Our Best Holiday Wreaths

Why not let a celebrity reindeer greet your guests? To make him, tie the end of a skein of brown yarn around a foam wreath form. Wrap the yarn around the foam until it's completely covered, then cut the end and tuck it in. Draw antlers on stiff black felt and ears on soft brown felt (or trace our templates below). Cut along the lines, then adhere the antlers, ears, and a large red pom-pom nose with tacky glue.

Originally published in the December/January 2015 issue of FamilyFun magazine.

This snowman won't melt even on warm afternoons. Using circle punches or scissors, cut about five dozen 2-inch circles from white card stock. For the eyes and mouth, cut two 2-inch and seven 1 1/2-inch circles from black card stock. With tacky glue, cover an 18-inch-diameter wood wreath form with the white circles (start at the outer edge, gluing the circles so they overhang a bit). Roll an 8-inch square of orange card stock into a narrow cone. Glue on the eyes, nose, and mouth. Add a paper hat as shown.

Originally published in the December/January 2015 issue of FamilyFun magazine.

Jolly-fy your door with Santa's signature style. Coat a styrofoam wreath form with red paint and let it dry overnight. Use tacky glue to cover the form with red pom-poms. For the belt, cut a wide black ribbon 4 inches longer than the wreath's diameter. Thread it through slits cut in a gray felt square. Lay the belt in place and glue its ends to the wreath's back (secure them with tape until the glue dries).

Originally published in the December/January 2015 issue of FamilyFun magazine.

Those ubiquitous blue water-bottle caps combine with sparkly pom-poms to create a perfect decoration for New Year's Eve. (Of course, you can use any colorful caps you've got on hand, and customize your wreath to suit just about any holiday.) For the base, cut a form from sturdy cardboard (our circle is 1 3/4 inches wide and 18 inches across), then paint it blue. When the paint is dry, secure the caps to the wreath with tacky glue. Glue sparkly pom-poms and paper circles inside the caps as desired.

Originally published in the December/January 2015 issue of FamilyFun magazine.

To hang some holiday cheer, simply thread colorful felted balls onto string and wrap around a straw wreath until the entire surface is covered.

Attach birch log segments in the shape of a wreath and decorate with your favorite holiday accents for a fresh look that works either indoors or out.

Inspired to curl up by the fire with your favorite read? Turn a couple of worn-out paperbacks into an indoor wreath. Try using glossy magazine pages if you want to add more personality.

Bring a burst of color to your holiday decor with this simple wreath. Use a 3-inch hole punch to make same-sized circle cutouts and layer them around a Styrofoam wreath. Add some red paper "holly berries" and a ribbon to hang from your front door.

Gummy berries and fruit slices make a Life Savers wreath festive and fresh! Start with a 6-inch Styrofoam ring and attach Lifesavers Wint-O-Greens with hot glue. Use gummy fruit slices and red raspberry to form the delectable holly leaves.

Pin three feather boas ($4 each; ziggos.com) around a 16-inch wreath form. Wire together a group of ornaments and fasten around one section of the wreath.

Hammer small nails into a wood form, then have the kids wrap yarn around them to make this mod holiday wreath. Add homemade pom-poms for the perfect finishing touch.

What you'll need: 18" wooden wreath form ($4; Michaels Stores), pencil, ruler, small nails, hammer, yarn in 3 different colors, hot glue, scissors

Make it:

1. Mark 35 dots with a pencil along edge of wreath form, approximately 1/2" from outside edge, with 1" in between.
2. Hammer a nail at each mark, being careful not to pound through wreath form.
3. Knot first yarn color around top center nail (nail #1). From nail #1, bring yarn back to nail #24, wrap it around that nail and bring it back to nail #2. Go from there to #25, then to #3, then to #26, and so on in a clockwise direction. Knot at #1 when you've completed the first color.
4. Tie the second yarn color to nail #1 and bring back to nail #26, then to nail #2, then nail #27, and so on; knot at end.
5. Tie third color at nail #1 and bring back to nail #28, and so on; knot at end.

Pom-poms:

1. Cut a 3" piece of yarn. Set aside.
2. Wrap yarn about 60 times around 3 or 4 fingers and cut.
3. Carefully remove yarn from fingers and tie the 3" piece around the center.
4. Cut through looped ends, and trim the pom-pom into a circular shape.
5. Hot-glue pom-poms to wreath. Secure all knots with hot glue.

Gumdrops never looked this gorgeous!

What you'll need: 6-inch Styrofoam wreath, one bag of gumdrops, toothpicks broken in half

Make It: Insert one end of a broken toothpick into a gumdrop and the other end into the wreath. Repeat, row by row, until wreath is covered.