How To Make A Christmas Village

A windowsill display featuring four small white timber houses decorated with string lights.

Overview

There’s nothing more magical than a homemade windowsill Christmas village display – it’s a delight for you, your family and anybody who walks past and peeks at the scene. This D.I.Y. mini Christmas village can be put together by making your own houses – use timber offcuts and leftover primer and paint to keep it budget friendly. You can also add off-the-shelf kits to make the village as big or small as you like, depending on the space you have.

Safety tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Follow the instructions below to make as many pine offcut houses as you need, varying the heights. We also used an off-the-shelf Boyle kit to make more houses for the village. Assemble the two parts of the plywood house, prime and paint. Allow to dry, then slot together.

Tools and materials

Steps

1
Mark the timber
On scrap timber offcuts, use a pencil and steel rule to mark straight lines for the base of the house and a triangle roof. Cut the base line using a mitre box and handsaw.
2
Cut the timber
Clamp the timber house to your work bench to cut the angled roof lines with a handsaw. Sand the cut edges using 120-grit abrasive paper, then sand all faces of the timber house using 180-grit paper; wipe away dust.
3
Paint the house
Apply primer and two coats of white paint using brushes; let dry after each coat. Use a black marker pen to draw a door, windows and roof tiles on the front of the house. Place in position and decorate with battery-operated wire lights.
4
Keep in mind...
When cutting timber, sanding, painting or spray-painting, always wear the recommended safety equipment (such as eye protection, a mask and gloves) and work in a well-ventilated area, covering surrounding areas with a dropsheet to avoid overspray.
Keep all paint and chemicals out of the reach of children and pets.