Farmhouse Christmas Decor: 16 Cozy DIY Ideas That Look Like a Country Magazine Cover

Farmhouse Christmas decor is the style that makes people want to curl up with a mug of cocoa and stay a while. It is warm, simple and a little bit rustic, like a country magazine cover come to life. Think white walls, natural wood, galvanized buckets, soft linen, fresh greenery and a few touches of red. The best part is that this look was never meant to be expensive. Real farmhouses decorated with what they had: branches from the yard, old crates, feed sacks, enamel pitchers and pine cones from the woods. That means you can create the whole look with thrift store finds and a few weekend DIY projects. Each idea below costs little, uses simple supplies and adds that cozy, collected feeling. Here are the projects that will make your home look like a holiday spread in a country magazine..

Farmhouse Christmas Decor at Its Coziest

The farmhouse look comes from mixing a few simple materials over and over. Natural wood, galvanized metal, white or cream fabric, and lots of fresh greenery. Add a little red and black buffalo check if you like color. When every corner repeats these same textures, the whole house feels pulled together. The Christmas pages at Country Living are full of this look if you want more inspiration. Start with one room, maybe the kitchen, and let the style spread from there..

You will need: Greenery, natural wood pieces, galvanized metal containers, cream or white fabric, a few red accents.

How to make it: 1. Pick three or four materials and repeat them in every room. 2. Keep the base colors white, cream, wood and green. 3. Add red in small touches like ribbon and berries.

Wood Bead Garland on a Dough Bowl

A wooden dough bowl is the heart of so many farmhouse tables. Fill it with pine cones, fresh greenery and a few dried orange slices, then drape a wood bead garland over the side. It is a centerpiece that looks great from Thanksgiving to New Year. Thrift stores often have old wooden bowls for a few dollars. Farmhouse Christmas decor always starts with natural wood, and a dough bowl is the easiest way in. Where would you put yours?

You will need: A wooden bowl, wood beads, jute twine, pine cones, greenery.

How to make it: 1. String wood beads onto jute with a tassel at each end. 2. Fill the bowl with greenery and pine cones. 3. Drape the garland across the top.

A Galvanized Bucket Mini Tree

A tiny tree in a galvanized bucket is pure farmhouse charm. Use a small potted pine, a rosemary tree or a little faux tree, then set it in a metal bucket with burlap tucked around the base. Hang a few wood slice ornaments and a strand of battery LED lights. It is perfect for a kitchen corner, a porch or a bedroom. Little trees like this are the most budget friendly farmhouse Christmas decor you can make. How many rooms could use one?

You will need: A galvanized bucket, a small tree, burlap, wood ornaments, battery LED lights.

How to make it: 1. Set the tree, still in its pot, inside the bucket. 2. Tuck burlap around the top to hide the pot. 3. Add mini wood ornaments and battery lights.

Grain Sack Stockings for Farmhouse Christmas Decor

Stockings made from grain sack fabric, with their classic stripes down the middle, look like they came from an old barn. You can buy grain sack style fabric by the yard, or use a drop cloth. Cut two stocking shapes, glue or stitch the edges, and add a cuff of plain linen. Hang them on a white mantel with greenery. Would you add names or keep them plain?

You will need: Grain sack style fabric or a drop cloth, fabric glue or a needle and thread, a stocking template, twine.

How to make it: 1. Trace and cut two stocking shapes. 2. Glue or stitch the edges, leaving the top open. 3. Fold over a cuff and add a twine loop for hanging.

Old Window Frame Wreath Hanger

An old window frame with chippy white paint is a classic farmhouse find. Hang a fresh green wreath in the center with a piece of ribbon, then lean it on a mantel or hang it on the wall. The frame gives the wreath a beautiful backdrop and adds height. Old windows often turn up at yard sales and salvage shops. Salvaged pieces like this give farmhouse Christmas decor its lived in, collected feeling. Have you seen one at a thrift store lately?

You will need: An old window frame, a wreath, wide ribbon, a sturdy hook.

How to make it: 1. Clean the frame and check for loose glass. 2. Tie the wreath to the top of the frame with ribbon. 3. Lean it on a mantel or hang it on a strong hook.

Cutting Board Stack With Greenery

Everyday kitchen items make some of the best farmhouse decor. Lean a few wooden cutting boards of different sizes against the backsplash, then hang a tiny wreath on the front one. Add a crock with wooden spoons and a sprig of greenery. It costs nothing if you already own the boards. Your kitchen will look styled in five minutes. Mix light and dark wood tones so the stack looks collected over time. What would you add to your counter?

You will need: Two or three wooden cutting boards, a small wreath, a crock, greenery.

How to make it: 1. Lean the boards against the wall from largest to smallest. 2. Hang a small wreath on the front board with ribbon. 3. Add a crock of spoons and greenery beside them.

Milk Bottle Vases With Berries

Old glass milk bottles in a wire carrier make a darling centerpiece. Fill each one with a stem of red berries or a sprig of greenery. The clear glass and simple shapes feel fresh and old fashioned at the same time. If you do not have milk bottles, use mason jars. These are also lovely on a windowsill. Glass, wire and greenery together are a perfect match for farmhouse Christmas decor. Did your family ever get milk delivered in glass bottles?

You will need: Glass milk bottles or mason jars, a wire carrier, red berry stems, greenery.

How to make it: 1. Set the bottles in the carrier. 2. Fill each with a little water. 3. Add one berry stem or greenery sprig to each bottle.

Farmhouse Christmas Decor Crate Tree Stand

Instead of a tree skirt, set your tree inside a wooden crate. It hides the ugly stand, lifts the tree a little higher, and gives the whole tree a rustic farmhouse base. You can build a simple crate from boards or buy an unfinished one at a craft store. Stencil a word or a date on the side if you like. It is one of the most loved farmhouse Christmas decor tricks. Would you stain it or leave it natural?

You will need: A wooden crate big enough for the stand, stain or paint (optional), a few wood shims.

How to make it: 1. Set the tree stand inside the crate. 2. Use shims to keep the tree level. 3. Fill gaps with burlap or a folded blanket.

Pine Cone and Cedar Centerpiece

A long wooden tray filled with pine cones and cedar is simple, cheap and smells wonderful. Add a scattering of red berries for color, and tuck in a few battery LED fairy lights if you want a soft glow at dinner. Collect the pine cones on a walk and let them dry for a few days on a tray before you use them. It is the kind of centerpiece you can leave out all winter. Do you have pine trees near you?

You will need: A long wooden tray, pine cones, cedar branches, red berries, battery LED fairy lights (optional).

How to make it: 1. Lay cedar along the tray. 2. Pile pine cones down the middle. 3. Tuck in red berries and, if you like, a strand of battery fairy lights.

Farmhouse Christmas Decor Pallet Sign

A hand painted wood sign is a farmhouse classic. Use a few pallet boards joined together, paint them white, then paint a simple pine tree, a star or a sprig of holly. You do not need to be an artist, because a little wobble looks handmade and charming. Lean it on the porch or above the mantel. Seal it with a clear coat if it will live outdoors. What would you paint on yours?

You will need: Pallet boards, white paint, green and red paint, a pencil, a small brush.

How to make it: 1. Paint the boards white and let them dry. 2. Sketch a simple design in pencil. 3. Paint the design and lightly sand the edges for a worn look.

Chippy White Lantern With LED Fairy Lights

A white lantern with peeling paint glows beautifully when you fill it with LED fairy lights instead of a candle. Wrap a little greenery and a bow around the handle, and set it on the porch steps or a side table. Battery lights on a timer make it glow every evening with no fuss. A pair of lanterns by the door looks especially welcoming. Galvanized or black metal lanterns work just as well. Where would you put yours?

You will need: A metal lantern, battery LED fairy lights, greenery, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Coil the fairy lights inside the lantern and hide the battery pack. 2. Wrap greenery around the handle. 3. Tie on a small bow.

Cotton Stem Bundles

Cotton stems have become a farmhouse favorite, and they look like snowballs on a branch. Put a big bundle in an enamel pitcher or wrap a few around a wreath. They last for years, so this is a one time purchase. Pair them with eucalyptus for a soft green and white look. It feels wintry long after Christmas is over. Soft white touches like this keep farmhouse Christmas decor feeling calm. Have you ever seen real cotton growing?

You will need: Dried cotton stems, an enamel pitcher or crock, eucalyptus (optional).

How to make it: 1. Trim the stems to different heights. 2. Arrange them in the pitcher with taller stems in back. 3. Tuck in eucalyptus for a little color.

Enamelware Pitcher With Greens

An enamelware pitcher is one of the most useful pieces of farmhouse Christmas decor you can own. Fill it with evergreen and red berries for the holidays, then switch to tulips in spring. The white enamel with a navy or black rim looks clean and classic. Look for them at antique shops and flea markets. Do you have an old pitcher that belonged to your grandmother?

You will need: An enamel pitcher, evergreen branches, red berry stems.

How to make it: 1. Fill the pitcher with water. 2. Add evergreen in a loose, natural shape. 3. Tuck a few berry stems in the front.

Old Ladder Blanket and Garland Display

An old wooden ladder leaned against the wall is a great way to show off cozy blankets. Drape two or three throws over the rungs, wrap a pine garland along one side, and hang a few ornaments or mini stockings. It adds height to a room without taking much floor space. If you love the cozy look, our Joanna Gaines Christmas ideas are full of farmhouse touches too. A ladder like this is farmhouse Christmas decor that does double duty as storage. What color throws would you choose?

You will need: An old wooden ladder, throw blankets, pine garland, small ornaments.

How to make it: 1. Lean the ladder securely against the wall. 2. Drape blankets over the rungs. 3. Wrap garland down one side and hang ornaments.

Tobacco Basket Wreath

A flat woven tobacco basket hung on the wall is a big, beautiful backdrop for a wreath. These baskets were once used on farms in the South, and now they are prized decor. Hang a wreath in the center and add a plaid bow at the top. If you cannot find an old one, look for a new woven wall basket. It fills a big blank wall in minutes. Smaller round baskets look sweet in a group of three. Which wall in your home needs it?

You will need: A flat woven wall basket, a wreath, a plaid bow, a sturdy wall hook.

How to make it: 1. Hang the basket on a strong hook. 2. Tie the wreath to the center with wire or ribbon. 3. Add the bow at the top.

Farmhouse Christmas Decor on Open Kitchen Shelves

Open shelves are made for holiday styling. Stack white dishes, add a few vintage tins and canisters, and tuck small sprigs of greenery and red berries between them. Hang tiny wreaths from the shelf edges with ribbon. It turns the kitchen into the coziest room in the house. This is farmhouse Christmas decor you can see every time you make coffee. What sits on your kitchen shelves right now?

You will need: Open shelves, white dishes, vintage tins, greenery sprigs, mini wreaths, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Clear the shelves and wipe them down. 2. Arrange dishes and tins in small groups. 3. Add greenery and hang mini wreaths from the edges.