Here are 5 tips to decorate a grave for Christmas. Get inspired!

Do you go to the cemetery every year to remember your deceased loved ones also at Christmas? Would you like to bring a little Christmas atmosphere to their grave?

Christmas decorations for the grave in the form of decorated trees, wreaths or candlesticks look great, and they are far from the only way to decorate the grave.

Get inspired by our tips and celebrate an imaginary Christmas with those who can no longer be with you.

Christmas wreaths on the grave

Various Christmas wreaths can be a great inspiration for you. You can also make it from natural materials and decorate it with Christmas ornaments or star anise, cinnamon, pine cones, and colorful bows.

If you enjoy creating Christmas decorations, you may want to try knitting instead of making a traditional wreath. Silver spruce, fir, or pine are the most suitable types of branches for this project. You can add pine cones, burlap, carved plywood ornaments, or any other decorations that will complement your knit.

Christmas tree on the grave

Trees on graves became a Christmas custom in our country sometime in the second quarter of the 20th century and have continued to this day. However, it is also one of the main symbols of Christmas. We recommend choosing a smaller tree and properly anchoring it. Even so, be sure to choose unbreakable decorations.

Candles, candlesticks, and lamps with Christmas motifs

You can create a unique candle holder by arranging natural materials similarly to an Advent wreath. Instead of forming a circle, you can arrange the materials around the candle.

If you prefer not to make one, you can purchase a ready-made candle arrangement or attach a candle to a purchased arrangement.

Lamps with LED lighting are an alternative to candles. All you have to do is choose a Christmas theme and place the lamp on the grave or hang it on a tree branch.

How to Make Your Lantern

Make your simple Christmas-themed lantern that you can also use on your grave.

What will you need?

• an empty larger glass
• colored paper, preferably black or dark gray
• folding knife or scalpel for cutting into paper
• paper, glue, pencil, ruler, and eraser
• spray snow
• salt – large crystals
• tea light or battery candle

Instructions:

1. Measure the circumference of the glass and think about the height of the panorama. In the picture, the circumference of the glass is 12 inches and the height of the village is 3,5 inches.
2. Draw a rectangle on the paper with the given length and height, adding an extra 0.2 inches to the length.
3. Cut it out. (If you dare, you can use colored paper directly. It is safer to make a template from normal paper first)
4. Draw a panorama with a pencil, depending on what you want to have on it. Snowy houses, trees, a snowman… We’ll leave that up to you.
5. Carefully cut out the silhouette.
6. Now spray the top third of the glass with artificial snow and let it dry.
7. Sprinkle some salt on the bottom of the glass and place the candle.
8. Place the silhouette on the outside of the glass and glue the ends.

Christmas grave arrangement

Are you wondering what to put on your grandparents’ grave for Christmas? It certainly won’t be Santa Claus. Here it will be better to bet on something decent. How about an arrangement? Again, it doesn’t have to be just a wreath, but tastefully arranged natural materials decorated with bows, spices, and small ornaments or dried fruit. They can be placed in a vase, decorations in boxes that cannot topple over are more suitable.

Make an original arrangement with birds

Even more beautiful is the arrangement of birds on a twig. It will be an original decoration and you can make it easily. All you need is a suitably twisted willow branch, some dry grass for a nest, and decorations in the form of birds. Further decoration is purely up to you and your taste.

What will you need?

• a suitably twisted twig (can be bare or with needles)
• a handful of dried grass or hay
• ornaments in the form of birds
• spray snow

Instructions:

1. Roll the dried grass or hay together to create a structure similar to a bird’s nest.
2. Attach the nest to a suitable place on the branch, a tree trunk is ideal.
3. Place the birds, you can save some on the nest.
4. You can use spray snow for a winter atmosphere.
5. We will leave the further decoration to your taste.

Special items such as funeral grave decorations

There are a range of statues, statuettes, and figurines which can be used as Christmas decorations for graves. If you are celebrating a Christian Christmas, it is best to avoid using angels or the holy family as grave decorations. However, there are also non-traditional decorations that you can create on your own.

Santa and reindeer

The figure of Santa Claus is not exactly traditional for our region. Even though the good old man who loves Coca-Cola is getting bigger and bigger here, we don’t think he’s a suitable grave decoration. That is if your loved one was not his rock fan. In addition, many of these decorations sometimes go beyond kitsch.

Dwarves and other figurines

Currently, gnomes and dwarves with hoods over their eyes are very popular characters. Although gnome decorations are not traditional in our region, many people have taken a liking to them and have even learned how to make them using different materials. If you or a deceased loved one were enthusiasts of these characters, then a Christmas gnome for their grave would be an excellent choice. Learn how to quickly make a Christmas gnome at home.

Angels at the grave

Traditional and Christian figurines, suitable for the grave and also for Christmas time, depict angels or the holy family. In angels we can feel a connection with heaven and thus with our loved ones. In addition to classic statues, you can also find solar statues on the market, which are charged by the sun and emit a soft light at night.

Painted pebbles as Christmas decorations for graves

Are you looking for something original to take with you to the grave for Christmas? Painted pebbles are original and weather-resistant. You don’t have to have a huge talent, the important thing is that you put a piece of yourself into the creation. We recommend painting with acrylic paints and varnishing with colorless varnish for greater durability of the picture.

How to paint a pebble, even if you are not an artist?

Paint your pebble. It will be easy with our guide.

What will you need?

• stones – the size is up to you, don’t choose tiny ones, it will be difficult to draw on them
• acrylic paints in tubes or acrylic markers
• clear acrylic varnish, but it is not a requirement
• a brush, a little water, and a cloth to wipe the brush
• an ordinary pencil
• scissors and a dish sponge

Instructions:

1. Wash the stone and let it dry.
2. Use acrylic tube paint for the base and let dry.
3. In the meantime, use a pencil or colored markers to sketch a simple motif on paper. You can use anything you can think of as a template. We chose a simple Christmas classic – a twig with a candle.
4. Transfer the motif to the dried stone. The twig is not complicated – use a brown felt-tip pen to outline the main strokes and a green or thin outline felt-tip pen to finish the needles with dashes.
5. Draw the candles – again, you simply make a red rectangle and fine-tune the shapes with the outline.
6. Take the yellow marker and light the candle. You can color it orange to make it look more lively.
7. Cue the glow.
8. Finally, cut a small piece of dish sponge. Apply paint (from a tube or marker) to the soft side and tap the stone around.
9. You are done! Congratulations on your first DIY Christmas bauble!

When choosing decorations for graves, it’s important to carefully read and follow the cemetery rules.

Some cemeteries prohibit certain decorations, such as Christmas trees, due to maintenance concerns. However, certain objects should generally be avoided when decorating a grave.

• Breakable and otherwise fragile ornaments will be at risk of bad weather and there is a risk that they will be left as fragments. The same applies to paper decorations that would not survive snow and rain.
• Do not place valuables on the grave. It’s sad, but it’s stolen everywhere. Even in cemeteries.
• Very large decorations are not suitable, especially if they interfere with roads or neighboring graves.