Use a Recycled Potato Chip Canister Instead of a Christmas Stocking

Christmas stocking designs have evolved a lot since I was a child. The shape is the same, except for the occasional fancy shoe looking ones, but the colors and add-ons sure have changed a lot. Instead of the basic red stocking with white fur trim, stockings now are made of every color of the rainbow. Printed on them may be winter scenes, holiday decorations, cartoon characters, and/or names. The tradition of hanging them on the fireplace mantel has pretty much stayed the same, unless you do not have a fireplace, like me, so you hang them wherever Santa will be sure to see them. If you do not have a fireplace and are limited on places to hang your Christmas stockings, use instead a decorated potato chip canister to hold your holiday candy and small stocking stuffer items. This is a great craft for children.

Items Needed to Make a Christmas Canister

-Several empty and clean potato chip canisters, with or without lids (your choice)
-Different colored construction paper (make sure you have some white sheets)
-Christmas paper
-Christmas stickers
-Acrylic paints
-Paintbrushes
-Craft glue
-Markers
-Pencil
-Stencils
-Scissors
-Christmas rubber stamps
-Assorted glitters

NOTE: You may not use all the items listed. It depends on how you want to decorate your potato chip canister.

Making a Mosaic Christmas Canister

Glue a solid white sheet of construction paper to the outside of potato chip canister, leaving the top and bottom uncovered. Tear red, green, yellow, blue, silver, and other festive colors of construction paper into small irregular shapes. Glue on white paper in a mosaic design. You can spell words in the design, such as Merry Christmas, or your name.

Making a Christmas Canister with a Holiday Scene

Use a pencil to draw a holiday scene on a white piece of construction paper (sized to wrap around the potato chip canister). Using the acrylic paints or markers, color the scene, and when it has dried wrap the canister in the paper as described above. Sprinkle with one color of glitter.

Making a Glittery Rubber Stamped Christmas Canister

Rubber stamp a colored piece of construction paper (sized to wrap around the potato chip canister). Fill in areas of rubber stamp with different colors of glitter. One idea is to use a Christmas tree rubber stamp and fill in the tree with green glitter. After that dries, go back over small areas of the green with other colors of glitter to create ornaments, lights or garland.

Making a Sticker Decorated Christmas Canister

This is an excellent craft for the kids as most children enjoy working with stickers. Cover the canister as instructed above and then let the children decorate with holiday stickers.

Your Christmas canister is now ready to be placed on a table, bookshelf, counter, or wherever you have space. Fill with assorted candy and stocking stuffers.

Do not worry if you think Santa will not know that the canisters are replacing stockings. He knows everything. I mean, he does know if you have been naughty or nice. Right?