The Best DIY Outdoor Christmas Manger

I’ve been wanting to build an outdoor Christmas manger for many years now. This year is finally the year! Outdoor lights and trees are so commercial. We wanted to stand out and stand up for Jesus. Christmas trees are not even really Christ-centered if you research it. They came from pagan origins.

So, this year, now that we are empty-nesters, we didn’t put up our Christmas tree. Shocker, I know. It feels weird not to have a tree but I know that Jesus put it in our hearts and minds, not to have a tree in our house. I am not saying that you shouldn’t. You should research it if you want to.

How to DIY Outdoor Christmas Manger

What you will need to begin building is cheap, free(if you have scrap wood) and easy. If you already have tools then you are good to go. If not see if you can borrow some for an hour or so.

Materials:

• Hammer
• two lengths of nails (1 1/4″ and 1 1/2″)
• a circular saw
• One 1x4x48 piece of wood
• Four 1x2x96 pieces of wood
• Measuring tape
• Safety Goggles

We had the wood left over from previous projects, but the 1x6x48 would be around $2.57 and the other pieces would be around $1.48 each. So in total this project would cost around $8.49 plus tax.

First, my hubby cut 4 foot piece into two halves. That’s two 2 foot pieces for those who are bad at math. (That would include me, he he). Then he cut four 2 foot pieces of the 1×2’s. He nailed the two legs into each side.

Next, he cut six more 1 x 2 x 24 pieces. He then nailed them into slats underneath the 6″ side. He then cut 2″ inch spacer blocks to spread them out evenly. Jesus was a carpenter learning from his dad. I imagine he became very skilled. I’m so glad you are learning from my wonderful, talented husband and not me.

He then cut several 1x2x3 pieces of wood for the left side of each of the manger. You’ll see why later when we nail the two pieces together. I forgot to get the before picture but here is the small piece nailed to the side and over top is placed the cross piece. This helps both sides to be even.

Place the two halves together in an x shape. Nail the two pieces together.

Next, we will need the two 16″ crossbars to nail the manger together.

Here is what nailing the cross piece looks like at a different angle. You can see the 1x2x3 piece there.

We did have to buy an outdoor spot light from Dollar General for it to stand out in the dark. We already had the bulb from a previous project.

What do you think about this easy, inexpensive outdoor Christmas manger? We used a heavier wood so it would’t blow over or fall over in the wind. I think for free, it turned out pretty well.

Pin For Later!

What do you think about using a Christmas manger instead of Christmas Tree this year? Do you use an indoor manger next to your tree? Leave your comments below.

Blessings! Kimberlee

Looking for more DIY’s? Go here.