DIY Christmas decorations with your instax™ camera

The tree's going up, the Christmas playlist's been on since the first of the month and someone's already asking if it's too early for mince pies (it's not). This is the year to skip the matchy-matchy shop displays and make DIY Christmas decorations that look like your life instead.

Your instax™ prints do most of the work here. A few packs of film, a ball of twine and one cosy evening will turn your mantelpiece, tree and dinner table into something that feels personal. Pick and mix from our favourite Christmas decorating ideas, one zone at a time.

Start with the mantelpiece

The mantel is usually the first thing people clock when they walk into the room, so it's a great place to begin. No fireplace? A bookshelf or a wide windowsill works just as well.

A garland strung with mini prints

This is the easiest of all the DIY Christmas decorations here, and it looks good from the moment it goes up. Run a length of jute twine or velvet ribbon between two heavy candlesticks, or weigh each end down under a stack of books. Clip your instax™ mini prints along it with wooden mini pegs and leave about a hand's width between each one.

Thread battery fairy lights through the twine, then tuck sprigs of eucalyptus or a few dried orange slices between the prints. A loose theme keeps it looking put together. Try this year's best nights out, every pet in the family, or 'then and now' pairs with a childhood Christmas pic next to one from this year.

Prop one or two standout moments on a slim picture ledge underneath the garland for extra depth. Swap them out whenever you print something new.

Shoot fresh pics for it

Some of the best garland prints are the ones you take on decorating day. The instax mini 13™ has a self-timer with 2-second and 10-second settings, plus an angle adjuster built into the wrist strap. Set it on a shelf, tilt it up, pick the 10-second timer and get the whole household in front of the half-finished tree, tangled lights and all. Pop in a pack of instax™ mini film (sold separately) first.

Deck the tree

Save your favourite prints for the tree. Keep them protected and held securely, and they'll look as good on New Year's Day as they did on day one.

Ornament-style print holders

Large (12cm) clear fillable baubles are the quickest upgrade. Slide a mini print inside, add a pinch of fake snow or a few sequins and pop the top back on. Angle the print so it faces outwards, and keep the loose bits behind it so they don't sit on the image. The print stays safe inside, and the bauble goes on the tree just like any other decoration.

For a craftier look, make card frame ornaments. Cut two card rectangles slightly bigger than your print, cut a window in one, then sandwich the print between them and glue the card edges together (never the print). Clip the finished frame onto a sturdy branch with a mini peg. Glitter card and offcuts of tartan wrapping paper both make great frames.

Mini peg clusters

Wooden mini pegs clip straight onto sturdier branches. Group three or four prints together rather than scattering them. Each cluster then stands out as its own little feature.

Detail shots look lovely here: the bow on the dog's collar, frost on the window, the wonky star someone made in primary school, your nan's knitted stocking. The instax mini 41™ has a Close-up Mode with parallax correction, so small subjects stay centred in the frame. Its classic, vintage-inspired design fits the cosy Christmas mood, too.

Set the table

Christmas dinner is one of the few times everyone's sat in the same place at once, which makes the table a brilliant spot for your prints.

Personalised place cards

Print a pic of each guest and stand it in a small place card holder or on a mini easel. Write their name at the bottom of the print with a fine marker, so the bottom border does the job of a name card. They double as little keepsakes once the pudding's been served.

Using instax™ mini Black Frame film? Write the names in a white or metallic pen so they show up.

A print-topped gift-tag station

Set up a little station on a sideboard or at the end of the table: a jar of kraft tags, a spool of ribbon, mini pegs, a pen pot and a tray of prints. Clip a print to the top of each tag and write the message at the bottom of the print. It looks pretty sitting out all December, and you're never hunting for a tag on Christmas Eve.

Build a scrapbook advent countdown

Chocolate calendars are usually empty by the 3rd. This version fills up as December goes on, and you get to keep it.

Grab a photo album or a blank scrapbook and number the pages 1 to 24. Leave it open on a book stand on the coffee table or mantel. Each day, add one print: the first frost, your work party fit, the queue for the Christmas market, whatever the day brings. Jot the date at the bottom of the print as you go.

Some days you'll want more than one pic, and that's fine. Let the busy weeks spill across two pages and keep slower days small. Washi tape, ticket stubs and the odd sweet wrapper add texture without much effort.

An instax™ printer lets you mix older festive favourites from your phone in with this year's prints, and our photo album pro hacks are full of layout ideas. By Christmas Eve, the album's full.

What are the easiest DIY Christmas decorations to make with instax™ prints?

The quickest DIY Christmas decorations are a peg garland and a few fillable baubles. Each one needs a handful of prints and about an hour. If you're new to crafting, start with the garland. It works with any number of prints, and you can keep adding to it right up to Christmas Day.

The best instax™ mini film for Christmas

The film you choose changes the whole look. These current instax™ mini film designs suit festive decor:

•       Soft Glitter for baubles and ornaments, with glittery borders that catch the fairy lights.
•       Pastel Galaxy for a dreamy, after-dark feel on the garland
•       Confetti for a bright, party-ready table
•       Black Frame or Monochrome for a moody, candlelit mantel
•       White when you want plenty of space to write at the bottom

Film comes in packs and works with every camera and printer in the instax™ mini range, so mix and match designs across each zone. Most packs have 10 prints, so grab a few extra if you're doing the advent countdown too.

Make it yours this Christmas

Start with one zone, see how it looks, then build from there. A garland this weekend, the table on the big day. None of these DIY Christmas decorations need fancy kit, just a stack of prints and whatever ribbon's left over from last year.

Pick up a pack of instax™ mini film, load your instax mini 13™ and start shooting before the tree's even finished.

FUJIFILM, instax, instax mini 13, instax mini 41 and don't just take, give. are registered trademarks or trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation.