use them as decor.

The dreaded Christmas gift wrapping season is upon us. I used to hate wrapping presents. Last minute gift wrapping was the annual routine, followed by a huge rush to get everything finished for Christmas morning.

The mess that accompanied this scenario made for a grumpy mom in the house. Not to mention, all the late night scissor wounds from fatigue and leaving presents until the last minute.

Everything changed when gifts became a fun way to add more decorations in our home.

DIY Christmas Decor Ideas

A few years ago, it was necessary to decorate on a very VERY tight budget. Resources were more limited to buy expensive holiday decorations.

Then it dawned on me, why not wrap presents early to use as DIY Christmas decorations. Gift wrap had already been purchased. Costco happened to have satin ribbon for under $10. And shopping my house provided leftover pine branches, berries and anything else that could be attached to a present.

It was such a success that this affordable tradition has continued every year.

Creative Ways to Add a Personal Touch to Christmas Gifts

No matter the size of your budget, here are some tips to get the most out of your presents this festive season.

Check Hobby Lobby or other craft stores for small Christmas tree ornaments. Another option would be to wait until after holiday shopping to invade the clearance decor for the next year.

Supplies

Christmas Gift Decorating Ideas

Wrapping Gift Boxes

The first step is to wrap up all your presents.

Is your wrapping paper double sided? That is even better if it is! Don't hesitate to mix and match patterns and solids.

Last year there were lots of different patterns on gifts. But I made sure to include a variety with reds, blacks and grays.

Add Ribbon or Twine 

Now that your presents are wrapped, it's time to add some accents. When your paper is a busy pattern, just add ribbon or a simple decoration. Simplicity can go a long way to achieving beauty.

Most of the time I like to do a patterned wrapping paper and a solid ribbon or vice versa. You can leave it just like this or you can take it a step further.

Complete by Adding Festive Cheer

This is my favorite part of the DIY project and it is so much fun. The sky is the limit when there are so many fun things to add.

Go through your own Christmas decorations and grab any small left over items for most of these creative ideas!

These wreaths were purchased from the Hearth and Hand collection. They are adorable and make a great way to add more holiday spirit to these gifts.

Mini Christmas wreaths are a particular favorite and make any gift radiate with elegance.

Black wrapping paper creates such a classy backdrop. I used red and white twine and then tied on a couple of my felt ornaments that I made. (tutorial here) I added a leftover pine branch to complete the look. The finished gift turned out so cute.

Use as Holiday Decorations Around Your House

You can also make fun vignettes with your presents and put them in other places around your house. It is a great way to decorate without spending a ton of money.

As you are wrapping, consider the package sizes and wrap them so they go together. On the tall package I have a mini boxwood wreath. I had a leftover one that was laying around and it was the perfect size.

Outdoor Christmas Decorations

Are you looking to add a little Christmas cheer to your drab front porch? Here is the Step-by-Step process on how I created a festive Christmas exterior using wrapped gift boxes.

Pick a Statement Piece

I found this darling sign from Teal Barn Signs and knew it needed to be on my porch.

I also remembered my mom had a sled in her storage shed. This was the perfect addition to go with my sign. Repurposing old or unused decorations is always a budget saver.

Pick an Accent Color

Red sings Merry Christmas to me. I love the bright pop of color it adds to any space. Since the sign is very red, a less is more approach is best when adding other color accents.

But, I also didn't want the sign to be the only red. Picking one bright color and then adding it throughout the surrounding area helps to carry your eye across the entire display. In this case it is my front porch.

I added some red ribbon in my garland, some red berries to my planters and just a touch of red to the cute reindeer display.

Step by Step Decorating

• First, place the sign at a main focal point.
• Next, add the flocked trees into planters. These are used in the summer as well.
• Use greenery and red berries to fill in around the trees to hide the dirt.

• Then, add the garland around the door. It did take two garlands to go around my front door.
• Next, hang up the holiday wreath.
• Add red ribbon in the garland around the door.
• Place reindeer in the wreath.
• Wrap empty boxes and place them on the sled with a red bow.
• Add any fillers that are necessary to complete the space. I added two unused flocked trees.
• Wrap the remaining flocked garland around the bottom of the sled to finish off the desired look!

I love the way my porch turned out. It has the perfect festive feel I was trying to create.

Hopefully that helps with your Christmas gift wrapping this year.

Need a Few More DIY Christmas Present Decoration ideas?

Here are some more of my favorites from other bloggers:

How about a painted on ribbon by My Cakies?

The cute black wrapping paper is a classy look by Stylizimo! It looks great with the natural materials like the pine cones and cinnamon sticks.

This rustic look by My Scandinavian Home is so simple, but so pretty!

I absolutely love the red holly berries by The DIY Mommy, they just add a pop of color that will catch the eye of all the guests at your holiday parties.

Buffalo plaid is definitely the trend this holiday season. I love the cute tags by Simple As That.

Other Great Ideas as Gift Toppers

• candy canes
• cookie cutter
• orange slices

So many good ideas! I hope this helps you with your DIY Christmas gift wrapping this Christmas Season.

Happy Gift Wrapping!
Brooke