Fun and easy holiday projects for the family

Oh what fun it is to enjoy the holidays at home! As I write this, I've been busy trying to collect a few notes of fun things that we have worked on while home for the holidays in years past. We have made some very special memories as we studied and prepared for this special season, and here are a few of the fun projects:

1. Christmas ornaments to make at home - the rule is that they have to be SIMPLE and inexpensive to make. A favorite when I was a child was to take styrofoam balls, drizzle them with white glue (washable, of course), and then sprinkle glitter on the glue or roll the balls in glitter on wax paper. They would then be hung with pipe cleaners to dry, and later transferred to the tree. The glue can be applied in a random pattern or in a specific shape (bell, star, tree, etc.), and the glitter can be sprinkled on the design.

2. Another favorite ornament project was to take scraps of fabric cut into 1" squares and push each square of fabric into a styrofoam ball, using a mechanical pencil. Here's a link with instructions:
http://www.craftelf.com/Craft_elf_Holiday_Christmas_fabric_ball_christmas_ornament.htm

3.  I am experimenting with a new project, mainly for older kids and parents with patience. Take a clear glass ornament, drip a few drops of glass paint into the bottom of the ornament on the inside, then roll the ornament slowly and carefully, causing the paint inside the ornament to spin into a spiral inside the ornament. It is pretty, but does require patience! :-) I am still learning!

4.  We would spend hours cutting white snowflakes from copy paper and hanging them on the windows and doors. Remember - many of our early family years were spent in Florida, and we needed reminders that it was winter! Here's a great website for snowflake patterns to print and cut (There is even a pattern to cut from a coffee filter!):
http://www.papersnowflakes.com/patterns.htm

5.  Another project that we've undertaken over the years is the painting of the small plaster houses and buildings that can be purchased very inexpensively at places like WalMart. We have worked on these as a family around the kitchen table in the evenings, sharing stories of past Christmases with family and friends who gather to paint. With a set of inexpensive string of C-7 white lights, the village is lit and arranged under the tree. As the children grow up and begin their own families, their "Christmas houses" can go with them, along with their handmade ornaments.

So many memories can be made this month as you all learn and share the message of Christmas. What are you up to this month?

Christmas blessings,
Amanda B.
www.unitstudy.com