December is a magical month. You can feel it as the sun begins to set earlier and earlier, and the air gets colder and colder. You can smell it in the form of fresh pine needles, mandarin oranges, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire. As a child, I always used to look forward to this time of year. Not for the presents, but for the traditions! Like picking out a tree, taking it home, and decorating it with the whole family.
I, of course, had my favourite decorations, and I insisted on hanging those ones myself. The funny thing is, they weren’t the shiniest ones in the box, or the most beautiful. On the contrary, the decorations I loved most were the misshapen ones, the ones made out of cardboard and handpicked pinecones, and with big patches of glitter missing. In other words, the ones we had made ourselves.
Those decorations reminded me of special times spent with my mom and my sister, sitting around the kitchen table giggling and gluing. And I was proud of myself, for having made something with my own two hands, and that what I had made got displayed on the Christmas tree, for everyone to see, year after year.
Making your own Christmas decorations is a special experience for children and parents alike, not to mention the many benefits of crafting that we touched on in our blog post Winter is the Most Wonderful Time of Year… to Craft! So, we put together a list of 10 of our favourite DIY Christmas ornaments for you to try making with your child this Holiday season:
Top 10 Favourite DIY Christmas Ornaments
1. Christmas Nature Craft – This craft by mothernatured is as original as it is adorable, and gets bonus points for being eco-friendly.
2. Popsicle Stick and Twigs Christmas Tree – Decorate your big tree with little trees! This lovely little craft by easypeasyandfun is just that: easy, peasy, and fun.
3. Keepsake Chalkboard Ornaments – This neat craft idea by firefliesandmudpies uses permanent chalk to immortalize your child's drawing skills.
4. Wood Slice String Art Ornament – Inspired by a children's book, this delightful craft by happybrownhouse doubles as a fine motor skills activity.
5. Pom Poms and Pinecones Christmas Ornament – These little ornaments by onelittleproject are ridiculously easy to make, and super cute to boot.
6. Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees – Customize these mini trees by onelittleproject with whatever leftover squares of wrapping paper and bits of ribbon you have lying around the house.
7. Colourful Pom Pom Popsicle Stars – These colourful and straightforward star ornaments by kidscraftroom will brighten up any room.
8. Spice Jar Lid Star Ornament – Have your child practice their hand eye coordination with this simple star craft by firefliesandmudpies.
9. Craft Stick Reindeer Ornaments – A true classic, this simple reindeer craft, covered here by firefliesandmudpies, is great fun for children of any age.
10. Yarn Wrapped Reindeer Craft – Bring your favourite Christmas characters to life with this lovable reindeer craft by iheartcraftythings.
These cost-effective and creative crafts are sure to be a hit with the kids. Make your tree your own this Christmas by making your own decorations!