Grinch Tree, a whimsical DIY Christmas gift idea
DIY Grinch Tree
The Grinch is my favourite Christmas character. Dr. Seuss’ Whoville is a cheerful, whimsical place and as a kid I wished I could visit there. This Grinch Tree is a quick and easy DIY Christmas gift idea, bringing a little whimsy to your household or as a great hostess gift.
When I saw these for the first time last year at the Vancouver Christmas Market, I was totally enchanted. Looking for the garland, baubles, and containers took some time, but it was a lot of fun. Once you have all the pieces, it takes less than 30 minutes to put together.
DIY Grinch Tree at the various stages
What you’ll need:
- Lemon cypress tree (15” or taller)
- Green floral wire (26 gauge, on a paddle)
- Decorative garland (small in scale)
- Ornament (3”, the lighter in weight the better)
- Decorative container (slightly larger than the plant pot)
- Sphagnum (or Spanish) moss or white aquarium rock
- Tags (see printable below)
- Ribbon (to attach tag)
- Wire cutter
Putting it together:
- Starting at bottom, in 1” intervals, wrap wire up and down the tree (not too tightly), bending tip of tree as you go
- Wrap garland around the tree
- Attach ornament
- Place tree into decorative container
- Top soil with moss or rock
- Wrap a ribbon around the tree or container and add a tag
You could plant the tree directly into the decorative container, but as I knew my friends would probably want to plant it outdoors after Christmas, I simply left the tree in the plastic pot. Once placed in the decorative container and covered with moss, you can’t tell. And it’s easy to lift out and water. If you decide to plant it directly into the container, do that before you start adding the decorations.
The purpose of wrapping the wire around the tree is to make it thinner and bendable. I had to do a couple of mine over because I had wrapped them a little too tightly and they were too skinny or looked to perfect. As I got closer to the tip of the tree, the wire got a little closer so I could add a bit of a curl.
I found the more whimsical the ornament, the cuter the tree. The dollar store is full of them. I experimented with a few types of garland. The bendable stems with the glittery baubles were my favourite and the easiest to work with as I didn’t need to wire the ends down.
Grinch Tree care tag
The tags include care instructions and doubles as a gift tag. The lemon cypress is pretty easy to care for, but it’s not happy indoors for a long time. The smell is fabulous. For more detailed care see these articles: How to care for a lemon cypress tree, and Repotting your Grinchy cypress tree.
DIY Grinch Tree
For more Pinspiration:
Visit my Christmas Fun Pinterest board for more ideas. In another post I’ll share how my Grinch Pill turned out. These were the pins that inspired me:
- Build your own Grinch Tree – Marilyn Denis Show
- Your heart will grow 3 sizes with this DIY Grinch Tree – Yummy Mummy Club (see the how-to video)
Which Christmas story is your favourite? Or most relatable?
