Pallet wood Christmas decorations: how this village crafts its own decor from reclaimed timber

Pallet planks, glass jars and a few pots of paint: in Les Moutiers-en-Retz, in Loire-Atlantique, a group of volunteers makes its own Christmas decorations for display around the village, according to actu.fr. The method is easy to recreate at home, with reclaimed materials, a saw and two afternoons spent with friends or family.

In Les Moutiers-en-Retz, the Christmas decor comes from a volunteer workshop

The initiative follows one simple rule: buy nothing new as long as a used material does the job. The group, nicknamed "Les Lutins Bricoleurs" (the DIY elves) and led by Patrice Rivault, cuts, assembles and paints reclaimed pallet planks, supplemented with raw wood, glass jars and bits of pipe. The finished pieces then decorate the village squares.

The same handmade spirit runs through the local Christmas market: Destination Pornic's calendar has it scheduled for Sunday 29 November 2026, from 10am to 6pm, organised by the Le Sourire Monastérien association.

Six pallet wood Christmas decorations within reach of a beginner

A single dismantled pallet supplies the raw material for several objects, without a single new piece of timber. The most accessible projects include:

• a flat Christmas tree, five planks of decreasing length nailed onto two uprights;
• a star to lean against a wall or at the foot of the stairs;
• jar lanterns, filled with branches and an LED candle;
• a wall-mounted Advent calendar: 24 hooks on a sanded plank, marking the spots in pencil before screwing them in, otherwise the rows start to drift by the second line;
• a storage crate for baubles, handy all year round;
• gift tags cut from the thinnest offcuts.

Not all pallets are equal. If one is stained, damp or smells of chemicals, leave it where it is. And for pallets sitting behind a shop, a quick word with the manager avoids any misunderstanding, as many are on deposit. If you're still tempted to top up with shop-bought pieces, the 2026 collections mix easily with your existing baubles.

Setting up a group workshop without losing all of December to it

The project drags on the moment it's left to one person, working every other Sunday right up to Christmas. Better to plan two firm sessions: one for dismantling, sanding and cutting, another for painting and assembling. Everyone brings their own tool, and one person keeps track of the paint and screws.

Children can easily help with light sanding and painting, while the saw stays with the adults. The project also makes financial sense at a time when natural tree prices are climbing: outdoor decor, by contrast, costs you nothing but time.

When handmade decorations end up under the tree

A jar lantern, a wooden star signed on the back: these pieces move effortlessly from the living room to a gift wrap. Filled with homemade chocolates and sealed with a painted lid, the same decorated jar becomes a gift in its own right, and when it comes to treats, small formats often beat the big gift box.

Handmade gifts do create one blind spot though: nobody knows what everyone else is making, and two identical jar lanterns can easily end up with the same person on the morning of the 25th. A shared Christmas list helps with that too, by noting who's making what before the first cut of the saw. Sanding and painting each need a night to dry, so schedule your two sessions a week apart.