Create Your Own Christmas Village with This Adorable Holiday Craft

There’s a new crafting trend in town this holiday season, and it’s the perfect excuse to make new winter decorations for your own home. Get ready to host your own craft night, because the holiday house party trend is about to be everyone’s favorite winter activity.

This trend has hosts lining up a bunch of small, unpainted wooden miniature houses (or even birdhouses), then painting and decorating them with friends until they all look like cheerful winter abodes. Snowy roofs, mini holiday lights, bottle brush pine trees, and more adorn these precious houses. If you continue this trend year after year, you’ll soon amass your very own Christmas village!

This activity is the perfect excuse to have your friends or family over, host a cozy dinner, and put on your favorite holiday movies. The materials for crafting a holiday house are all budget-friendly, and your house can be as simple or as detailed as you’d like it to be—meaning this craft is perfect for everyone from young children to those who know their way around a set of paints.

Supplies You’ll Need for a Holiday House Party

For the houses themselves, most people choose wooden, unfinished craft houses or birdhouses. You can find unpainted (but fully-built) birdhouses starting at around $5—some of our favorite designs come from Michaels, though you’ll likely be able to find a few options at any local craft store. 

Once you’ve picked out a mix of houses for you and your guests, it’s time to get the rest of your supplies together. You’ll need paints—acrylic is both easy to use and cost-effective—so grab a set from your local craft store, and don’t forget some paintbrushes in a variety of sizes, too.

It’s always fun to add a few extra miniatures to the mix, too. Mini presents, tiny winter wreaths, faux Christmas lights and lanterns, strings of beads, and mini snowflakes or peppermints are all great ideas that you can add to your crafting table. 

Sourcing Mini Decorations for Your Holiday Houses

Ace Hardware, Michaels, and Etsy all have great options for miniatures to fill the inside and outside of your home with. You might want to add a tiny table full of food inside your holiday house, or decorate your porch with little bottle brush trees—these details will add character but are still inexpensive. 

You can also craft your own versions of these mini holiday items for your guests to use. You can make little wreaths and trees out of pipe cleaners, or use the fluff from cotton balls as faux snow. Use wrapping paper scraps to fashion tiny presents, or make decorative bows out of old ribbon. Air-dry clay is a great way to craft all the mini foods, furniture, and winter wildlife you want to add to your holiday house.

Assembling Your Holiday House Party

Once you have your supplies at the ready, it’s time to set up for your holiday house party. Cover your table with a paper tablecloth or newspapers to help protect it from paint, and set out your wooden holiday houses on top. 

Disperse your paints, brushes, and adhesive options around the table—make sure everyone has a few paper towels and a bowl of fresh water, too. Place all of your miniature decorations on a serving tray so that they’re easy to access, and you’re ready to get painting. Just don’t forget to serve your guests an easy holiday meal (and maybe some hot chocolate) to make it a true painting party.