Distressed Christmas Tree Counter

This year, I decided to make a distressed wooden Christmas countdown from scrap wood that matches our home and adds to a fun family tradition of counting down the days to Christmas.

Wood scraps: I used leftover stair risers (16 cm wide). Finally, a use for them!

A 45 cm plank: To hold everything together.

Wax candle: This is key for getting the distressed look.

Green and yellow acrylic paint

Dark wood stain

1 large wood slice: About 10 cm wide for the base.

24 small wood slices: About 3.5 cm wide.

Small nails: I used golden ones.

Black marker

Mitre saw

Sandpaper

Plastic number stencils: Optional, but handy for neat numbers.

I started by drawing a simple Christmas tree shape on paper. Just a triangle made with straight lines. Once I liked the size, I traced it onto some wood scraps.

I cut and connected the three pieces of wood to a wooden plank at the back with screws. To avoid splitting the wood, I first drilled small pilot holes using a countersink bit—this leaves a neat little dip for the screws to sit flush.

For the base, I used a thick branch to create a sturdy stand. I marked and cut a 10 cm slice using the mitre saw. The slice was about 4–5 cm thick, so it held the tree up nicely without tipping over. I also cut a smaller branch into 24 small discs (about 3.5 cm wide).

I grabbed a candle and rubbed wax over the wood in random spots. The waxy areas won’t hold the paint.

Next, I painted the entire tree with green acrylic paint. Once the paint dried, I lightly sanded the areas where I had applied wax. The uneven patches gave it that perfectly distressed, weathered feel. To add even more depth, I brushed on a coat of dark wood stain.

I used a stencil to write numbers 1 through 24 on the discs with a black marker. I drilled tiny pilot holes before hammering in small nails to attach each disc. (Tip: If your nails are long like mine, drilling pilot holes first keeps them from bending. Learned that the hard way!)

To make it extra special, I painted the backs of the discs in alternating shades of yellow. Each day, we remove a disc, flip it over, and hang it back up.

To attach the tree to the base, I added a small metal bracket to the back. This made the tree much sturdier.

If you're interested in more details for this project, visit my blog Shelterness.