How to Use Old Books During the Holidays

Between gifts and decorating, the holidays hit your wallet with a wallop. Instead of buying expensive decorations and wrapping paper, look around your house for things you can use. Old books, including old textbooks and your children's books serve as the basis for fun and festive Christmas ideas.

Make a Tree

Gather together a bunch of old books and set aside four to six books of the same size. Stack the books, making the base of your tree as high or as large as you want. Arrange the other books based on size and open the books down the middle. Set the largest books on your base, placing the open middle side face down on the base. Stack the books on top, with the largest on the bottom and the smallest on the top, creating your own faux tree.

Hollow Book Giving

When you give smaller gifts to friends and family, wrap the gifts in a hollow book. Open the book a few pages in and coat white glue around the edges. Cut the middle of the book out, leaving at least one-inch of space around the edges. Leave the book sitting open overnight or until the glue finishes drying. Place the gift in the center of the hollow book and skip wrapping paper this year.

Book Page Ornaments

Tear out pages from old books with interesting graphics or colors. Use pinking shears to cut out unusual shapes or simple circles. Cover the pages with laminated paper and trim off the excess laminate. Poke a small hole through the top of the ornament and string through a colorful ribbon. Hang the book page ornaments around your Christmas tree or use as toppers for wrapped gifts.

Decoupage Gifts

Cover old hatboxes and other boxes with decoupaged book pages for funky Christmas gifts. Cover the outside of the box with a thin layer of decoupage glue and top with the old book pages. Once you have the entire box covered, coat the pieces with a second layer of decoupage glue. Give the boxes as Christmas gifts or use as wrapping for other gifts. Use the decoupage process on picture frames, journals, and other gift ideas.

Small Trees

Turn old book pages into small trees for your Christmas village or as a unique display in your home. Tear sheets of paper from the book and wrap each page into a cone shape. Place a small piece of tape on the edge, which keeps the page from coming loose. Display several trees on a fireplace mantle or on a bookshelf.

Book Page Bows

You can even use the pages from old books and create your own bows. Cut the pages into one-inch long strips. Fold the ends of each strip over and secure in the middle with clear tape. When you have several of these strips, arrange them on top of each other. Turn the last strip upside down and glue to the middle of the bow. Top your Christmas gifts with your handmade bows.

Wrapping Paper

Lay a series of book pages side by side, with the edges overlapping by 1/2-inch. Lift the edge of each piece and rub a glue stick on the page underneath. Work your way across the pages, until you glue each piece together. Once the glue dries, wrap your favorite presents with your new book page wrapping paper.