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We all know how extremely hectic the holiday season can be. It seems we spend so much time preparing, shopping and planning for Santa's visit that we lose sight of what is important. Many times we are so stressed that we end up making everyone around us miserable. In other words, we are defeating our own purpose, which is to ensure a happy holiday for our children.
One way to take a much needed break during this busy season is to plan a "Family Craft Night." This does not have to be fancy, elaborate or expensive. In fact, the easier, the better. Attempting to create intricate ornaments will only add to your stress and their distress. There are many quick and easy Christmas crafts that children as young as two can create and take part in. Listed below are just a few.
Glittered Satin Ornaments. You can purchase a bag of a dozen satin balls for under $5.00. Depending on how many family members will be participating, purchase a number of glitter pens in assorted colors. Cover the kitchen table in plastic or newspaper and decorate away. If your small child is not quite adept at writing, it's okay. Let their artistic juices flow. You'll be surprised how much fun your children and you will have creating these unique ornaments to hang on your tree. So what if they're not perfect, they're made with love.
Christmas Card Ornaments. If you save your greeting cards from year to year, here is a great way to reuse them. Using a round stencil (depending on the size, you can use a quarter or a small drinking glass) trace circles on your favorite cards. Cut out the decorated circles and fold into triangles. Again, depending on the size you are creating, glue or staple the circles together along the triangular crease. Each ornament can consist of anywhere from four circles to 20 circles. These ornaments are recycled and easy and provide a collage of Christmases past.
Dough Ornaments. These are an old favorite and rightfully so. Dough ornaments are inexpensive, but take a bit more time. The recipe consists of 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and 1 ½ cups of water. Mix and knead the ingredients. Using your favorite Christmas cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes and place on a cookie sheet. If you plan to hang the finished ornaments, be sure to poke a hole in the ornament for inserting a hook or ribbon. Bake 1 ½ hours and let dry for a day or two before painting with acrylic paints. The only drawback with these ornaments is if you have small children, they might want to eat them. These ornaments can be hung on the tree or used to decorate your gift packages.
Personalized Stockings. As with the satin ornaments, let your children personalize their own stockings that will be hung on Christmas Eve with glitter pens. Don't forget to make one for Mom and Dad, too!
Christmas Cookies. While you might take your holiday baking very seriously, set aside a batch of cookies for your children to roll, cut and decorate. They may not be perfect, but your children will love helping with such an important job!
Not only will your children enjoy making these easy crafts, they will enjoy the feeling of knowing they are a part of the planning for the big day. You will be rewarded tenfold by taking one night out of your busy holiday schedule to create not just a concrete object but a permanent life-long memory for you and your children.
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