Chicken Wire Christmas Card Tree

Festively display your Christmas cards with this Chicken Wire Christmas Card Tree! See the tutorial below on how to create it. This post includes affiliate links, which when purchased through, add no cost to the consumer but provide this site with a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

During the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I hold my husband to a hard and fast rule: I am the only one allowed to go to the mailbox each day. It’s not because of super secret gift shipments, but rather because I absolutely adore receiving Christmas cards. It’s like a special little surprise each time that I open the mailbox lid. I like the anticipation of wondering how many (if any) cards that we may receive and who may have sent them to us. I get so excited by Christmas cards that when I suggested to the hubby that we make a display for them, he agreed that it was a great idea.

I wanted to spend as little money as possible on this project. Free would be even better. By keeping the project materials contained to items that were already in our basement we were able to accomplish this. This Chicken Wire Christmas Card Tree is easy enough to be completed in two hours or less, and depending on the items that you already have, it is free or inexpensive. Yet it makes a nice rustic decor piece for my Christmas decor, and it’s a great way to display our treasured Christmas cards.

Supplies for the Chicken Wire Christmas Card Tree

• Chicken wire
• 4 “tobacco” sticks, also known as staking sticks for tomato plants
• Long plastic zip ties
• Staple gun
• 1/2″ Plywood
• Skill saw
• Drill with 1/4″ drill bit
• Something circular to make the base template- we used a trash can lid (Hey, improvising is awesome!!)
• Garland- the flimsy kind, not the stiff garland
• Mini clothes pins
• Optional: star for top of tree, ornaments, lights

Tips: Want a smaller tree? Cut the sticks to create a table top tree. Don’t have long plastic zip ties? Wire that bends easily would also work.

How to Make

Begin by drilling a hole with the 1/4″ drill bit in one end of all four sticks.

Use long plastic zip ties to secure them together.

Now create the base. The base will determine the width of the tree. I wanted to be able to fit the tree in a corner in my home, so a trash can lid worked well for me. Use the item as a template to trace a circle on the plywood.

Cut out the circle with the skill saw.

Place the sticks around the outside of the circle.

Using the same drill bit, drill a hole through the stick and a hole in the circle.

Secure by placing zip ties through the holes. We placed an additional zip tie around the stick as a reinforcement.

Do this with all four sticks.

Wrap the chicken wire around the frame, using zip ties to attach the wire to the sticks in strategic places. You won’t need many zip ties. Once a few are in place to secure the wire, it will stay steady. Optionally, you could also use a staple gun.

Trim the bottom wire and use a staple gun to secure it to the base.

Wrap the garland around the frame, using the holes in the chicken wire to wedge it in place.

Leave space between the garland so that the mini clothes pins have an area to easily attach to the wire.

Add a star to the top.

Now stand back and wait for the cards to arrive in the mail!

I debated about wrapping clear lights around the tree, too. I didn’t this year but may for next!

Do you still send and receive Christmas cards?