Homemade Christmas Tree Ornaments: A Natural Roundup

With the Christmas season upon us, all its sights, smells, lights, and warmth can make us crave home. Create the loveliest environment in your own space this year by decorating your tree with natural, homemade ornaments. They’re not hard to make, and they make a beautifully powerful impact on the entire room’s quietly festive ambiance (more so in person than in the photos, if I’m being honest).

Here’s a roundup of our favorite DIY natural Christmas tree ornaments and links to how to make them yourself.

Dried Whole Oranges – Perhaps an odd ornament to wrap your brain around (how does one dry a fruit that is, like, 100% juice?!), these natural ornament balls are a fantastic visual and physical replacement for the shiny aluminum ones.

Find the tutorial for dried whole orange ornament balls here.

Cinnamon Stick Bundles – A long cinnamon stick bundle (6” at minimum) makes a statement simply due to its uncommon length. Standard cinnamon sticks are closer to 3”, and while they would make sweet little ornament bundles, it’s the lengthier versions that really stand out. Held together with twine and decorated with natural anise seed pods, these ornaments are unique and lovely.

Find the tutorial for cinnamon stick bundle ornaments here.

Gold Glitter Pinecones – Truth be told, the gold and the glitter on pinecone ornaments aren’t exactly natural elements. If you want to just hang pinecones from your Christmas tree branches, that would look sweet and organic. The gold and glitter doesn’t scream “bling” here; rather, it simply reflects and refracts the light being bounced around by the tree lights, which is a nice sparkling element.

Find the super-simple tutorial for gold glitter pinecones here.

Dried Citrus Slices – These require nothing more than a few limes, lemons, and/or oranges and a dehydrator. Oh, and a couple days for drying. Other than that, they’re as simple as can be and are gorgeous, particularly when backlit by your tree lights.

Find the tutorial for dried citrus slice ornaments here.

Jute-Wrapped Mason Jar Ring – This oldie but goodie ornament is one of our family’s favorites. Simply wrapping jute twine around and around a mason jar ring will create a natural-looking wreath that both blends in with and stands out from a natural homemade Christmas tree. Find the tutorial for jute-wrapped mason jar rings here.

Of course, you can always supplement the décor with some popcorn strands, cranberries strung onto wire for red wreaths, etc. But sometimes less is more, and a natural Christmas tree really embraces each ornament.