Pine Cone Christmas Trees Kids Can Make in Minutes

Crazy Auntie is at the door, and she's packin' her glue gun and a pound of pine cones to make pine cone Christmas trees. Max and Madison see her through the front room window and head out the back door lest they be enlisted once again to make Christmas doo dads and trinkets. Mum intercepts them and hauls them back in as Madison wails something about being allergic to glue, and Max quickly improvises a sling for his right arm. "Nonsense," says Crazy Auntie, "this will be fun." Mom vanishes to put little Bobby down for his nap as he says "Dat Auntie cwazy?"

"Attention, children!" Crazy Auntie trumpets, "We are going to make Christmas trees out of pine cones!" "Groan," the children reply, although 12 year old Madison is secretly intrigued by all the Christmasy things coming out of Auntie's satchel:

Supplies for Pine Cone Christmas Trees:

Pine cones

Glitter

Glitter pom-poms

Ribbon

Spray fixative

Glue

Old towel or newspaper

Max Sprays the Pine Cones

Auntie banishes Mad Max to the porch with an old towel, a can of spray fixative, and a few pine cones. He is told to spray the pine cones, pointing away from his face, away from his sister, and to make sure to get all the edges.

Madison Rolls the Pine Cones in Green and Silver Glitter

Madison rolls the now-sticky pine cones in green glitter, and some in shiny silver glitter. They are the most sparkly pine cones imaginable! Max points the spray can teasingly at Madison, Auntie gives him the mean old aunt glare where she can make her eyes appear to bulge right out of her skull and Max drops the spray.

Putting Pom-Poms in the Pine Cones

Madison is deputized to pour the sparkly pom-poms from the craft store into a bowl. Auntie tells the precious children to begin gluing the pretty poms one by one into the pine cones. Madison chooses to place multicolored pom-poms in a random pattern between pine cone petals, while Max sullenly asks Auntie why there aren't any black ones. Sighing, he makes do with white and silver poms and jams them into his pine cone willynilly.

Using Pine Cone Christmas Trees as Decorations

Madison places her colorful pine cone tree on a wreath of red ribbon on the kitchen counter to the ooh's and aah's of Auntie and Mum, who comes in with little Bobby, now up from his nap. Max is rather disappointed that his silvery tree looks quite pretty, and Auntie puts it right in the center of the kitchen table. Darling Bobby has been quietly putting pom-poms into his left nostril. Mum shrieks, but before she can dial 911 Crazy Auntie grabs Bobby, flips him upside down and the pom-poms fall out, so Mum breaks out the peppermint schnapps.

Pine Cone Christmas Tree Gifts

At last Max is excused to play mindless video games, while Madison keeps making pine cone Christmas trees, one for every teacher, each of whom will no doubt be thrilled to pieces.

"Isn't it nice when Auntie comes!" Mum says, now holding Bobby who is almost done sobbing.

As always Auntie has an aphorism for the occasion: "Homemade is from the heart, and also pretty cheap."

Source:
Personal experimentation

Crazy Auntie's wardrobe by Allene Newberg Bilodeau