Creating Christmas Memories

Buying a personalized collector ornament for your child is one thing, but creating an ornament with your child to hang on the tree every year is something extra special. Every year, my grandmother carefully unpacks a special box of handmade ornaments made by my mother, aunts and uncles when they were very young children. These are hung in a prominent place on the tree, along with special ornaments made by the grandchildren and now her great-grandchildren. Some of them have been damaged over the years, as any fragile ornaments may be... but they are hung just the same. Each hand-made ornament is a story in itself, personalized, and made with love... something that cannot be bought in a store. Give your own Christmas tree "roots", and create your own heirloom decorations with your children, and it will help you and your family remember the true meaning of the holidays. A reminder that the Christmas tree is more than just an umbrella for gifts.

Your decorations can be made out of literally anything, but you should keep in mind that if it is too fragile, it may not survive forever. It can be heartbreaking to unpack your decorations and find a beloved decoration has disintegrated into dust. Try to choose materials that are fairly durable, and will survive curious little fingers, when they are hung on the tree.

Here is a project idea to get you started.

Pinecone Owl - Take the kids out to gather a boxful of various sized and shaped pinecones. You only want the "woody" dried out type, not premature green ones. The cones can be opened up or closed. It's fine to pick up a good variety... there is a lot of different things you can do with them. Also try to find some good twigs or small branches for your owls to perch on.

If you live in an urban area, region without many pine trees, or snow already blankets the ground, try going to your local craft store. Many of them sell pinecones. You will also need to pick up a few other supplies while you are there.

Prepare your pinecones by baking them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, at about 200 degrees, for about 15-20 minutes. This will ensure that they are dried out, and there won't be any moisture that can mildew.

You will need a hot glue gun (and glue sticks), a package of those craft "googlie eyes", and some small ribbon of various colors. For hanging ornaments, select some of the smaller pinecones to use. You can make larger owls for stand-alone ornaments to put on a tabletop. Find a nice fat cone to use for the body. Using the glue gun (watch out for little fingers as well as your own, they are very hot), glue the body onto the branch. For the head, break off a flake of a large pinecone, or use several flakes and glue them together from behind, until you get the right look. Attach the head to the body using craft glue. Glue on the eyes, and then you can either draw a beak on using a marker, or cut one out of felt, craft paper, etc., to attach. Use a dab of glue to create a hanging loop out of ribbon. You can cut out little Santa hats from felt, and use craft "pom poms", or just little cotton swabs for the tips.

You can put a row of owls, one for each member of your family, on the branch, and using a knife, scrape the front of the branch flat so you can write names/initials under each owl. Don't forget to put the year it was made somewhere as well.

Another ornament idea is to bake some "permanent" cookies using craft dough. This is made simply by mixing 2 cups of baking soda with 1 cup of cornstarch, then mixing 1 and 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. Boil the mixture for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cover with a damp cloth until it is cool. Roll it out on waxed paper, then you can use a cookie cutter, or shape it by hand. Let it air-dry for a couple of days, then you can paint it with acrylic paints. You can press a photograph into it, like a frame, add glitter, carve letters, whatever you want! Make sure to create a hole at the top for the ribbon or tree hanger, but make sure it is not too close to the edge, so it doesn't break. Spray with clear shellac to make it last longer.

There are countless ideas for making your own decorations, just be as creative as you want. It is a good way to spend time with your family, and create lasting memories.

Happy Holidays!