Countdown To Christmas

Twenty-five merry ideas (some to DIY,some to buy) so you’re all set for the season.

25 craft a striped piñata

Start with 3-D papier-mâché numbers. Using a crafts knife, remove part of the back, fill with candy, and patch with masking tape. Snip foil and crepe paper streamers with fringe scissors and attach to the numbers with a glue stick. Screw an eye hook into each top and hang. Break open on Christmas!

NUMBERS Darice 12"-tall papier-mâché numbers, $5 each, JoAnn stores STREAMERS Shindigz Metallic 2"-wide foil streamers in green and red, $8.50per roll, and Fun Express Crepe 2"-wide paper streamers inwhite, $9 per roll, all amazon.com

24 roll out a holiday doormat

This coir mat is extra-wide for max impact—and there’s plenty of room to stomp snow offyour boots. 

Tag Winter Wishes 18" x 40" coir doormat, $45, amazon.com

23 trim a mini tree with pom-poms

Use a pom-pom maker and various colors of yarn to make small pom-poms. Attach an ornament cap to each one by squeezing the cap’s prongs together and pushing them into the pom-pom, then hang. 

POM-POM MAKER Clover Small pom-pommaker, $6.50 for a mixed set of 2, michaels.com ORNAMENT CAPS 6½-millimeter tin ornament caps in silver, $11 for 20, bluewhalearts.etsy.com TREE  24"-tall white balsam pine mini artificial tree, $8, christmascentral .com PLANTER African Mudcloth 6"H x 6"-diameter cotton and plastic planter in black, $39, nomadcloth.etsy.com 

22 wrap wine in no time

Buy a case of wine and a dozen of these linen bags—now you’re ready for unexpected gift exchanges.