In my home, making decorations is as much a part of Christmas as wrapping paper. We started this when my wife and I first got married. We had a 4-foot stepladder with a green coat thrown over it for a Christmas tree. Both of us had called home to ask for a few decorations from our family’s trees. We wanted to combine the old with the new. When they arrived, we realized most of what we got were handmade – by us, by our families. We decided to keep doing this for our family. Three kids and almost 20 years later, our tree looks pretty ugly to outsiders. To us, it’s filled with love and memories.
Mickey Mouse
All you need is three clam shells – one large and two small of about the same size – rubber cement glue and some black paint. Paint the smaller shells black, paint two eyes and a mouth on the larger one and then simply glue them all together. To attach it to the tree, use a bit of wire, which you glue to the back of the larger shell. That’s all you need to do, and now you have some nice ornaments that you made yourself.
Styrofoam Ornaments
These are somewhat harder to make, at least the really nice ones. You can buy Styrofoam balls in any craft store, and from there, it’s all up to your imagination. You can coat them in sparkles, or add ribbons and pins. Coating them in sparkles is simple. You just need some glue and some sparkles. It’s messy and fun! Then you can add some ribbons and pin them in place using stick pins. We like to slide a few beads onto them too so they stick out, and you can make some pretty beautiful designs. Instead of using wire to place it on the tree, use ribbon and hold it together with a stick pin.
Pine Cone Ornaments
This is simple and easy to do, even for very young children. We have pine trees in my yard. If you have to go somewhere to get pine cones though, that is even better. It’s a nice family outing to collect them. All you need is a bit of glue and some glitter. You coat the tips and sprinkle glitter on them to make them sparkle. You can also paint all the tips. We have a few here that are a riot of colors – every tip a different one.
Clay Ornaments
These are easy for kids to make. Give them some clay and let them have fun. You can flatten clay out and use a cookie cutter to make shapes, or let them make their own just by molding it. If you use regular clay rather than colored, they can paint them as well.
Ornaments can be made from anything. Some other examples hanging on my tree are old AOL discs that have been painted, and Popsicle stick figures colored with markers with the kid’s names and the date they made them. We have plastic cups with a cardboard base glued on that has a cotton ball snowman inside of it. Almost anything can be used, and all of it is fun for both the kids and the parents. You will make some great memories, and your tree will never look like anyone else’s.