Well, it’s not even November yet but here we are surrounded by Christmas stuff when we walk into the store! I can’t even say I’m mad about it. It just means I have more time to craft and collect it all. Especially the reindeer – I LOVE reindeer at Christmas. Some people collect Snowmen or Santas but for me, it’s always been about the Deer. To say I was excited when I found out that Dollar Tree Christmas decorations were already on the shelves was a bit of an understatement! Obviously, I had to hustle straight over to check it out.

There is so much! I mean there was a good bit of stock for Halloween – You can find our Halloween crafts here and here! But they clearly go all out for Christmas! It’s a really good thing I walked in with a budget or we’d have been in trouble! I’m pretty sure I could give my whole house a Christmas makeover with Dollar Tree Christmas decorations! Of course, I couldn’t leave without picking up enough supplies for at least one fun craft post! the hardest part was narrowing down my choices! But! I think I nailed it with these cute Reindeer diorama’s. They are small, simple and cute which fits all the criteria I set for these Dollar Store Craft posts! Of course, if you prefer Santas or Snowmen over Deer you can easily customize this craft to fit!

Dollar Tree Christmas Decorations, A Reindeer Diorama

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Dollar Tree Christmas Decorations – Reindeer Diorama Supplies

From the Dollar Tree

• Open Faced Decorative Tin boxes – I picked up two with a similar color scheme but differing patterns. Feel free to make your’s match if you want though or only get one!
• Set of Reindeer Ornaments – Or Snowmen, or Santa – I even saw some snowy owls and doves! Just make sure they will fit in the tins but use whatever you like!
• Set of Miniature trees  – These came in a set with one big tree and one smaller tree though it is a part of a larger village collection. I wanted both of my trees to match so I grabbed two (I’m sure I can find a use for the leftovers later!) If You don’t mind the slight size difference or are only making one box then one set will be fine! Likewise, depending on your decoration theme you might opt for something other than trees. A Nest for doves or perhaps a sleigh for Santa.
• Fake Snow – There are several options for this! There are two sizes of little foam balls to choose from – I picked the bigger of these! They can be kind of messy (I’ll probably be picking up stray foam balls for the next year!) But I liked the way they looked compared to the cotton version of fake snow they also had in stock. Use what you like best!
• Fake Candles – There were several options for this too, I picked up some white ones so they would blend with the snow but red, green or even black would be fine depending on your other decorations! I mean if you are going for a Santa theme then a black candle painted to look like a chimney would be quite cute!

From Your House

• Glue Gun & Glue Sticks – Hopefully you already have these but if not they are pretty cheap to pick up! You can even get mini gluesticks at the Dollar Tree in the craft section most of the time and a mini glue gun works perfectly fine!

Dollar Tree Christmas Decorations – Reindeer Diorama Directions

As I said above this craft is beyond simple. If you can open a box, use a glue gun and shake a bag then you got this! My kids love these little creations and I just know they are going to look super cute on the entertainment system (though I have been banned from setting them up until at LEAST November!) That’s fine I still have Halloween stuff up there anyway!

I think these would be especially good for households with small children, or kids like mine who are no longer small but just can’t help trying to touch everything! All the potential mess is safely sealed away and the front panel is clear plastic, not glass so no worries about accidental breakage either!

Step 1 – Open your Box

Yep pretty simple right? Make sure the inside is free of dust or small bits of packing from the store. This is also a good time to set all your decorations inside and make sure they will fit the way you intended! Don’t forget to leave room for the candle at the end!

Step 2 – Glue Down Your Decorations

Since you don’t want things shifting around or falling over all the t time it’s best to glue down all your decorations. A bit of hot glue works the best because it dries quickly. Glue down everything but your candle – you need to leave the candle free so that you can access the on and off switch underneath, just make sure you tested out your spacing so that everything will fit.

Step 3 – Add the Fake Snow

Once the glue for your decorations has dried you can lay your diorama back down and shake in a bunch of the fake snow. use as much or as little as you want! Its kind of messy, they tend to get everywhere so be careful while opening your bag.

Step 4 – Add the Candle and Close the Lid!

Alright so this is the only tricky part of this whole thing and really it’s not so much tricky as it is potentially messy! You see you have to lift the box upright enough to place your candle (since we couldn’t glue it down) but you don’t want to dump out all your snow either! I dropped mine behind the Reindeer leg which helped hold it in place. A 45-degree angle or so seems to work best! You will have to repeat this every time you turn the candles off and on but its worth it since the light is really sweet and cozy! once your candle is positioned snap on the lid and stand your creation upright!

Step 5 – Set them up and enjoy them!

These will look really cute on a mantel, shelf or coffee tables. no matter where you choose to place yours be proud of spreading some joy that you created with your own two hands!

What do You collect at Christmas?