10 Christmas Crafts That Don’t Make a Huge Mess

Some Christmas crafts look adorable on Pinterest and leave your table looking like a craft store exploded. If you’re already tired, the last thing you want is glitter in your grout until March.

These crafts feel fun and festive without turning your house into a disaster zone. Most use things you probably already have or can grab cheaply.

Sticker-and-marker gift tags

Cut cardstock into tag shapes or grab blank tags from a dollar store. Put out markers, stickers, and washi tape. Let kids decorate tags for family gifts or teacher gifts.

There’s no paint, no glue, and no drying time. When they’re done, you pop a hole, add string, and they get to see their work on real presents under the tree.

Paper chain garlands

Paper chains are simple for little hands and surprisingly satisfying. Use colored paper or cut strips from old wrapping paper or paper grocery bags. A glue stick or tape works just fine.

Kids can make chains for their rooms, the playroom, or around a doorway. When the season’s over, you toss them guilt-free because they were made from paper you already had.

Cinnamon-applesauce ornaments

Mix cinnamon and applesauce into a dough, roll it out, and cut shapes with cookie cutters. They bake low and slow, smell incredible, and don’t involve any messy paint while making them.

You can tie on ribbon once they cool. If you want a little detail, let kids use toothpicks to add dots and lines in the dough instead of breaking out the craft supplies.

Button or pom-pom wreaths on cardboard

Cut small wreath shapes from cardboard. Let kids glue on buttons, pompoms, or small craft bits. Keep it simple—one type of item per wreath means fewer jars and less chaos on the table.

Lay some parchment paper or an old placemat down, and you’ve contained the mess. When they dry, you can hang them on doors, cabinets, or use them as gift toppers.

Bead-and-pipe-cleaner candy canes

Offer red and white (or any) pony beads and pipe cleaners. Kids thread beads and then bend the top into a candy cane shape. It’s great for little hands and keeps them busy for a while.

The only “mess” is a few escaped beads, which are easy to sweep up. These look cute on the tree, in kids’ rooms, or tied onto small gifts.

Simple paper snowflakes

Give kids square pieces of white or colored paper and show them how to fold and snip snowflakes. Keep scissors small and blunt for younger kids.

Put a tray or cookie sheet under their work area to catch all the tiny scraps. When they’re done, you can tape the snowflakes to windows or hang them in a cluster over the table.

No-mess ornament coloring

Buy plain paper or wooden ornaments and let kids color them with crayons or markers only—no paint, glitter, or glue. Focus on patterns, stripes, and little drawings.

This scratches the “craft itch” without requiring you to scrub paint off the table. You can spray them with a clear sealer later if you want them to last.

Decorated clothespin clips

Give kids wooden clothespins, markers, and washi tape. They can decorate the clothespins and then use them to clip cards, hang up kids’ artwork, or close snack bags.

Everything stays contained on a tray or placemat. No drying time, no sticky puddles on the floor—just simple, functional little decorations.

Construction paper “stained glass”

Cut out simple shapes from darker paper (like trees or stars), then cut openings inside. Stick clear contact paper behind the openings and let kids add small bits of tissue paper.

When they’re done, fold the contact paper over to seal it and trim the edges. These stick to windows and catch the light nicely, with most of the mess stuck between two sheets of plastic.

Mason jar or cup luminaries

Give kids a clean glass jar or plastic cup, and a small collection of stickers or bits of self-adhesive foam shapes. They decorate the outside, and you drop in a battery tealight.

No glue, no paint, and everything stays on the outer surface. When Christmas is over, you peel off the stickers and reuse the jar for storage or crafts later.