If you’re planning a cozy family holiday weekend, Christmas cabin stay, or festive vacation rental getaway, this Dollar Tree DIY Christmas Elf Ladder is a fun and budget-friendly decoration to make before your trip or during a relaxed holiday craft afternoon.

This easy Christmas craft uses paint sticks, chalk paint, glue, lights, and elf or Santa plushes to create a cute ladder that looks like the elves are helping decorate the tree. It’s simple, festive, and perfect for adding a little Christmas fun to your home, cabin, or holiday getaway space.

Why This Craft Works for a Family Holiday Getaway

This DIY Christmas Elf Ladder is a fun fit for:

Family Christmas weekends
Texas cabin getaways
Vacation rental decorating
Holiday girls’ trips
East Texas Christmas weekends
Kids’ Christmas activities
Cozy tree decorating nights
Budget-friendly holiday decor

Supplies - DIY Christmas Elf Ladder

Paint Sticks (I used 4 large ones and 11 small ones)
White Chalk Paint (or any paint or color as you choose)
Hot or Wood Glue
Small box (1 or 2) of Christmas lights
Christmas Elves and Santa plush

Instructions - DIY Christmas Elf Ladder

Take the 4 large paint sticks and glue them together on the ends to make the ladder longer and let dry.

Paint your ladder and let dry.

Wrap your Christmas lights around the ladder from top to bottom. You can use battery operated but I couldn't find any so I just used a small box or plug in.

Glue your elves to the ladder and place against the tree or any other place you want to make it look like they are helping with the decorating.

My Christmas Tree

I am so in love with my tree. I starting decorating it in Farmhouse style last year and it's pretty much favorite, will never do it any other way.

Once I got through making my elf ladder, I propped it up against my tree.

Then I had an issue.

There were no more near by outlets to plug it in. I might have to find a different location for or find some battery operated lights, I'm not sure.

I had another issue....

While I told you to glue the plush dolls to the ladder, it's a great idea if you don't have dogs.

I have a small dog that will remove them (glued or not) and chew them up. So I opted out of gluing them and I take them off of the ladder when I am not home to watch them.

I really enjoyed this simple Christmas DIY and I am pretty sure I will add more things to it as I go or change it up.

What to Pack If Making This During a Trip

If you want to make this Christmas Elf Ladder during a cabin weekend or vacation rental stay, pack your supplies together before you leave:

Paint sticks
Chalk paint
Hot glue or wood glue
Glue sticks
Battery-operated Christmas lights
Elf or Santa plushes
Paint brush
Disposable table covering
Paper towels

Battery-operated lights are usually better for a cabin or vacation rental because you don’t have to fight with outlet placement like you’re negotiating with the wall.

Safety Tip

Adults should handle hot glue, wood glue, and any cutting or trimming. If you have pets or small children, make sure the ladder, lights, and plush decorations are secure and out of reach when unsupervised. Use battery-operated lights when possible, and never leave plug-in lights on when you are not nearby.