25 Ways to Craft a Memorable Christmas
1. Make popcorn garlands while watching Christmas movies.
2. Make bird feeders. Spread a pine cone with peanut butter and roll in bird seed. Hang outside.
3. Make a fleecy scarf. Cut a 6-foot long, 10 inch wide piece of polar fleece. Cut strips into the ends every inch, tie knots in strips. 2 yards will make a number of scarves.
4. Have a pot luck dinner. Make a turkey or a chicken and ask friends and family to bring side dishes along with recipe cards. Trade cards.
5. Go caroling. Print out the words to 10 basic carols and entertain the neighbors.
6. Make a pine cone wreath. Collect pine cones from the ground. Use wire or ribbon to attach them to a pre-made grapevine wreath. Add a bow and hang on the door.
7. Bring a home made pie or a batch of cookies to a neighbor.
8. Make movie-watcher gift baskets. Put a gift certificate for a rental into a bag along with 2 large boxes of candy and a package of microwave popcorn.
9. Make next year's Christmas cards this year. Take candid pictures of family members and friends. Print them out on your computer or get them developed, and use them as gift tags or use them to make cards.
10. Enjoy the tradition of the Christmas pickle. After the kids are in bed, hide a green pickle ornament (or any other special ornament) amidst the other ornaments on the tree. In the morning, the one who finds it gets an extra little gift.
11. Decorate a tree for the birds. Hang popcorn garlands and pine cone feeders on an outdoor tree and watch the birds enjoy the treat.
12. Make cookie dough ornaments. Find a recipe for non-edible ornament dough and cut out with cookie cutters. When they are dry (or baked, depending upon the recipe), paint with tempera paints.
13. Decorate store-bought glass ornaments. Gently draw a design with white glue. Sprinkle glitter onto the ornaments, making sure it covers all the glue designs. Tap gently to remove excess, and let dry.
14. Have an Ornament Repair and Refurbish Workshop. Before putting ornaments on the tree, gather glue, glitter, paint, and new ornament hooks. Repair any ornaments that have been damaged in years past, and give plain glass globes new sparkle with glitter or paint.
15. Make giant candy decorations. Wrap a tennis ball, golf ball, or ping pong ball in crinkly cellophane wrapping. Twist the ends and tie with ribbons. Hang from the tree.
16. Go nuts! Paint unopened whole walnuts. Give them feet made from craft foam sheets, pom-pom 'ears', and googly eyes.
17. Go for a walk in the newly-fallen snow. Bundle up warm and enjoy the sparkle of the icy world.
18. Build a snow creature. Everyone else has a snowman--make a snow lion or a snow bear instead.
19. Make Russian tea. Mix 2 cups of instant tea mix with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Place in clean mason jars and put a circle of fabric over the top. To make tea, mix 2-3 tablespoons with 1 cup boiling water.
20. Have a white elephant gift exchange after the holidays. Everyone rewraps one nice gift that they can't use and puts it into the pot. Draw names and let people pick. (This is good to do with coworkers or friends who were not at the original party, you don't want anyone to get their own gift back, that could hurt someone's feelings!)
21. Make a batch of cookies from an old family recipe, or use a recipe from an old cookbook that hasn't been used in a while. Pick something unusual that you would like to try!
22. Mix holiday snack mix. Add peanuts, pretzels, yogurt covered raisins, and red and green M&Ms. Place into bags and tie with a festive bow.
23. Make chocolate covered pretzels. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, and dip long pretzel rods into chocolate. Swirl, then place on waxed paper to cool and harden. Peel wax paper off when hard and store in airtight container.
24. Make a festive punch everyone can enjoy. Mix 1 part cranberry juice with 1 part lemon lime soda. Float scoops of pineapple or orange sherbet in the punch bowl.
25. Have a gift wrapping workshop for wrapping gifts for aunts, uncles, grandma, etc. Let everyone choose wrapping and ribbons and wrap gifts in their own special way. Remember the gift tags!
2. Make bird feeders. Spread a pine cone with peanut butter and roll in bird seed. Hang outside.
3. Make a fleecy scarf. Cut a 6-foot long, 10 inch wide piece of polar fleece. Cut strips into the ends every inch, tie knots in strips. 2 yards will make a number of scarves.
4. Have a pot luck dinner. Make a turkey or a chicken and ask friends and family to bring side dishes along with recipe cards. Trade cards.
5. Go caroling. Print out the words to 10 basic carols and entertain the neighbors.
6. Make a pine cone wreath. Collect pine cones from the ground. Use wire or ribbon to attach them to a pre-made grapevine wreath. Add a bow and hang on the door.
7. Bring a home made pie or a batch of cookies to a neighbor.
8. Make movie-watcher gift baskets. Put a gift certificate for a rental into a bag along with 2 large boxes of candy and a package of microwave popcorn.
9. Make next year's Christmas cards this year. Take candid pictures of family members and friends. Print them out on your computer or get them developed, and use them as gift tags or use them to make cards.
10. Enjoy the tradition of the Christmas pickle. After the kids are in bed, hide a green pickle ornament (or any other special ornament) amidst the other ornaments on the tree. In the morning, the one who finds it gets an extra little gift.
11. Decorate a tree for the birds. Hang popcorn garlands and pine cone feeders on an outdoor tree and watch the birds enjoy the treat.
12. Make cookie dough ornaments. Find a recipe for non-edible ornament dough and cut out with cookie cutters. When they are dry (or baked, depending upon the recipe), paint with tempera paints.
13. Decorate store-bought glass ornaments. Gently draw a design with white glue. Sprinkle glitter onto the ornaments, making sure it covers all the glue designs. Tap gently to remove excess, and let dry.
14. Have an Ornament Repair and Refurbish Workshop. Before putting ornaments on the tree, gather glue, glitter, paint, and new ornament hooks. Repair any ornaments that have been damaged in years past, and give plain glass globes new sparkle with glitter or paint.
15. Make giant candy decorations. Wrap a tennis ball, golf ball, or ping pong ball in crinkly cellophane wrapping. Twist the ends and tie with ribbons. Hang from the tree.
16. Go nuts! Paint unopened whole walnuts. Give them feet made from craft foam sheets, pom-pom 'ears', and googly eyes.
17. Go for a walk in the newly-fallen snow. Bundle up warm and enjoy the sparkle of the icy world.
18. Build a snow creature. Everyone else has a snowman--make a snow lion or a snow bear instead.
19. Make Russian tea. Mix 2 cups of instant tea mix with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Place in clean mason jars and put a circle of fabric over the top. To make tea, mix 2-3 tablespoons with 1 cup boiling water.
20. Have a white elephant gift exchange after the holidays. Everyone rewraps one nice gift that they can't use and puts it into the pot. Draw names and let people pick. (This is good to do with coworkers or friends who were not at the original party, you don't want anyone to get their own gift back, that could hurt someone's feelings!)
21. Make a batch of cookies from an old family recipe, or use a recipe from an old cookbook that hasn't been used in a while. Pick something unusual that you would like to try!
22. Mix holiday snack mix. Add peanuts, pretzels, yogurt covered raisins, and red and green M&Ms. Place into bags and tie with a festive bow.
23. Make chocolate covered pretzels. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, and dip long pretzel rods into chocolate. Swirl, then place on waxed paper to cool and harden. Peel wax paper off when hard and store in airtight container.
24. Make a festive punch everyone can enjoy. Mix 1 part cranberry juice with 1 part lemon lime soda. Float scoops of pineapple or orange sherbet in the punch bowl.
25. Have a gift wrapping workshop for wrapping gifts for aunts, uncles, grandma, etc. Let everyone choose wrapping and ribbons and wrap gifts in their own special way. Remember the gift tags!
posted by knittykat @ 10:42 AM
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