Join the Nutcracker Decor Trend! Check Out My Easy DIY Using Wallet-Friendly Finds from Walmart & Michaels

Upgrade wooden nutcrackers with these easy and frugal tips to create beautiful Christmas decor.

Time to deck the halls for the holidays!

DIY Nutcracker decor seems to be trending in a big way this year for Christmas. I keep seeing them popping up in just about every Instagram-worthy display!

Nutcrackers are my latest personal obsession, and today I am sharing a few easy ways to dress them up and how to incorporate them into your own Christmas decor.

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I created an Instagram video above (or watch here) to showcase how easy these DIY ideas really are!

Michaels has beautiful unfinished wooden nutcrackers in various sizes you can paint or stain!

I found an adorable set of 6 smaller nutcrackers for under $6 at my store and am thrilled with how cute they are. The details are so fun! You could totally use this as an easy art project with the kids and have them paint each one any way they’d like.

I decided to just spray paint them in gold to fit in with my neutral-colored holiday decor, but you can of course choose any color of your liking! These were very easy to paint and just needed a couple of light coats and time to dry. They turned out so cute and it was such a quick and easy project.

Have you seen the 27-inch nutcrackers from Walmart that are going viral? 

I am such a fan of this fun Walmart nutcracker trend going on!

These are super popular right now on Instagram and TikTok, with everyone using them to decorate with for the holidays. I love that they come in red, green, and white. Plus these are very large and yet very lightweight for easy storage. The texture is like a soft velvet on the inside and I love the minimalist design.

I bought cute 7/8-inch gold patterned ribbon and paired it with this 1.5-inch gold ribbon to add some bows around the neck to elevate it a little and love the look. You could even pick brighter colored ribbons to match your style if desired.

I am keeping these nutcrackers white for now, but I have seen others spray paint them and think that would be fun too! For instance, you could spray paint them in black for a more pottery barn vibe.

Here are all my wooden nutcrackers displayed together on my dining table!

This display was easy to create using a couple of strands of Christmas garland. Last year I had bought two 24-inch unfinished wood nutcrackers from Michaels, and the exact ones are no longer available, but this 24-inch nutcracker is also from Michaels is and very similar! Plus these are currently on sale! This 14.75-inch size nutcracker would be very similar to the middle one in this grouping.

Here is my DIY Nutcracker-themed mantel!

And in true Lina fashion 😉, I finished decorating for Christmas, and by the end of the weekend decided I liked the nutcrackers on my mantel better instead and switched them up. I love how the display turned out! Decorating for the holidays makes me so happy and these nutcrackers are a fun addition this year.

I wanted to add that if you want to makeover nutcrackers that you may already have on hand you could always spray-paint those! Consider grabbing some from the dollar store – I’ve heard they have them, but wasn’t able to find any at my store.

You could even check your local thrift stores for nutcrackers. Check out my Instagram video of all the Christmas items I found recently!

Are you decorating with nutcrackers this year?! Let us know in the comments!

Check out my fun Anthro-inspired Christmas candle craft using bottle-brush trees.