How to Make a Hanging DIY Santa Sleigh & Reindeer for $20

Looking for a budget-friendly way to add some magic to your holiday porch? This easy DIY Santa sleigh and reindeer project turns a few pieces of scrap plywood into a glowing, hanging Christmas display — for under $20! No store-bought décor (or after-Christmas scramble) needed. With a jigsaw, string lights, and a little creativity, you can craft your own festive sleigh and reindeer that sparkle all season long — and bring a handmade touch of joy to your yard.

Every year, we admired the sparkling sleigh and reindeer sets in the store, dreaming of how magical they would look on our porch.

But the prices were always sky high, and the after-Christmas sales shelves were always empty.

So we decided to make our own. It felt like the perfect way to add a personal touch to our holiday decorations and spend a cozy weekend creating together.

With a new jigsaw, a few pieces of leftover plywood, and plenty of Christmas spirit, we built a hanging sleigh and reindeer that brought even more joy than anything we could have bought.

With my recent purchase of a new jigsaw, I could get pretty creative in making a hanging DIY Santa sleigh and reindeer decoration to hang on our porch.

After bouncing some ideas off my wife, we decided to cut a sleigh and two reindeer out of plywood.  

Then I planned to drill tiny holes along the perimeter and insert string lights. The whole thing was to be suspended between my front porch posts.

It turned out pretty nice – and we paid nothing for it. We used plywood leftovers from various big projects and lights that we already had. (If you purchase the plywood and lights, you’ll probably spend less than $20.)

In fact, all of our Christmas decor projects lately have been made from scrap wood & other leftover materials. Check out the Christmas star and buffalo check tree. 🙂

Without further ado, here are the instructions on how to make this outdoor DIY Santa sleigh and reindeer decoration.

How to Build a Santa Sleigh & Reindeer Out of Plywood

For just a few hours and less than $20, you can make your own DIY Santa sleigh and reindeer outdoor decorations.

Sketching the Reindeer and Sleigh

To start, I did my best to sketch out a Santa sleigh and reindeer. Here’s my sketch of the sleigh:

Here’s the sketch of Santa’s reindeer:

Cutting the DIY Reindeer and Sleigh from Plywood

Once I was happy with the sketches, I moved on to my jigsaw to start cutting them out from the plywood.

It was important to use the right saw blade, as I didn’t want to risk breaking off an antler or any really rough edges. I opted for a fine blade made specifically for cutting curves in plywood.

To cut out the sketches, I found it easiest to place the plywood on top of a wooden box while using the jigsaw.

Here is the final cut of the reindeer from the plywood:

Here is the Santa sleigh from the plywood:

I made two reindeer, so after cutting out the first, I traced it onto another sheet of wood to create a second reindeer.

Drilling Holes for the Holiday Lights

With the plywood Santa sleigh and reindeer made, I moved on to drilling holes for the lights.

To start, I used a marker to place dots in the plywood where I wanted each hole to be.

I used a 2” spacer to ensure consistent spacing between all the holes. (It was a cut piece of a drinking straw.)

Here’s a picture showing how I used the straw spacer:

Once all the marker dots were added to the plywood, I had to determine the size of the drill bit that best matched the diameter of the string light bulbs.

I figured out what drill bit to use through trial and error by drilling various-sized holes into a piece of scrap wood.

With my ideal-sized drill bit selected, I proceeded to drill out all the marker dots.  

It was important to use a piece of scrap wood as a backing for the plywood as I drilled each hole. The backing allowed me to quickly move from hole to hole without worrying about damaging my workbench.  

Also, it reduced the likelihood of the drill ripping out any plywood as the bit emerged out the other side.

Here’s the Swiss cheese reindeer after all the holes were made (the scrap wood backer board sure took a beating after two reindeer and a sleigh):

Attaching Outdoor Lights to the Santa Sleigh & Reindeer

With the holes drilled in the DIY Santa sleigh and reindeer, the next task was to insert the lights.

I had initially hoped that the holes were going to be snug enough to securely hold the bulbs without them falling out. This was not the case, however.

So I strategically placed several globs of hot glue to keep the string lights attached to the plywood.

Here I am working with the holiday lights and hot glue:

Here’s the completed backside of a plywood reindeer with the string lights attached:

Here’s the completed front side of a reindeer:

I repeated the process for the rest of the entourage until all the bulbs were inserted into the holes and secured with hot glue.

Adding Hanging Hooks to the Outdoor Decor

One last thing remained, and that was hooks to allow the sleigh and reindeer to be suspended.

I decided to use some wire mounting clips for this task. These were small plastic clips normally used to mount coaxial cables to walls for organization.

However, these plastic clips would be perfect for Santa’s sleigh and reindeer.

The DIY wooden Santa sleigh and reindeer were now completed.

To hang them up outside, I added two eye hole screws to my porch posts.

Then I ran some wire through the plastic clips attached to the plywood earlier.

Finally, I strung the wire through each eyelet screw, tensioned it well, and plugged in the lights.

Here is the wooden hanging sleigh and reindeer in its full beauty.

Here is what the reverse side of the wooden outdoor decor looks like – with the outdoor lights:

And, I lost the daylight pretty quickly, so I lucked out in seeing the lit-up wooden reindeer and Santa sleigh right away. 

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. More importantly, my wife loved it.

If you want to buy outdoor Christmas decor but don’t want to spend the money, definitely think about making your own. We made ours for free with the extra materials we had.

However, if you have to run to the hardware store for materials, it would probably run about $20 (plywood and 3 strings of lights).

Not bad for $20, right!?

People Also Ask

How do you make a wooden Santa sleigh and reindeer?

You can trace or sketch your design onto plywood, cut it out with a jigsaw, drill small holes for string lights, and hang the pieces with sturdy wire. A bit of paint or sealer helps protect the wood outdoors.

What kind of wood is best for outdoor Christmas decorations?

Plywood works great for outdoor projects because it is sturdy and easy to cut. Choose exterior-grade plywood if possible, and seal it with outdoor paint or polyurethane to help it last through the season.

How much does it cost to make a DIY Santa sleigh and reindeer?

This project can be made for about twenty dollars using plywood, string lights, and a few simple tools. If you already have leftover wood or lights, it may cost even less.

Can I hang my Santa sleigh and reindeer outside?

Yes, this decoration is made to hang outdoors. Just be sure to use outdoor-rated lights and weather-resistant hooks or wire so your display stays secure in wind or rain.

How long does this DIY project take?

You can make the sleigh and reindeer in a single afternoon. Most of the time goes into sketching, cutting, and drilling the light holes before hanging the finished pieces.

Related Posts

• If you love Christmas crafting, check out this Holiday Crafts for Adults post.
• This is one of my favorite Christmas posts – a hand-painted Buffalo-check Christmas tree!

Updated November 2025.