Kids Love Christmas

Here are some fun and adorable Christmas crafts you can make with your kids! I really like the button crafts - those are just too cute!

I just love making Christmas crafts with kids and I can't wait to get started! Now that Halloween is over, I'm sure we'll do a few Thanksgiving crafts here and there, but, I'm really ready to start working on some Christmas crafts! Get out all of your red and green construction paper and let's decorate the house in joy and love!

There is something special about walking into a room and seeing the Christmas tree. It instantly makes you feel happy. Kids especially love to see the tree all lit up and sparkly. The ornaments, lights and sparkle hold them in awe for hours. Here are some tips for making tree decorating a fun family tradition.

Have Fun - First and foremost make this occasion fun. If decorating the tree isn’t fun for you, it won’t be fun for your family. So relax and enjoy it, even if little Emma isn’t putting the crystal ornament exactly where it should go. If there are some ornaments that are precious keep them in a separate box up high so that the adults can add them to the tree and make sure you have lots of fun wooden or non-fragile decorations for the kids to put up.

Theme - Before you get started decorating, choose a theme. What kind of tree would you like? Do you want a traditional green and red tree? Or does your family want something funky and different? Get together, brainstorm and decide how you want your tree to look.

Lights - Does your family like white lights, or do they prefer colorful bulbs? Choose lights that your whole family will like to see on the Christmas tree. There are tons of options out there, from single color strands to lights that play Christmas music as they blink.

Handmade Ornaments - A really fun tradition for your family is to have everyone make ornaments. Set aside a special day just for this - a day when every family member will be able to pitch in with their creativity. Use cookie cutters, colorful paint and beads to create an assortment of unique ornaments. You can also buy ribbon and wire in the Christmas department and make tons of bows to decorate your tree.

Store-Bought Ornaments - Add some sparkle and shine to your tree with things like tinsel, icicles and garland. Or, if your family isn’t crafty and does not want to make ornaments, go together as a family and pick out ornaments for the tree.

Make it Special - Make the tree decorating day a special time. Play Christmas music, put out fresh baked cookies and chocolate with tiny marshmallows. Gather a group of close family and friends around and make it a really festive affair.

Once you decorate your tree go on a Christmas walk around the neighborhood and take in all the sights and lights around you. Then bring everyone back to your place for a hot Christmas stew or casserole… you’ll be creating a family tradition for years to come.

Kids love Christmas crafts. Santa craft ideas for kids are an easy and fun way to spend time with your kids during the holidays. Here are a few ideas to choose from.

Santa Picture:
Let’s begin with Santa pictures. There are a variety of Santa coloring books available during the holidays. Choose a picture from the book. Cut out the picture of Santa, and place the picture in the center of a sheet of white construction paper. Use a glue stick to secure the picture.

Color the picture with crayons. Once the picture is finished, place cotton balls to cover Santa’s beard, and one at the end of his hat. You can even glue black buttons for Santa’s eyes, and a red button for his nose. Decorate the blank area of the white construction paper by drawing candy canes or trees. When the picture is completed, your kids can sign their names directly under the picture. Take a piece of cardboard and glue the picture to it. Place the picture in a frame, and place the frame in a special place in your home for all to see and admire.

Santa Christmas Cards:
Making Santa Christmas cards is another craft idea your kids will enjoy. Take a piece of white construction paper and measure the paper to a size of 5x7 inches. Cut the construction paper to that size. Fold the construction paper in half, either horizontally or vertically. Encourage your children to draw their own version of Santa on the front cover. Use crayons or colored markers. After the picture is finished, your kids can write Christmas messages on the inside of the card. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful to display in your home or send to relatives and friends.

Make a Santa plate ornament for the Christmas tree:
You'll need crayons and markers; cotton balls, a dinner-sized paper plate, and color sparkles. Draw Santa, without his red cap, on the plate using the crayons or markers. Add the cotton balls for his beard. You can even glue the cotton balls into a V shape so that Santa's beard hangs off the plate. The cotton balls can also be used for Santa's hair, too. Use a blue marker to color in Santa's eyes, and a black marker to draw Santa's glasses. Use red food color on a cotton ball to make Santa's nose. You can color the rim of the plate with red or green and add color sparkles to it. Finally, place the Santa plate on the tree by inserting an ornament hook at the top of the plate.

As you can see, there are so many different ways to involve your kids in creating, making, and decorating Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures, and cards.

These days it is quite expensive to buy ornaments or other decorations for the holidays. As a more frugal and fun option, here are 3 cute ornaments you can make with items you have around your house.

1. Cookie Ornaments: Use whatever cookie cutter designs you have on hand and bake cookies to hang on the tree. If you do not have cookie cutter designs, no problem. Make your own designs. For example make pretzel cookies, which can easily be hung on a branch and decorated with ribbons. Here is how to do it. Roll out a small piece of your favorite dough to about 3 inches. Take the two ends and overlap them at the top to form an upside down letter "Q" - or make any loop shape. After the pretzel is baked, you can tie a ribbon through the hole in the shape of a bow, and hang it on the tree.

2. Paper Tree Ornaments: Take white construction paper and cut out Christmas trees. Your child can personalize each one with his name, stickers, glitter, a drawing, or color each tip of the tree to resemble ornaments. Use these trees to make a border in your child's room or string them together to wrap around your Christmas tree.

3. Christmas Stocking Ornaments: Make your own Christmas stocking ornaments using whatever material you have on hand. Use several fabrics and colors to really make them bright and colorful. Glue on bows, beads or large ribbons. You can also personalize them with your child's name. When the stockings are done, cut a piece of fabric into a loop and sew it onto the top of the stocking. Hang them on the tree proudly.

Making homemade ornaments is not only fun for the entire family, but lets your child expand his creativity and imagination. It is much more meaningful to make something than to just go out and buy it. It is a wonderful and satisfying way to spend time with your children. These home-made ornaments make wonderful gifts as well.

Before you decide to go shopping for Christmas ornaments, first take a look around your house. You'll be surprised at what you may find!

Do you know the names of Santa’s reindeer? I always have trouble remembering them, but, everyone knows “the most famous reindeer of all.” Kids will love to create their own Rudolph.

Cardboard Rudolph Art
This one is simple. Using a 5x7 writing pad, take off the brown cardboard at the back. You can cut it for your child, in sort of a peanut shape - to look like Rudolph's head. Use two large black buttons and place them on the cardboard to make the reindeer’s eyes. If you don’t have buttons, you could use almonds or dried beans.

Color a cotton ball using a red marker, and glue the cotton ball onto the cardboard to make his nose.

Cut some brown construction paper into two small triangles and glue them to the top of the cardboard for his ears; and with a magic marker, draw a curved line for his smile.

Put Rudolph on a plate stand to display him in your home - he could even be the centerpiece at the kids' table.

Paper Plate Rudolph Mask
Another idea is to take a paper plate and turn it into Rudolph mask. Lightly color the plate with a brown crayon to begin.

Then, you can make the antlers. At the top of the plate, glue two brown pipe cleaners for antlers. Then cut two or more smaller pieces of brown pipe cleaner and twist them around the longer pipe cleaner, turning them outward to create the antler effect. You may need to reinforce the antlers with a hot glue gun after your child is done creating this mask.

Cut holes for the eyes and color around the holes with a black marker to make his eyes look darker. For his nose, cut out a circle from any red fabric (even patterned fabric would be cute). Glue it onto the plate.

Then, draw a big smile with a black crayon. You’ve got an adorable Rudolph mask. Simply glue a Popsicle stick to the bottom as a handle and your child has a mask to wear. Now all you need are a few more and you’ll have all of Santa’s reindeer.

Now that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been created, have you been thinking about the names of the other eight reindeer? The answer is: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

And here are some more really cute reindeer crafts:

That's right, kids! Halloween is over - and now it's time to start talking ....

CHRISTMAS!!!

It's time to dig all those boxes out of the garage and decorate the house!

It's time to start making some fun Christmas crafts!

It's time to start making some yummy Christmas goodies!

It's time to play all our Christmas music - that sits on the shelf all year long!

It's time to get a Christmas screensaver - with music!

It's just time for so many things, when it comes to Christmas! There is so much fun stuff to do and to make!

Two months of wishing "Merry Christmas"! I love it!

I'm ready - are you?