The other night, we were all in the car driving home and it started.

We started to sing Christmas carols.

I know its early. But it was so much fun. And the only one we all remembered all the words to...Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

What is it about him that we all love so much?

And I couldn’t be happier with our version – a reclaimed wood reindeer.

As soon as I saw this picture in the Sundance catalog, I knew it was the perfect use for the reclaimed wood we still had from my Grandfather’s house…

…to warm up our front door this Christmas.

And it was fairly easy. If you can use a jig saw and a screw gun, you are good to go.

Materials:

- Scrap wood or plywood

- 4 spindles

- Reclaimed or salvaged wood

- Screws

- Paint, stain or dark wax

- Drill

- Jigsaw

Steps:

1 – Sketch out your shape on your scrap wood or plywood. I used chalk to see it better and make changes. I placed the spindles on it so I would have a sense of size. I sketched the shape for the ears, tail and antlers on another piece.

2. Use a jigsaw to cut out all of your shapes. I used my new one from Ryobi which worked great and quickly.

3. Glue together your salvaged wood onto a piece of thin plywood. We also added a few nails into the plywood to hold it together. This piece will make the “flanks” of your reindeer. I used the same methods as above, sketching the shape in chalk on the back side and then cutting through both the plywood and salvaged wood with a jigsaw.

4. Drill pilot holes and use screws to attach all the pieces together.

5. Stain, paint or wax your reindeer. I used Annie Sloan dark wax to pull it all together.

6. Add some ribbon and greenery and place it outdoors (best undercover) or indoors.

And if there happens to be “one foggy Christmas eve”, just add a red nose and you will be all set!

Thanks so much for reading and wishing you a great day!

(disclosure: I was sent this tool from Ryobi, but all opinions are my own)