Easy to make Christmas ornaments

Christmas ornaments add beauty to any setting and are visible symbols of the Christmas spirit in your home. Christmas ornaments come in many varieties, for many uses. They can be a table centerpiece or adorn the outside of a house or barn or decorate a Christmas tree. Today, Christmas ornaments range from the traditional to the outlandish. But the true embodiment of the spirit of Christmas is in the fact that the ornaments are handmade and not purchased. It is the effort that a person takes to create the ornament that makes it special. But if you don't have the time and inclination then manufacturers will be more than glad to ship it to you in pristine condition with a money back guarantee.

The most touching ornaments are those that are made by children. They sub consciously use a lot of skill, creativity and imagination to fashion some of the most delightful items. Examples of children’s creativity are as follows:

Poinsettias

Materials required – Bright colored paper, scissors, glue, glitter

1. Start with any square standard sized piece of colored paper. Take a bottom corner and diagonal fold it across to the opposite side of the page. Cut off the 2.5-inch strip at the top of the page to create an 8.5 x 8.5 sheet of paper. Fold it in half. Fold it in half again creating a smaller square.

2. One corner will be all folds; the other three corners will have some open edges. Finding the fold corner is the key to making a poinsettia. Turn the paper so that the fold corner is at the bottom.

3. Fold the corner on the right side over to the left side. You should now have a long, triangular paper, with the fold corner still at the bottom.

4. The dotted lines show where to cut to create your poinsettias. Discard the two, small, triangular sections that are cut off.

5. Once you've got the right shape, cut two partial circles to create the petals.

6. If you have a hole punch, you can create the hole shown in the diagram.

7. The children can use glitter glue to decorate their poinsettias.

The Countdown Paper Chain

Materials required - Colored Paper, glue, scissors, pen

1. Cut 24 pieces of blue and yellow colored paper app. 1x6 inches.

2. Glue the first piece together to make a ring.

3. Put the second piece through the first and then glue into ring shape.

4. Continue until the chain has 24 links.

It is called the Countdown Paper Chain because it has to be made on the last day of November. The child can remove one link from the chain on the passing of each day. They can watch with great excitement that Christmas is one day closer. Maybe something creative can be written on each link. It could be a
verse from the Bible or a chore to be done for that day.

Apple Cinnamon Dough (adult supervision required)

Materials required - Applesauce, cinnamon, rolling pin, cookie cutters

1. Mix 1 cup applesauce and 1 and 1/2 cups cinnamon in a bowl until the dough forms.

2. Sprinkle cinnamon on your rolling surface, and shape the dough into a ball. If it is too dry add more applesauce.

3. Roll the dough into a thin sheet (1/2 cm or 1/6 inch).

4. Cut out the shapes with cookie cutters and transfer to a baking sheet.

5. Make a hole with a toothpick so that you can hang them on the tree. Bake at 200f for about an hour.

Crystal Snowflakes (adult supervision required)

Materials - Pipe cleaners, thread, wool, water, borax, disposable container

Borax is a mineral that is commonly sold as a laundry booster. Do not use laundry soap with borax added. Borax must be handled with care. Never leave it where young children or
pets have access. Use in well ventilated area.

1. Cut one pipe cleaner in three pieces and twist them together in the center. Tie a thread or wool around each of the arms to create a circle. Take one pipe cleaner and twirl it into a spiral shape. Take two pipe cleaners and twist them together in the center. Bend the pieces to create square or rectangular sections of the snowflake. Thus the snowflake shapes are created.

2. Choose a container that is wide and deep enough to allow the snowflakes to float freely. Find a stick or ruler that can sit across the top of the container. Use the thread to tie the snowflakes to the stick.

3. Heat some water to boiling and pour it into the container. Add about 1/4 cup of borax for every 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until it dissolves. If all the borax dissolves, continue adding more borax until a bit is left not dissolved.

4. Put the stick over the container so that all the snowflakes are floating in the borax solution. Try to arrange them so that they don't touch each other.

5. Leave them over night to let the crystals form.