Why is Santa so jolly? Because the elves do all the work. The holidays are expensive and time consuming. But they don’t have to be and no, we aren’t going to tell you where to find some elves. Although if you know a place, let us know. You can make holiday decorations with the items in your own home and they are so easy, you can make them while you watch claymation Rudolph and drink egg nog.

Here is what you need:

Paper–use scrap paper, printer paper, or even newspaper

Scissors

A needle and thread–make sure the thread is strong enough to hold up a garland of paper. So, don’t use silk thread or transparent threat that is hard to see.

Step One:

Cut the paper into squares and make snowflakes. Using a standard 8.5×11 piece of paper, fold the paper in half and then half again. Take the lower right corner of the paper and fold it up until it makes a triangle. Cut off the extra lip of paper above the triangle to make your paper square. Now, you can start cutting out your snowflake.

When you cut out your snowflake, cut on the folds. And remember, everything you cut on the fold will be doubled, so a half circle will turn into a full circle. Cutting on the broad edges of the triangle will give the snowflake a starry appearance. Practice cutting different designs or click here for different paper snowflake patterns. The blog Make It Do, also has some lovely snowflake patterns, here. Just remember, you want your snowflakes to hold up in a garland, so don’t make them too lacy or intricate.

Step Two:

Once you have a pile of snowflakes, begin sewing them together. Use the needle and thread and sew two loops to connecting the ends of the snowflakes. Tie the ends together and continue until you have a snowflake garland.

Step Three:

Hang the garland above the mantle, on your staircase or in your doorways to create a winter wonderland. Soon, Santa will be hiring you.