Christmas is such a wonderful time of year for families to come together and enjoy the magic (and the craziness) of the season. It's a time for merry making, gathering and traditions. One of my favorite traditions is hanging Christmas Stockings. This year I made a Snowman Stocking holder to hang all of our stockings. It came out really great (wife approved) so I wanted to share how I made it. Follow along and make it with me.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Here is what I used to make the Stocking Holder.

Materials:

4x4 Post

Snowman Christmas Tree Topper

1x15 round panel

8 X 3-Inch Wood Screws

Paint

Banister Topper

Tools:

Dremel

1/8" DRILL BIT

Drill w/ Phillips Head Bit and 1/4" Drill Bit

Spare wood

Pencil

Step 2: Mark and Cut the Post

Cut the 4x4 post to your desired size by measuring, marking, and cutting with a circular saw. I cut mine to 4 feet (122 cm). It's important to make a straight cut here so it's advised to use a square to mark a straight line. Later in the project we will be standing the post on end and attaching it to the base. A flat surface will keep the post balanced and straight during this process.

Step 3: Prepare the Base

Find the center of the base by measuring (several times) with a ruler or tape measure. The base I used here has a diameter of 15 inches so I measured 7.5 inches from the edge (obviously towards the center). Mark the center and measure again from several other edges. If you can hit the same mark at 7.5 inches then you found it. If not, you are off and need to keep trying.

Once you have found the center, make a cross at this point being 2 inches in each direction. The ends of the cross will indicate the edges of the post. Now take your post and stand it on end in the center of the base. The cross you just made will help align the post to the center, remember the edges of the post should line up with the ends of the cross. Once it is centered, trace the outline of the post onto the base.

You should now have four squares at the center of the base. Find the center of each of these squares by drawing a straight line connecting each of the corners. At the center of each of the four squares drill a 1/8" hole all the way through the base. This pre-drilling will make for easy work when attaching the base to the post.

Step 4: Attach the Post to the Base

Make a corner jig to help align the post to the center of the base by clamping two spare pieces of lumber to the base forming a corner where the post will fit nicely. Balance your post on a flat surface (or have an assistant hold it) and place the jig and base combo on top of the post. Use the pre-drilled holes on the base to drill 1.8" holes into the post at this time. Remove the base and jig from the post and prep the post for assembly by applying wood glue to it's base contact surface. Put the base back on top of the post and drill four #8 x 3 inch screws through the base and into the post. Turn the post right side up on the base and allow the glue to dry before proceeding with the final touches.

Step 5: Paint and Final Touches

Now that the post is put together you will need to paint it white. I used chalk paint first, and then added a layer of polyurethane to finish. Allow it to dry before adding coat hooks to hang the Christmas Stockings. Depending on the size of your tribe you will need to attach a few coat hangers. There's six of us in our home so I attached 3 - double coat hooks to the post.

I was going to finish there except I ran into a small problem. The snowman tree topper doesn't exactly fit on top of the post securely. The hole under the topper is too small so the head only balances on top of the post. To fix this I got a banister post topper and screwed it to the top of the post. You'll need a 1/4" drill bit to pre-drill a hole for the post top. Once done you can either paint the topper or not since it will be hidden under the snowman's head.

That's it, all that's left is to hang your Christmas Stockings. If you liked this post please share it with your family and friends and Happy Holidays!