Christmas Stocking
Use a simple Christmas stocking outline on white paper. You can give the kids an assortment of whatever you have on hand to decorate it. After decorating, have them cut out the stocking (you can have them cut out two and glue them together). They then have their own stocking for Santa.

Christmas Stockings
Construction Paper, Glue, Cotton Balls, Old Toy Catalogs, magazines. Trace a picture of a stocking on construction paper and cut. Use cotton balls to trim the stocking on the top. Use catalogs and cut out pictures of what you want for Christmas, and glue to the stocking.

Christmas Puppets
Little paper bags, glue, crayons, construction paper, misc craft items (such as fabric scraps, beads, ect.). Get creative and make all sorts of Christmas characters. Make Santa Claus; make eyes, ears, ect, and then use cotton balls, felt, ect for the hair and beard. Don’t forget the hat and red nose – like a cherry. You can also make rudolph, Mrs. Claus, elves……

Christmas Necklace
Cling Wrap, christmas candy – about the size of a quarter, curling ribbon Cut 2-3 feet of cling wrap and lay flat on table. Starting on one end, place candy in the center of the cling wrap. Do this the whole length of the cling wrap, leaving 2-3 inches between each candy. Fold the cling wrap over a few times -the long way- to seal the candy. Tie a piece of curling ribbon around the cling wrap in between each piece if candy. Tie the ends together to make a necklace.

Gingerbread Man
Paper Grocery Bag, Glue, Crayons, Misc Craft Items – such as fabric scraps, beads, ect. Cut a gingerbread man shape out of the grocery bag. Color or decorate as desired.

Christmas Place mats
Paper, Used Christmas Cards, Glue, Crayons, Markers, or Paint, Clear Contact Paper
Cut the pictures from cards. Draw a picture on a piece of paper & this is the back. Then glue on the card pictures. Cover both sides with contact paper.

Christmas Cards
OLD Calendars -can also use old Greeting Cards, construction paper, glue, crayons or markers. Fold a piece of construction paper in half lengthwise for the card and cut out appropriate picture from one of the calendar months to glue on cover of card. If kids can’t spell Merry Christmas on their own, write it out for them on separate piece of paper and have them try to duplicate it in their own handwriting inside the card.

Recycled Christmas Cards
Use old Christmas cards. Cut the cards apart. Take the front of the card & punch holes all around it. Let the children sew or lace around the card. Curling ribbon can be used without a needle.

Wrapping Paper
Blue paint, large pieces of white paper, plastic margarine lids, small Christmas cookie cutters (or basic shapes). Pour small amount of paint into margarine lids, let each child dip a cookie cutter into paint, stamp on paper, and then let paint dry. Children can take paper home to use.

Wrapping for Wreath
Turn a regular size paper grocery bag inside out. Sponge paint on various colors and/or prints of Christmas things. Place wreath in bag and staple shut, adding a bow at the top of the bag.

Poinsettia
Cut out 5 leaf shapes using red construct. paper. Glue the leaf shapes in a circle onto green paper. In the center of the flower put some glue & add some uncooked popcorn for the flower center.

Christmas Wall Hanging
Light colored cloth napkin (pick any size you like), dowel rod, yarn (red and green), green & red paint (finger paint is best for kids), glue. Fold top of napkin over 1/2 inch and glue. Place child’s hand in the green paint, and press it several times on the napkin to form a wreath. Add red thumb prints for holly berries. Attach dowel rod. Hang by yarn.

Candy Train
1 5-pack of gum,
1 roll of life savers,
1 rollo,
1 caramel,
1 Hershey’s Kiss,
4 Starbright red/white peppermints
Glue the life savers onto the pack of gum (the flat side). Then glue a rollo on the front of the life savers. Glue a hershey’s kiss on top of the life savers–in the front and a caramel on top of life savers in the back. On both sides of the train glue two peppermint wheels. This makes one candy train–great for ornaments.

Beary Merry Christmas
Precut teddy bear from poster board. Have parents save used tea bags. Let children open the dried bags and shake the dried tea over the bear that has been covered with glue. I used a tub to lay the bear in first (said they needed to lie down in their bed) so the excess tea doesn’t get all over. When they dry they look like fuzzy bears. We stapled on Christmas plaid bows as well. They looked really cute.

Days till Christmas Countdown
Near the beginning of December we have the children make paper chains with enough links to make one for each day leading up to Christmas. (Sometimes we have to help them a little to get enough links.) We attach the chains to a paper bell to which we attach the following:

How many days till Christmas?
It’s mighty hard to tell
Take off a link every night
When the Sandman casts his spell
And Christmas Eve will be here
By the time you reach the bell.

The children take the chains home and are told to take off one link every night to count down the days until Christmas.

Peek a Boo Elf Puppet
Materials:
1-inch Styrofoam balls
toilet tissue roll
straw
red felt
markers
yarn
glue
scissors

What to Do:
Push one end of the straw into the Styrofoam ball to make a hole. Remove straw and fill the hole with glue. Put straw back in, let dry. Use marker to draw facial features. Glue on pieces of yarn for hair. Cut two small triangles out of felt to make a hat. Put puppet inside toilet paper roll and let the elf puppet play peek a boo with the children.

Gingerbread People
Materials:
Brown construction Paper or Paper Bags
Q-Tips
Glue
Misc Items (buttons, bows, etc.)

What to Do:
Give each of the children a large gingerbread shape cut from brown construction paper. Have them use Q-Tip applicators and glue to attach fabric eyes and small pieces of red pipe cleaners for mouths. Then let them decorate the rest of their shapes by gluing on rickrack, fabric circles, bows, etc.

Christmas Chain
You will need:
construction paper, red and green crayons, markers, glitter, scissors, glue or paste, pencil or pen
Cut out a bell or star or some other shape for the top of your chain and decorate as desired.
Cut red and green construction paper into 1-inch by 6-inch strips.
Form loops with the strips and make a linking chain. (Make one loop, thread the next through the loop, etc) Tape works best – trying to glue these and watching them pop open gets really frustrating..
You will need as many links in your chain as there are days until Christmas left. Make the pattern how ever you like!

Attach the completed chain to the bottom of your bell or star and tear off one ring each day. I’ve been making these every year since I was in grade school, and they really are a great way for kids to keep track of how long until the big day. Kids get so excited this time of year! You can also use it to help their math skills. When they ask how many days are left, say “Let’s go count your chain!” These are really fun for the kids to hang in their rooms. My kids love to make their own decorations for their rooms.

 

Holiday Centerpieces & Table Toppers

Flower & Spice Table Toppers
You will need:
Approximately twenty-seven 16″ long cinnamon sticks for place card
Floral tape
Tacky glue or hot glue and glue gun
Assortment of dried flowers (such as larkspur, statice, lavender, rosebuds or rose blossoms)
Small pinecones
2″-wide and 1/4″-wide velvet ribbon
1″-wide and 3/4″-wide grosgrain ribbon

Place cards
Directions:
Wrap four 16″ long cinnamon sticks together with floral tape; don’t cut off tape.
Add rest of 16″ long cinnamon sticks by holding a few sticks at a time against original sticks and winding tape around the whole bundle; cut off tape. Be sure to keep the bottom of the bundle flat so that the centerpiece won’t roll when it’s placed on the table.
Using the photograph as a guide, insert flowers by dipping the stem ends into glue before placing among cinnamon sticks. Glue pinecones among the flowers.
Wrap 2″-wide velvet ribbon around the bundle and tie a bow. Add a small bow of 1″-wide grosgrain ribbon on top of velvet bow. Use whatever color ribbons complement the flowers and your table setting. Glue a few small flowers and cones to the knot portion of your bow.
Make place card bundles in the same manner as the centerpiece, using the 4″ long cinnamon sticks and the narrower ribbons. Insert a place card with the name of the guest into each cinnamon stick bundle as shown.

Yuletide Garland
You will need:
12″ diameter floral foam wreath ring
Balsam or any flat tree greens
Sprigs of holly leaves
Boxwood greens
6 stems red roses
10 stems white roses
39 artificial red berries
Floral tape
Floral picks
Floral wire
3 2/3 yards of 6 mm gold beading
1 1/4 yards of 1/4″-wide wired gold metallic ribbon

Tools needed:
Plastic sheet or plastic garbage bag
Ruler or tape measure
Scissors

Directions:
Soak floral foam wreath in water about 5 minutes; allow wreath to drain for two hours. Place drained wreath on a plastic sheet or other waterproof surface.
Cut the balsam into 3″ to 6″ lengths and insert into the floral foam wreath along the inner and outer sides. Insert a few stems around the top. Cut the holly sprigs to about 4″ in length and insert evenly around wreath. Cut the boxwood into 3″ to 5″ pieces and insert evenly around wreath, filling in any gaps.
Cut rose stems to 1 1/2″ in length. Referring to the photo for placement, insert the red roses into the top of the wreath, spacing evenly. Then insert the white roses, placing them on the inner and outer portions of the wreath.
Make 13 clusters of artificial red berries by taping 3 berry stems together with floral tape and attaching to a floral pick. Insert each cluster into the wreath, spacing evenly.
Use floral wire and floral tape to attach a floral pick to each end of the gold beading. Drape the gold beading twice around the wreath, crisscrossing decoratively (photo); insert the floral picks into the wreath to secure.
Cut the gold metallic ribbon into thirds. Make three loop bows with 4 1/2″ long tails: Make two large loops at each side and a small loop in the center of each bow; secure with floral wire; trim the tail ends on the diagonal. Wrap the ends of the floral wire with floral tape and insert into the wreath, spacing the bows evenly.
Place the punch bowl in the center of the garland. To keep the garland fresh, spray the floral foam with water every other day.

REALLY Simple Christmas Crafts

• Make your own dough and make christmas ornaments and then paint them.
• Get a large roll of craft or butcher paper. Make sponge cut outs of stars, ornaments, etc, and let the kids make their own wrapping paper.
• On a white hand towel, use fabric paint and do the kids hand prints. Write with fabric paint “See, I DID wash my hands”. You could do red & green hand prints & make these little christmas towels to set out for guests.
  Tie three bells together and make a pretty bow on top. These are cute hung on doorknobs, on mailboxes, tied on the kids’ backbacks, and with longer strings, fun necklaces for the kids.
• Paint an old fashioned clothes pin white. Paint knob on top like a face. Cut out wings & glue to back. Makes a cute quick angel.
• Glue star mint candies to lid of jar. Fill jar with candies for parent gift.
• Glue two perfectly shaped triangles together to make a six pointed star. Cover with macaroni, glitter or both.
• Cover toilet paper roll with colored paper. Add colored leaves around the bottom & a flame to the top. Instant kid safe candle centerpiece.
• Make sweatshirts with hand print christmas trees for the moms and for the dads ties with hand prints.
• Cut out a candy cane shape & let the children glue red & white pom-poms alternating to give the appearance of a candy cane.
• Trace & cut out the child’s hand on red or green felt. With fingers pointing down, place a small heart also cut out of felt (different color) & write to Mom & Dad or whoever, Merry Christmas Love the child’s name & date.
• Cut out a large Christmas tree for each child (or one huge one for a wall mural) and have the children glue on painted macaroni, Fruit Loops, popped popcorn, and Cheerios as ornaments.
• Make candy cane outlines on red construction paper. Help each child make stripes with white shoe polish (squeeze applicator). The kids can cut out the candy canes shapes when dry.
• Make a wall mural of a chimney. Have children paint it. Staple together two paper stockings (from construction paper). Decorate with glitter, markers, and add cotton balls to top of stocking for trim. Put a child’s name on each stocking. Hang them on the chimney.
• Put a big picture of Santa and his sack or sleigh on the bulletin board or wall. Have the children cut out magazine pictures of toys to go into the sack and paste onto the picture.
• Children can string popcorn and cranberries, using their own patterns. Young children can string round cereal.
• Birdseed ornaments – tie a yarn loop on a pine cone, spread peanut butter all over pine cone, roll in birdseed, hang outside a window.
• Pine cone ornaments – children can paint pine cones and decorate them with glue and glitter.
• You can make white collages on dark paper out of white lace, ribbon, styrofoam packing peanuts, tissue paper, construction paper…anything white.