The holidays seem to be the busiest time of year for me. So, with hardly any free time—or extra money—the crafts I picked for this season are extremely easy and inexpensive.

POMPOM PROJECTILES
What you will need:
Pipe cleaners (three per pompon)
Wire (any color, but a thin gauge)
Scissors
Ruler

Take three pipe cleaners and cut them into four equal parts (3 inches each). Cut a 2-inch piece of wire, wrap it around the middle of all 12 pipe cleaner pieces, and tie it off like a twist tie. Separate the pipe cleaners to create the pompon shape. The best part of this craft is using it to decorate—sit on the couch and throw the pompons at the tree. They stick to the needles and, as it turns out, it is strangely satisfying to throw things at a Christmas tree.

REINDEER FRIENDS
What you will need:
Brown pipe cleaners
Googly eyes
Red buttons (or pompons)
Hot glue gun
Six-pack of beer (or any glass bottles)

Bend the pipe cleaners into antler shapes. Hot-glue two antlers, two eyes and one nose to each bottle. This craft is perfect as a host or hostess gift at a holiday party, but if you aren’t invited to any, you have six new reindeer friends with whom to watch Netflix. Ernest Saves Christmas, anyone?

SMUG SNOWMAN
What you will need:
Black scrapbook paper (2 pieces)
Orange foam sheet
Any color of scrapbook paper (2 pieces)
Tape
Scissors
Hot glue gun

Since wreaths almost never turn out the way they’re supposed to, I opted to decorate my door in a non-traditional way. This turned out significantly better (and easier!!) than any wreath I’ve attempted before. Just cut pieces of coal and a top hat out of the black scrapbook paper (I found black sparkle Halloween paper on clearance at Michael’s), cut out accessories for your snowman from the other scrapbook paper, and make a cone out of the orange foam sheet. Hot-glue the cone together since tape won’t be strong enough. Tape it to your door, open a reindeer beer and bask in the warmth of knowing your snowman is better than your neighbors’ wreaths.

SOPHISTICATED SNOWFLAKES
What you will need:
Popsicle sticks
Spray paint
Wood glue

This is kind of an upgrade to the Popsicle-stick snowflakes your mom has had on her tree since you were in third grade, and it takes about the same amount of skill. Spray-paint the Popsicle sticks in a ventilated area. I painted one half blue and the other half silver glitter. Glue the snowflakes in place. Seriously, that’s it.

MERRY MASQUERADE
What you will need:
Foam sheets (white, brown, red, black, orange, green)
Wooden dowels
Hot glue gun
Scissors

Make stencils out of scratch paper so you don’t mark up the foam sheets. Next, place stencil over foam sheet and trace. Cut along the line and hot-glue foam sheet to wooden dowel. I put all the sticks into a vase, arranged them like a bouquet and placed it on my table as a centerpiece so everyone can see them and use them in pictures.