Deck Your Halls With One Of These 18 DIY Christmas Tree Ideas
It's time that time of year again!
That time where you pimp the halls with jingling sleigh bells, fluffy fake holly, and extra bright bulbs, while letting your peeps know that you're all about that Christmas life.
So as you don your gay apparel and head to your favorite retailer for your Christmas needs, just know that you don't have to purchase a tree to look like a holiday boss. These DIY Christmas tree ideas can take your decorating game from zero to hero, and it probably won't cost you that much cash.
Whether you live in a tiny apartment, a dorm room, or in 50 Cent's mansion (because you never know with that guy), you can use your creativity to make a tree so dope that the neighbors will suck their teeth and roll their eyes at your fa-la-la-la flair.
Tell them don't be mad. Snatch out their glue guns, their holly jolly spirit, and get into one of these 45 DIY Christmas tree ideas.
1. THE CARDBOARD TREE
This cute little Christmas tree was done by Madame Citron, whose whole website is in French. Take a look at the tutorial here, and use this website to translate the webpage from French to English.
2. THE TRIANGLE TREE
If 3D cardboard trees aren't your thing, you can cut a triangle, and pimp it out with some string lights from the Dollar Tree.
3. THE BOOK TREE
Take the books off of your shelf, and make a tree that Toni Morrison would be jealous of.
4. THE PVC TREE
You can have a Home Depot associate slice up some PVC for you before you leave the store if you want to begin this decoration. Stick it on a plywood board, and decorate with bulbs. Click here to get the tutorial.
5. THE OFFICE TREE
This is the perfect tree for holiday decor at the office. You can also make this tree out of those pages of paper that you took out of the printer, then threw in the recycle bin. Or you can use those newspapers and mailing advertisements that is cluttering your mailbox. Check out the one this woman did with newspaper.
Lightly spray paint your newspapers gold for a chic finish. You can read the tutorial here.
6. THE PINECONE TREE
Pine cones and a few lights are all you need for this holiday work of art.
Pine cone trees are rather easy to make. According to Country Living, the only thing you need for this tree is a cone-shaped foam base, and wooden floral picks. Take a look at the full tutorial here to see who you can make this tree larger.
7. THE WINE CORK TREE
This wine cork tree is actually pretty easy to make. Take a look at a beginner version of this craft at this tutorial.
8. THE BEER BOTTLE TREE
You can make this beer bottle tree, and then invite friends over to drink it with you. Now that's how you throw a holiday party!
Here is a tutorial for this kind of tree that will get you started. But if you really want to go all out, check out this one that has a light show.
9. THE STRING LIGHT TREE
This quick. super easy tree only requires a few tools. Visit marthastewart.com to see how you can put this up with hooks and mini lights.
10. THE MONEY TREE
You can make this Christmas tree, and give it to mom or dad on Christmas morning. Just be careful who you let in your house before you give it to them. If you're feeling really crafty, this tutorial should get you started.
For a less complex version of a money tree, you can make a tree like you would find in this tutorial, and then make a cute little tree farm like this one below.
Or you can make a lot of money trees.
11. THE COTTON CHRISTMAS TREE
This is one is made of a cone and cotton pads, and it's one of the prettiest trees on the list, and it could be a fun project to do with the kids. Catch the tutorial here, and see how you can decorate it with beads.
12. THE PILLOW TREE
A few pillows and a star will make you look like a Fashion Institute star. Get a look at how to sew a basic pillow here.
13. THE TEE PEE TREE
This simple tree takes no time to execute. Instead of wood, you can use this tutorial to make a tee pee tree with PVC pipes, and wrap it with garland and lights.
14. THE DESIGNER TOMATO STAND TREE
Grab a tomato plant cage and a bunch of lights for this cute creation. Use this tutorial to get you started.
This tomato cage tree tutorial can make you look like you have a real christmas tree in your living room.
15. THE ORIGAMI TREE
This origami paper tree may look complex, but it's actually not that hard to make. It just takes a lot of dedication to execute. Use this tutorial to get you started.
16. THE TIRE TREE
Just add several tires of all sizes, paint it green, and use some decorations to make this tree look good in any garage.
17. THE PICTURE WALL TREE
18. THE HANGING BULB TREE
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Have You Heard Of The 4B Movement? Here's Why It Matters.
Depending on what side of TikTok you’re on, you’ve been seeing an uptick in content about the 4B Movement. In response to South Korea having the world’s lowest birth rate, TikTok user @denimchromosome gave a brief synopsis of the movement on February 16. “Korean women are so done with Korean men that they’re literally just deciding to die out," she said in her post.
While the video is only 30 seconds, this user broke the movement down to its essence and sparked a broader conversation for people to fully dive into knowledge about the movement and why some Korean women have decided to fully commit to this push for gender equality and social justice.
What Is the 4B Movement?
The 4B Movement gained notoriety and prevalence in 2019 when a collective of Korean feminists decided they would no longer marry men (비혼 bihon), have children (비출산 bichulsan), date men (비연애 biyeonae), or have sex with men (비섹스 bisekseu). The name of the movement came from all four agreements, starting with the letter B in Korean. The women who have chosen to participate in this movement are doing so as a result of the blatant misogyny that exists in their society.
They are challenging the cultural norms of their country by removing themselves from the dating scene, ignoring the beauty standards and consumerism propagated toward women, and calling out the pay disparity in the Korean job market.
Go Min Hee, a political professor at Ewha Women's University in Seoul, told NPR, "Gender gap in education has disappeared with the declining number of children and growing attention to education.” As of 2003, women’s college enrollment rates in the region have surpassed men’s.
“But the income gap in the post-education labor market hasn't closed," she continued. South Korea has the largest gender pay gap in the developed world, as of 2022, women still made 31% less than their male counterparts.
In the same report, Jeong Han-Wool, head of the Research Institute of Korean People, shared “For a long time, patriarchal norms governed South Korean society. But those social norms dissolved with democratization, and I don't think we have established new norms that can fill the vacuum.”
Han-Wool said the 4B movement was ignited by the Me Too movement here in the U.S., which he said sparked a new wave of young feminists in South Korea.
While others don’t connect it directly to the movement, they doacknowledge that 4B emerged after multiple incidents of high-profile murders of Korean women, a rampant culture of revenge porn, and spy cam sex crimes were at an all-time high.
Additionally, there is blatant discrimination against women in the workplace; married women are often subjected to gender-based violence, and women are expected to take on the majority of household and child-rearing responsibilities.
Tackling Gender-Based Bias
Digital creator Ryan Carriger said, “Through amplifying the voices and the experiences of the movement, it can illuminate the far-reaching nature of gender-based bias and challenge the social structures that reinforce inequality.”
However, some, such as Anna Lee, have said that the Western media is sensationalizing this movement in South Korea. Despite the fact that reports from the country’s Ministry of Education support the quickly diminishing juvenile population, which many argue is a direct result of feminism. As of February 2024, 157 elementary schools throughout the country will have zero first graders. The lowest reported since the ministry began keeping records in 1970.
Likewise, because of the uptick in feminist voices, young men have shared their feelings of “reverse discrimination” and want the government to get rid of the Gender Equality Ministry in large part because it’s making the job market even more competitive.
Yet, this government entity focuses on more than career equity. One of its main purposes is to protect Korean women who are victims of gender-based crimes such as sexual assault and rape. Opponents of the government’s desire to dismantle this ministry believe it is a dangerous idea and will only lead to more harm toward women in the future.
As the online dialogue continues to build around the 4B Movement, many women from across the world are standing in solidarity with the women of South Korea. Some American women online are sharing a similar sentiment that they’ve already committed to the agreements of the 4B Movement in their personal lives without knowing it was associated with any deliberate social activism.
@wtfaleisa Replying to @user9720585462941 ♬ original sound - wtfaleisa
Decentering Men and Toxic Patriarchy
As many women’s studies scholars have found throughout history, to truly gain gender equality, you have to destabilize patriarchal systems and institutions. Activist, feminist, and author bell hooks once wrote, "Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. Decentering men is a central aspect of this movement." Judith Butler, a gender studies scholar, has further added that decentering men "does not mean erasing men or their experiences, but rather acknowledging that our social and political structures have been built around a narrow understanding of masculinity."
Yet, in true social media form, some of the discussions that are emerging online are demonizing, shaming, and insulting women who are choosing to distance themselves from men, that are collectively harmful to their overall well-being. Proponents of the movement are providing counterarguments to these videos.
Some people can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact that there are women who would rather be single, have full autonomy over their bodies, and build a life that they want for themselves. Many naysayers of the 4B Movement are calling these actions misandry.
Carrieger disagrees with the notion that the movement is discriminatory against men and says, “Just as Black individuals have long fought against systemic racism and oppression, women have faced their own battles against gender-based discrimination and inequality.” He continues, “The 4B movement's call to challenge traditional gender roles and advocate for the empowerment of women reflects the struggle for equality that resonates within the Black community.”
Finding Common Ground for Social Justice
Historically, any oppressed group looking to gain equal citizenship in a society is always met with pushback, violence, shame, and blame. We saw it with America's civil rights and women's suffrage movements. We saw it with the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and, most recently, with the women’s movement in Iran. This conversation could continue for hours upon hours, and the debates on whether women hate men could rage on for millennia.
The one piece of the conversation that some people are failing to address is that women, not only in Korea but globally, have decided they’d rather be single, child-free, and at peace than have to be subjected to constant trauma, discrimination, and abuse.
It goes without saying that not all men fall in line with patriarchal beliefs or disagree that there are toxic men in the world. However, this conversation is about a collective experience women around the globe share when it comes to their roles in a misogynistic world.
Even women who are in loving relationships and happy to be mothers have shared their understanding of why women would not want to have anything to do with men. Women standing up for themselves and not wanting to feel like second-class citizens isn’t an attack on men, but a call for them to be held accountable for their behavior, both past and present.
And for men to acknowledge that women play just as important a part in society as they do.
I’ll leave you with this quote from activist and scholar Angela Davis: "Decentering men is not about diminishing men or their contributions, but about recognizing that true liberation requires challenging all forms of oppression, including patriarchy."
This quote fully embodies the essence of the 4B Movement and similar movements that aim to decentralize men in our global society.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Delmaine Donson/Getty Images