Make it merry in minutes

Christmas in a jar: 10 charming displays to make or gift

Create enchanting Christmas mini worlds in old glass jars. Decorate with toy animals, tiny cars, and dollhouse accessories. Make convincing snow from sugar or salt. A handmade Christmas jar will bring joy for a long time.

Author Natalia Rehbinder

Images A-lehdet Photo Archive

November 26, 2025Lue suomeksi

1. The magic’s in the lid

Christmas jars filled with nuts — Glue a toy animal or a cluster of little trees to the lid and make it the star of the jar. What a lovely way to store nuts and other holiday treats!

2. The jar goes topsy-turvy

A Christmas display in an upside-down glass jar — A display made in an upside-down jar takes a bit of effort, but the result is wonderful. Glue the decorations to the inside of the lid. Pour a suitable amount of salt, sugar, or faux snow into the jar, close the lid, and flip the jar upside down. It’s perfectly fine if a little snow clings to the spruce branches and the elf hat!

3. A sweet mini snow castle

A snow castle made of sugar cubes in a glass jar — Make the snowdrift from granulated sugar and build the snow castle from sugar cubes. Assemble the castle piece by piece directly in the jar on top of the snow. It’s best to place the bunny on the drift before you start building, so the castle won’t collapse when you try to slide the critter inside. Building a sugar castle is sure to inspire many kids, too!

4. Put a gingerbread house in a jar

A glass jar filled with gingerbread cookies — You can make a gingerbread house in a jar, too! Arrange the cookies on the sugar snow and tie a pretty ribbon around the jar. A gift like this would surely delight a friend.

5. Show off your favorite ornaments

glass ornaments in a glass jar — When you want to keep your prettiest Christmas ornaments on display, gather them in a large glass jar and tie a sweet bow around the neck. That way you can enjoy them even before it’s time to decorate the tree.

6. A glass jar full of festive twinkle

a string of lights and a display in a glass jar — A glass jar is a great place for a string of lights, either on its own or as part of a cozy arrangement with evergreens and little Christmas figures.

7. The elf’s path leads into the spruce forest

Mini trees and figurines in glass jars — Place a few decorative mini trees and a festive figurine on the sugar in a glass jar. A classic Christmas decoration is ready!

8. Light for the Christmas crowd

A glass jar filled with stones and candles — A beautiful, always-reliable trick is to set a candle in a glass jar with stones at the bottom. You can also place the candle in an old pie tin before setting it on the stones. Finish the jar with a bow and a decorative star. The safest choice is to use an LED candle.

9. A world of two glass jars

A playful Christmas display made from two glass jars — Double the delight and build a complementary Christmas world from two glass jars. Fill the jars with walnuts. Craft a little elf swing from ribbon and a small piece of wood to fit the jar, and decorate it with sprigs of evergreen. Glue the swing’s cords to the lid. In the other jar, make a cluster of ornaments by tying small ornaments to ribbons and gluing the ribbon ends to the inside of the lid. Place a bendable fabric elf on the swing, and set another elf sitting in the other jar. Screw the lids on and tie a pretty ribbon around them.

10. A peek into the snow jar

Use a brush to spread glue all around the jar, but leave an oval peek-through window bare. Roll the jar in sugar or salt. Place the decorations you want inside and pour in sugar or salt for snow. — With your finger or a brush, spread glue around the jar, but leave a little peek-through window like in the photo. Roll the jar in sugar or salt. Place the decorations you want inside and pour in sugar or salt for snow. Use double-sided tape to attach an LED tealight to the jar lid. Decorate the lid with evergreens and a pretty ribbon.

Also read: Create a Christmas world in a lantern, a jar, or on the table—we picked 12 inspiring ideas [in Finnish]

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