How To Make a Homemade Christmas Village
Create Christmas Memories by Making a DIY Xmas Village
Christmas villages are a popular decoration this time of year, a tradition that started with the toy villages that the Pennsylvania Dutch used to make to commemorate the holiday. However, with the economy in a funk, many families are being forced to nix certain purchases, such as decorations. Luckily, a Christmas village can be created from random items throughout the home. All it takes is a little creativity and ingenuity.
Gather Materials
Before getting started, there are a few tools that are essential, no matter the size, scale or theme of the village.
- White glue or superglue
- Styrofoam
- Gesso
- Small cardboard boxes or containers. (I.E. milk cartons)
- Old CDs and old compact mirrors
Preparation
As a family, sit down and map out the village. Designate where certain houses and extra touches will go. Also, it's a good idea to have a theme in mind, as this will make building the village easier. If stumped for ideas, go online and check out what the experts are peddling. The below examples are sure to get the creative juices flowing:
- Pittsburgh Steelers Christmas Village
- Winnie the Pooh Christmas Village
- Christmas Carnival
Building
Create a foundation using styrofoam. Most households have styrofoam stored in boxes that high-tech appliances, (such as stereo systems, computers, etc.), were shipped in, and that includes the supporting styrofoam; otherwise, it's an inexpensive purchase from the local hobby store.
Cut the foam using a razor-knife and create different sizes of rectangles, squares and circles to give your village a layered look. Glue the pieces together as desired. (Note: avoid hot glue guns, as they can melt the foundation).
From your local craft store, grab an inexpensive bucket of gesso. Gesso is typically a primer for painting, but it's also a great substance that, when poured over the Styrofoam, creates thick and thin areas. Once it is dried, it will have that whipped, white-frosting quality that looks like snow.
For the buildings, grab old cereal boxes, tall, cylindrical oatmeal containers, tissue boxes, pint-sized tubs of ice cream and anything else that is suitable. Glue them where desired.
Here is where the "theme" comes in. Want to create a Fairy Land Christmas Village? Take the old oatmeal tube and turn it into a tower where a princess awaits. Prefer a tiny wonderland for elves? Use mini cereal boxes and small raisen boxes to create the buldings. Or if a "woodsy" theme is desired, use popsicle sticks to build log cabins.
Raid childrens' toy chests and check out local dollar stores in order to populate your village.
Adding the Extra Touches
Scrapbooking aisles and websites are great resources for the extra touches. Sheets that are patterned with cobble stones or brick are cheap and easy ways to create streets and pathways.
Taking CDs and old compact mirrors, (either whole or broken), create frozen ponds. If the materials are broken, have fun create a whimsical mosaic that can either be a frozen pond, or just ice from melted snow.
Other household items that can be used include:
- Wine corks for chimneys
- Dollies for snow patterns
- Glitter or confetti for an extra shine
- Aluminum foil for ponds
Remember, anything that can be recycled is fair game. Spend some time wandering the house; you'll be surprised at the many basic items that can become Christmas Village building components.
Christmas Village
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