The number of mason jars in my house can be a little overwhelming, but there’s a reason I hoard them all year long. They’re perfect for creating Christmas decor, crafts, treats, and much more.
If you’ve saved every pickle, tomato sauce, and salsa jar, I have some fun and festive ideas for how you can use them for the holiday season. And if you forgot to save all your jars, don’t fret. You can always buy a giant pack at Costco!
Faux Snow Globe
One of the cutest things you can do with a mason jar for the holidays is turn it into a faux snow globe. Don’t worry, this doesn’t require any goop or messy liquids like traditional snow globes. All you need is a small figurine that will comfortably fit in your jar, such as a tiny Christmas tree, Santa Claus, or holiday-decorated house, and fake snow.
For this craft, I like to use styrofoam beads because they stick to the sides of the glass with static. However, you can use any kind of fake snow you have available. Glue the bottom of the figurine to the inside of the mason jar lid. Drop a few scoops of fake snow into the empty jar. The right amount depends on your jar size and figurine, but usually, two to four tablespoons is perfect. Screw the lid on and flip the jar upside down so it sits on the lid. Voila! You have a liquidless snow globe you can pick up and shake whenever.
Potpourri Presents
It’s important to me that my house smells like Christmas all throughout December. I love to make simmer pots, light candles from Target, and bake goodies, so the air is always filled with that cozy vibe. But that can all be a lot of work for busy people. Make it easier for friends and family to have a Christmas-scented home by gifting them homemade potpourri jars.
I adore doing this because it lets me play with different scents and ingredient combinations to create a signature scent for every season. You can use ingredients like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, dried citrus fruit rounds, dried cranberries, dried herbs, chestnuts, and more. The options are endless, just be sure you don’t use anything that could become moldy or rancid.
Table Decor
When you need to create a charming Christmas tablescape, mason jars are your best friend, your right-hand elf, your decorating secret weapon. The possibilities are plentiful. Fill mason jars with bleached pine cones, roasted chestnuts, pine-scented candles (the store-bought ones), red ribbons, or maybe leftover bobbles (more on that later).
Tie a string around the jar lips or paint sweet images on the glass. I prefer to use three to five mason jars of varying sizes and shapes to create a table centerpiece for Christmas dinner, and I usually sprinkle a few pine cones around the jar collection. But you can also use these jars to elevate your place settings, so every seat has a decorated jar that sets the mood.
Christmas Candy Jar
If you’re like me, you can’t resist a big ‘ole bag of Christmas candy. Whether it’s Christmas tree-shaped Reese’s, classic candy canes, or peppermint taffy, I always have a stash of Christmas candy in the house during the holiday season.
Sweets like candy canes are festive and cute all on their own, so you can display them in a large mason jar. This way, they’ll add more Christmas spirit to your home’s decor and be easily accessible. Guests can grab one when they visit, or you can snag a sweet every time you walk by! Leave the lid on to keep yourself in check, or keep it off for efficient candy snatching.
Cozy Hot Cocoa
Yes, hot chocolate is traditionally served in mugs, and I love a good holiday mug. However, mason jars, especially ones with convenient handles, can be wonderful for hot cocoa. You get to see the rich chocolate color through the glass and take Pinterest-ready pictures. Complete the picturesque vibe with a candy cane on the side and a generous mountain of whipped cream on top.
I especially love to use mason jars for my hot cocoa if I’m making a unique cup that deserves a stunning presentation. But if the decadence of hot chocolate isn’t the right vibe for you, a mason jar is also perfect for a festive cup of gingerbread coffee or peppermint tea.
Snowmen Mason Jars
Okay, I’ve been making these since I was a kid, and I’ll never get over how cute they can be. And no two are the same, so they make your Christmas decor feel super unique. You’ll need: fake snow, buttons, colored clay, an old sock, ribbon, glue (I prefer a hot glue gun), and pompoms are optional. Make a snowman face using the button for the eyes, pieces of dark clay for the mouth, and orange clay for the nose. Or, get funky with it and make an unorthodox snowman face!
Once that’s done, give the glue a little time to dry, then fill the glass completely with your fake snow and put the lid on. Next, take your old sock and glue the ankle hem to the jar’s lip, so the sock looks like a hat. Here, you can glue a few pom poms to the bottom of the sock if you want. Lastly, I like to tie a piece of festive ribbon around the bottom to look like a scarf. You can make a whole family (or army) of mason jar snowmen!
Ready-to-Go Baking Ingredients
This is one of the most popular uses for mason jars around Christmas. Sometimes, gifting people baked goods is not feasible or ideal. For example, if you send a box of gingerbread cookies across the country, there’s a high chance they’ll be crumbs by the time they get there. I hate that! A brilliant alternative is to send ready-to-go ingredients, meaning you measure out all the dry ingredients and mix-ins and layer them into a mason jar.
This way, the recipient can quickly make the treat themselves, and it’ll be like you were there to make them fresh cookies. I often do this with baked goods, but you can also do it with other treats like hot cocoa. I always attach a large gift tag with a message from me and an easy-peasy recipe on the other side. It’s important to make the recipe as easy as possible so the gift is a gift and not a burden.
Tree Ornament Mason Jars
If you can’t get enough of the mason jar aesthetic around Christmas (same), you can even hang mason jars on your tree. It’s best to make mason jar ornaments with either small or lightweight jars. The last thing you want is your tree toppling over because you were overenthusiastic about your holiday jars.
You can hang the jars just as they are by wrapping some string around the lip, or put something in the jar to make it stand out. I also like to decorate the outside of jars if I want something colorful. Fill them with fake snow, pine cones, and other lightweight, festive items. Or, paint holiday designs on the exterior, like candy cane stripes, a snowman family, or a big red bow.
Preserved Presents
If you’re a pickler or preserver at heart, use mason jars to give preserved gifts. This could range from preserved peaches to pickled beets to homemade kimchi. If you already ferment or preserve things, you know the possibilities are endless. Make jams, jellies, pasta sauces, fruit butters, chutneys, pickles, baby food, pie fillings, and more.
Make sure you follow a USDA-approved recipe if you plan on canning the foods by waterbath or pressure canning methods. (The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving is a great resource, with plenty of recipes perfect for gift giving.) This is a great way to send holiday food to loved ones who live far away.
Cookie Mason Jars
I mentioned the candy jar, but I also store Christmas cookies in my mason jars. Not only does this offer a charming and aesthetic look, but traditional mason jars are airtight, meaning your cookies will stay fresh and soft.
I cannot stand dried-out, stale cookies, but I also can’t eat a dozen cookies in one sitting, so this is my solution. I can look at my pretty cookies all day long and if I don’t eat any for a week, they’ll still be fresh and chewy! To be honest, I also cheat sometimes, buying Christmas cookies from the store and then putting them in my adorable Mason cookie jar.
Little Love Notes
These days, it’s all Amazon, Amazon, Amazon when it comes to presents. But I still think homemade, from-the-heart gifts are the best, and this is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give. Rather than a traditional Christmas card or sweet text, write down kind messages to a loved one and put them in a mason jar.
They can be simple things like “You make the best cookies in the world,” or heartwarming words like “You make me happy every day.” You can add a bunch of notes and give it to them on Christmas, or you can write 24 notes and give it to them at the start of December as an endearing countdown for Advent.
Holiday Eggnog
I mentioned using mason jars for hot chocolate, but it’s worth mentioning eggnog too! This is a quintessential Christmas drink, and while it’s yummy on its own, it’s even better with a splash of brandy or rum. For whatever reason, I think this creamy, rich beverage isn’t suited to thin wine glasses or standard coffee mugs, and nothing is better than a charming mason jar.
If you’re hosting a Christmas shindig this year, everyone will love being served a cozy glass of eggnog in a cute jar. Plus, mason jars hold a lot more than a wine glass can! Add a cinnamon stick or star anise on top for a thoughtful aesthetic, or just a sprinkle of nutmeg on top to enhance the flavor. I also recommend putting the jars in the fridge for a while before using them, so they keep the eggnog perfectly chilled.
Festive String Lights
Classic Christmas string lights have a special place in my heart, but they can feel monotonous and basic sometimes. Sure, you can get different colors and styles at the store, but it’s tough to find string lights that will really wow people. That’s why using mason jars to enhance string lighting is a stellar move. There are various ways you can do this, and you might not even have to buy anything to make it happen.
In the past, I’ve placed mason jars over naked bulbs sporadically around my porch or in my living room. But I’ve also used the traditional Christmas lights, stuffing a few of the small bulbs into each jar for a twinkling effect. The only bummer is you usually have to cut holes in the top of your jars to make this work, which means you can’t seal the cans for other uses later on. But you can always order a pack of lids!
Candle Mason Jars
For all my crafty candle lovers out there, this one is for you. I’m often surprised by how people shy away from making their own candles, but once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy. It’s just melting wax along with thoughtful stirring. When you make candles, you need sturdy, reliable jars because, well, the wax is hot, and you don’t want the glass shattering. Enter mason jars. They’re seriously so perfect for making candles at home, and Christmas candles are the best.
You just pour the wax straight into the jar while it’s still like lava. I’ve given these as gifts, but I mostly just place them around my house to amp up the festive energy and make the place smell like the season. If I’m feeling particularly artistic, I’ll paint simple Christmas designs on the jars, like a snowman or reindeer.
Bauble Holder
Everyone in my life knows how Christmas-obsessed I am, so I receive many Christmas-related gifts, even on my birthday. I cherish every one, but don’t necessarily have room on the tree for every ornament and bauble I own. But I don’t want to hide them away in storage either, so I use leftover baubles — big and small — as decor throughout my house.
Some go in holiday baskets, others fill my empty flower vases, and many, many baubles go into my available mason jars. It’s best to use a mix of colors, materials, sizes, and styles for an eclectic and spirited look, but a monochromatic vibe is never a bad option. Baubles are frequently overlooked as decor when they’re not on the tree, but these sparkling, shiny balls have way more uses than you might think.
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