Christmas Crafts

One of the most fun times of the year to do crafts is during Christmas time or the holiday season in general. Because christmas is such a festive time of year with so many decorations and fun activities it’s a great time to get involved in some crafts. Crafts at this time of year are also especially effective because they bring families and friends together and it can be a great time to bond with others over some fun christmas and holiday themed crafts. Plus crafts at christmas time are a great way to save money on presents and decorations and they’re also very good at getting both children and adults in the holiday spirit.

Christmas crafts can come in a lot of different forms with everything from gifts to decorations to baked treats but they’re always a lot of fun and very festive so read on for great craft ideas in all different areas.

Christmas Decoration Crafts

A great way to decorate your home for christmas is to do it with some fun crafts. Handmade decorations are often treasured much more than anything bought at the store and they can be a lot of fun to make as well. The ideas are endless and if you get creative with your crafts there is little you can’t do at home to make your decorations.

My family has a tradition of doing a unique christmas tree “theme” each year. Some years we do a snowman theme which can be a lot of fun. You can easily make snowman decorations using cotton, styrofoam balls with some paint, felt for hats and scarves and some glue on buttons. They’re easy to assemble and children love to decorate (and name) their snowmen with this fun craft.

It’s also fun to do homemade ornaments for your christmas tree such as baked cinnamon dough cut into christmas shapes (like bells, starts, candy canes, reindeer etc) with christmas cookie cutters. It’s also a lot of fun to pop popcorn (no salt or butter) and string it to make a christmas garland. You can also do this with pretty red and green wooden beads to wrap around your tree as well.

Another fun thing to do is to sew your own handmade angels. All you need is some fabric, some flattened corn husks cut into wing like shapes, a bit of curly ribbon, yarn, or fake hair, and some cotton stuffing. You just cut the fabric into the shape  of your angel, sew the bottom half of her up, stuff her with the cotton, sew the rest together, stitch in some eyes and a mouth and then glue on her hair and wings. It’s very simple and it’s a lot of fun - especially for children.

You can also buy some simple round ornaments and paint the year or your names on with with sparkly paint and glue to add some extra glitter to your tree. When decorating the rest of your home it’s always fun to cross stitch christmas greetings, make homemade wreaths, and place angles or snowmen around that have been handmade - they give the holidays a very homey feel and are great for passing down as a tradition.
Christmas Gift Crafts

Handmade gifts are always much more appreciated than store bought presents simply because of the time and effort that goes into them. They’re also a great option for children who may not have money to spend on their christmas presents for family and friends but still want to have a part in the gift giving. It can also be a great way to reconnect with the true meaning of christmas and the holiday spirit and take a step back from all the chaos of buying presents that often surrounds this time of year. Instead take the time to make some homemade presents for those that you love. There are plenty of great options and ideas out there.

A great way to start is by creating a christmas goodie tin. Baking a few batches of different treats and the dispersing them to neighbors and friends is a great way to show people that you’ve taken the time and effort to bake a treat for them instead of just buying some cookies at the store. When I make holiday tins I always make a few different kinds of cookies and a couple candies or other treats to mix in to the tins and then I wrap them with some ribbon and a bow and deliver them to my friends or neighbors with a card. This works great if you have a lot of people to get a gift for and aren’t sure what to get many of them. Everyone likes cookies, brownies, and so on which makes it a lot easier. I’ve found that peppermint bark is very easy to make and well received by all those who get it during the christmas season. This tins are very handy because you can just bake up your goodies, put them in the tin with some colorful wax paper and add a bow and you’re done. It’s much easier than selecting individual gifts from a store for every person and it shows that you put some time and consideration into your gift giving.

Another really fun gift at christmas time is a basket that has a theme with homemade gifts in it. I’ve movie night baskets, hot chocolate baskets, cookie baskets, day at a spa baskets and so forth. There are endless ideas here and if you get creative you can do a lot for a very small amount of money and people just love a basket filled with fun stuff. For a movie night basket it’s really fun to make up some caramel popcorn, some home made chocolate covered raisins and a couple of bottles of homemade soda pop or some yummy ice cream made from an ice cream maker. It’s also fun to include a little gift card to a video store or a movie that you know the recipient of the gift was wanting.   With a hot chocolate basket I often include a homemade mix of hot chocolate, a few homemade marshmallows, some pretty mugs that I’ve decorated, and some peppermint sticks that I’ve dipped in chocolate. This is a very festive and fun basket you can easily do for someone that is loved - especially on cold wintery nights. Spa or bath-time baskets are a lot of fun too especially if you know how to make your own soap, bath salts, face masks, lotions, and more. If the basket is for a child (or an adult too!) you can include a few toys like rubber duckies and little boats that are fun for play time. You can also make homemade bubble bath to put in with the basket.

Christmas Baking Crafts

You already know that many christmas crafts involve baking and that they can be put to lots of good use in gifts and decorations but it’s also fun to bake during christmas just for the enjoyment of it and it’s a great craft that guests and children can participate in too. Building gingerbread houses, decorating cookies, and lots of other baking crafts are great ways to enjoy the holiday season and have a lot of fun with family or friends. It’s also a fun time to try out new recipes whether its baking a new kind of cookie or cake or trying out a new christmas ham for dinner. Whatever you choose it can be a lot of fun and a great craft to get you in the holiday spirit. You can also put your baking and cooking to good use helping those less fortunate during christmas. The fire station and police stations always love fresh batches of cookies and homeless shelters are always appreciative of food donations during that time of year. There are also great ways to be involved with children during school as they can decorate their own cookies and take them to class parties or to give to their friends. Christmas crafts like these can also be very decorative and artsy. We do elaborate gingerbread houses every year along with chocolate molds that can be hardened with sticks in them to make a chocolate lollipop of sorts.

Christmas crafts come in all shapes and sizes and they can do everything from decorate the tree to serving as presents to being a source of kindness during the holidays. Get creative and see what you can come up with this holiday season!