20+ twig ornaments

Dreaming of turning your home into a magical Christmas wonderland? These twig ornaments are simple to make with little sticks and branches and are perfect for a whimsical, rustic, at-home holiday!

Decorating for Christmas is something most people enjoy because it helps them get into the Christmas spirit. What’s not to love about putting up the lights, with their cheery colors? Or the tree and evergreen wreaths with their fresh evergreen aroma? Or the tantalizing smell of cinnamon, roast beef, and apple pie?

One of the biggest trends is to bring nature indoors during the cooler months by making twig ornaments for your tree, mantle, and table centerpiece. Turn your home into a magical Christmas wonderland with things found in your yard!

Twig Christmas ornaments and twig holiday decor ideas

Twig ornaments are easy DIY Christmas decorations. They’re easy to make, and you can find twigs readily available in your yard or garden during the fall harvest season.

Here are 20 twig ornament ideas to try:

1. Snowflake twig ornaments

Tie or glue together twigs in the outline of snowflakes. This is easiest with low-temperature hot glue, but can also be done with regular school glue or even small pieces of string. Draw out the shape you’d like to make with sticks on paper first to get an idea of how many sticks you’ll need and how long to trim them.

2. Twig star ornaments

Make the outline of a star with twigs using string or hot glue. The ones in the photo above were made with low-temp. hot glue. You can wrap them with lights or ribbon for extra appeal. They can be any size, large or small. Stars are classic twig ornaments!

3. Twig sphere tree ornaments

Wrap bendy twigs around to create a sphere shape this is easiest with twigs from willow trees or grapevines, as they tend to be still bendy in the fall once other twigs start to become firmer. You may have to secure the twits in place as they dry out over a week or two.

4. Miniature twig wreaths

Use twigs to form a bundled miniature wreath. You can hang it on your refrigerator or use it as a centerpiece on the dining room table. Place an LED candle in the center for a rustic holiday focal point.

5. Twig “icicles”

Take individual twigs, paint them white, and hang them in a garland on your tree. Try to use twigs that get really skinny on the bottom end, just like real icicles!

6. Twig reindeer

Twig Reindeer are absolutely adorable! These classic Christmas twig decorations are pretty on the mantle, railing, or with string hanging on the Christmas tree. Here’s a tutorial for making twig reindeer ornaments.

7. Small stars wall hanging

Make individual twig stars, as described above. Hang them in multiples from a string that stretches horizontally across a wall. Add twinkly fairy LED lights to make it even more whimsical.

8. Twig photo frames

Hot glue small square or rectangular twig frames. Add wallet-sized photos of your family and friends. Then hang the ornaments on your tree.

9. Tabletop Christmas trees

Make a miniature Christmas tree by gluing bits of sticks onto a cone-shaped piece of foam or thick cardstock. Glue twig bits vertically, starting from the bottom. Add glitter to the twig trees for a festive touch!

10. Miniature twig sleigh

Use hot glue to piece together twigs in the shape of a miniature sleigh. Fill the sled with foliage or candy treats! Here is a tutorial for making popsicle-stick sled ornaments that could easily be adapted for more natural-looking twigs.

11. Twig-stuffed ornament

Take a hollow, clear plastic Christmas sphere bulb and fill it with small twigs for a natural look. You can frost the twigs with spray-on frost, or sprinkle them with glitter if desired. Simple and lovely!

12. Twig-covered candles

Glue small vertical twigs to the sides of large pillar candles. You can add glitter, metallic paint, raffia, or ribbon tied around them to dress them up. These are easy to personalize and make a nice, consumable DIY gift.

13. Lighted large twig star

Take one of your large twig wall stars and wrap a string of white or colored lights around it. Place the star on the Christmas tree, wall, or mantle as a nice focal point.

14. Twig wreath

Wrap twigs in a circular or square shape to form a wreath. Embellish with ribbon, lights, foliage, or Christmas bulbs. You can use an open wreath form for a more ethereal design or create a solid band of twigs for a rustic look.

15. Twig tree in a jar

You can “plant” twig branches in a jar to form a kind of “branch tree”. Find a small twig with lots of little side branches and glue the bottom of it onto the inside of the jar’s lid. Place the jar lid upside down so the twig sticks up in the air like a tiny tree. From this, you can hang bulbs, photos, lights, and other mini ornaments.

16. Twig wall Christmas tree

Place twigs horizontally in rows, to create a Christmas tree shape on your wall. Then hang bulbs and small colorful decorations from the different layers. It’s a 2D Christmas tree, perfect for small spaces.

17. Twig bouquet

Wrap a handful of twigs in fancy ribbon and hang them from your tree. Use different lengths for maximum creativity.

18. Twig garland

String small bits of twig together and wrap them around your tree like popcorn garland. This works best with long, bendy twigs like willow, which are pliable in the fall and longer (so you need fewer twigs overall).

19. Twig ornament gift labels

Use twigs and ribbon to make small decorative accents that you can glue to your Christmas gifts. You can glue them to the top of the gift package, or attach them with ribbon or twine. This works especially well with evergreen twigs that still have green needles on them. Spruce, cedar, yew, fir, pine, and boxwood are all beautiful.

20. Skinny evergreen twig wreaths

Speaking of fresh evergreen twigs, save some to make into a skinny minimalist wreath. You can make your own wreath form with an old coat hanger or with wire. Then just attach the twigs with floral wire and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind Scandi-style simple wreath. Here is the full tutorial for making minimalist holiday wreaths.

21. Twig drink coasters with red and green accents

Cut twigs to about 3.5″, and glue them side-by-side into a square. If you’ve got time, you can also use string or thread to weave them together like a tiny mat. Paint them red and green and dip them in white or gold glitter for a festive look. Or just enjoy them in their natural bark-covered beauty!

22. Grapevine twig tree

Use some straight sticks to create a cone-shaped form in the general shape of a conical tree. Then use bendy twigs like willow or grapevines to wrap around the form. This will create a rustic “tree” shape with sticks and twigs, which can then be decorated with fairy lights. These are so timeless and gorgeous!

23. Twig ornament luminaries

These are like larger versions of the sphere-shaped twig hanging ornaments. Weave longer twigs together to form a hollow shape. Make bigger versions and group them on the mantle or another flat surface. Place an LED candle inside to make it glow as a pretty and festive glowing focal point.

Twig ornaments for the Christmas season

Making DIY Christmas decorations with twigs is not too difficult. Twig ornaments are especially adorable and very simple to make. All you need to make twig Christmas crafts in most cases are tree twigs/small branches and glue. After you assemble your twig ornaments, you can embellish them with colorful ribbons, small Christmas bulbs, and even photographs. 

The best thing about making your own twig Christmas crafts is that you don’t spend much on the materials! And it’s a far more thoughtful and meaningful option than spending money on an impersonal store-bought decoration of lesser quality.

FAQs

Resources

Still feeling crafty? Here are some other articles you may enjoy:

• Pinecone Garland: A Simple Christmas Decoration
• How to make a felt pom pom garland
• 10 wooden Christmas ornaments for a classic holiday tree
• Twig Ornaments: 20+ Rustic DIY Holiday Decor Ideas To Make With Twigs
• Easy DIY Natural Christmas Decorations: A Round-Up of Favourites

And, here are some other resources for you:

• Get my free garden planner here!
• Want garden tips, updates, and freebies? Sign up for my newsletter
• Visit my shop
• Watch my DIY Christmas decor playlist here!