Day 11: Homemade Christmas Ornaments

24Days of Joy!

A Countdown to Christmas

I am soooo not crafty. Truly, I have no business being a homeschooler. I loathe glue and little pairs of scissors and tiny pieces of paper all over my floor. I am the awful mother that groans when she receives a tshirt covered in her kids' handprints that she will be expected to wear in public. So when I dared to put "homemade Christmas ornaments" on my 24 days of joy list a few weeks ago, I deleted it, then added it back again, then deleted it again, then consulted Pinterest, and finally left it hovering on Day 11 because, to be honest, I was running short of ideas. And then, like a Christmas miracle, my kids came trotting out of their Sunday school classrooms last week waving little white angels made out of paper plates, and an idea was born. I shamelessly added on to those who went before me last Sunday... Praise God for sweet, creative Sunday school teachers. So for all you non-crafty kindred spirits out there, check your mom-shame at the door and read on.

Step One: Pull an already-made Christmas craft out of your child's bookbag. I assure you, there will be gobs of them in there, all made under the patient guidance of creative crafters such as teachers, tutors, or Sunday school volunteers. Spend at least one full minute rejoicing over the glue that will not be spilled on the kitchen table, the markers that will not be left out for baby brother to find and color all over the couch with, and the tantrum that will not be had by your all-thumbs kindergartener who can't get his glitter where he wants it. All done? Okay, you're ready to proceed.


Step Two: Grab some recent snapshots of your kids. Have them cut them out. Glue them onto the already-made Christmas craft somewhere. Anywhere, really. Now at this point I imagine you're saying, Ummm, she's not exactly Martha Stewart.

Exactly.

In my non-Martha opinion this can really work with anything. My kids had angels, but you could put a picture on a snowflake, a snowman, or whatever you might find in their bookbag. When it comes to crafts my attitude is get in, get out, go home, so work with what you've got, people.


Step Three: Have them sign their name on the back and date with with their age.


Step Four: Hang it high on the Christmas tree so the aforementioned baby brother can not get it and put it in the toilet place it elsewhere in the house.


Step Five: Put the glue and markers away, for Pete's sake. Your toddlers are coming, and they can sniff out mischief like dogs can smell fear.

Just for kicks, I pulled a few homemade ornaments from years past off the tree to give you some extra ideas.

This one cracks me up. Chloe made it in preschool. I think she's supposed to be an angel.

This popsicle stick snowflake is cute...

Chloe made this in preschool too. It's one of my favorites.

Inside is a picture of her with the class goose. She loved that goose.

This one someone made for us that year after she was born. It's made out of those foam sheets you can buy anywhere. I pasted a picture of her from Christmas 2005 on the back.