How to make a Christmas Tree Shelf

When a Christmas decoration competition popped up on one of the sites I create for, I knew I had to join in again. After doing well with my “Santa Stop Here” sign last time, I wanted to try something different—something creative yet practical. With our kids grown and out of the house, I don’t go all out with Christmas decorations anymore, but I still like to bring a bit of holiday cheer for me and my husband. Instead of setting up a big Christmas tree, I decided to craft a Christmas shelf. My initial idea was a simple triangular design with a back and a few ornaments, but once I got started, the project quickly took on a life of its own!

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How to make a Christmas tree shelf

I originally planned for this to be a step-by-step tutorial, snapping photos along the way to document the process. However, when I finally checked my camera, I discovered I’d accidentally taken a collection of unflattering selfies instead of progress shots—oops!

I’ll admit, I don’t usually work from a detailed plan; I tend to create as I go. Since this project turned out so adorable, I decided to sketch a simple guideline to help you recreate it. The drawing is pretty basic, but it should give you a clear idea of how to build your own. Don’t stress too much about exact measurements—I measured mine after the project was complete, so feel free to round them off as needed!

For this shelf, I used offcuts of plywood that were 1cm thick and 10cm wide—simply because it’s what I had on hand. You can use any wood that suits your project. Rather than pre-cutting all the pieces, I measured and cut them as I went along. To create the 45-degree angles on the ends of the first two pieces, I used a table saw. If you don’t have access to a table saw, a mitre box and handsaw will work just as well!

I started by glueing the first two pieces together with wood glue and used a corner clamp to hold them in place while the glue dried. However, I quickly realized the drying time was slowing me down and sapping my enthusiasm. To keep things moving, I switched to using a nail gun to secure the pieces so I could continue working. If you don’t have a nail gun, regular nails will do the trick and can easily be hidden later with wood filler. Of course, if you have none of these, you might need to embrace the patience of watching glue dry!

Once I finished the first shelf, I decided to keep the rest identical for simplicity. From there, it was just a matter of repeating the same process—glueing and nailing all the pieces together to complete the project.

Once the shelf was fully assembled, I decided to add a backing to prevent ornaments from falling out. For this, I used a thin piece of MDF. I placed the shelf on top of the MDF and traced its outline with a pencil. Then, I used a jigsaw to cut the MDF to size. To attach the backing, I applied wood glue and secured it with a nail gun, allowing me to continue working without delay.

The raw plywood wasn’t very attractive, so I decided to paint the shelf white to make the Christmas decorations pop. I used a white Unicorn Spit stain and glaze since it’s what I had on hand. However, once it dried, it turned translucent, so I added a layer of clear glitter paint for extra sparkle. If you’re aiming for a bright white finish, I’d recommend using a primer followed by acrylic paint instead.

Finally, it was time for the fun part—decorating the tree! I started by adding ornaments and small characters to sit on the shelves, bringing the festive design to life.

I think this is such a great idea for people who don’t want to have a Christmas tree. It is so simple and after Christmas, you can just pop it in a bin bag and put it under a bed until next year. Or if you want to you can change the Christmas decorations inside every year.

To see more great projects for Christmas check out these Unicorn spit baubles and this great Santa stop here sign.

A closer look at the decorations

This is the latest upgraded corner Christmas tree shelf that I built.

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