How to make a wooden Christmas tree

I know we haven’t had Halloween yet but I’ve been itching to show you our wooden Christmas tree. I’ve seen lots of variations of wooden Christmas trees using driftwood so every time we were at the seaside I would scour the beach for suitable pieces. After months of looking and not finding I gave up and decided small branches from the local woods would do just as well! I also found a piece of scaffolding wood outside our house so knew this project was meant to be.

How to make a wooden Christmas tree

You will need:

• a selection of branches
• length of dowel
• handsaw
• drill
• sandpaper

After lightly sanding the branches and removing loose bits of bark I used the handsaw to cut some of the branches, making sure I had a good selection of lengths. I arranged the 7 branches in order of size, larger at the bottom, smaller at the top to create the shape of a Christmas tree.

Using the handsaw I cut 6 small discs from one of the thicker branches, for the tree trunk, and one shorter length for the base of the tree.

To ensure the branches of your tree are straight, measure the centre point of each branch and drill a small hole through each branch, wide enough to accommodate the thickness of dowel you are using. Drill through each wooden disc, the base of the tree and the base of the stand.

Assemble the tree, threading the dowel through each branch, wooden disc, the base of the tree and the stand. Ta da!

I left a small piece of dowel poking through the top so I could attach a star. You could paint, decorate or leave the branches plain for an authentic natural look.

I love our tree which has pride of place on our mantlepiece. It’s a great alternative to a traditional tree and I’m not quite sure if we’re ready to risk a proper tree with an adventurous toddler around!