DIY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS THE KIDS WILL LOVE!

Bring Nature To Your Christmas Tree

Some historians believe that the tradition of modern Christmas trees started in 16th century Latvia. Evergreen trees, an ancient symbol of eternal life, was the obvious choice. Artificial trees were not even invented until two centuries later in Germany. The earliest tree ornaments were taken from nature, such as dried fruits, and berries. People used what they had on hand to make their trees beautiful.

Take a cue from history and bring a natural touch to your tree. Even a pre lit Christmas trees would look stunning with popcorn and cranberries you string into a homemade garland. Make primitive bows from raffia or burlap. The kids can gather pine cones and acorns from the forest, and you can leave them plain, or paint them. Wrap bundles of cinnamon sticks with little bows and hang them from your tree. Anything natural and primitive you add to the tree will make it look festive.

Say Merry Christmas With Pictures!

If you took a lot of pictures over the year, you are not alone. Just last year, Americans took an average of one trillion digital photos. Put your photos to good use as homemade Christmas ornaments.

You might also make copies of older family photos to create a festive family tree for the season. Use school pictures, vacation shots, and plenty of funny moments caught on camera. Remember pictures of your pets! If you preserve these ornaments over the years, you will see how your family is growing. Here are some imaginative ways to turn them into tree decorations:

• Snowflakes: Turn your tree into a lovely blizzard of snowflakes with some white paper, designed scissors, and a little glue. Have the family cut out lots of paper snowflakes. Trim a design around your photos with fancy scissors, and apply them to the snowflakes with some glue.

• Snowglobe photos: Purchase a few inexpensive clear Christmas bulbs designed for pictures. Cut around the shape of the person/people in the photo and put it in the bulb. Next, sprinkle some artificial snow in the bulb and replace the bulb tip. Hang with a ribbon or an ornament hanger.

• Wooden ornaments: Around the holidays, you can find round slices of tree limbs in most craft stores. Buy a few and carefully drill holes in the top. Cut out your photos in a circle, and glue them to the center of each wooden disk. Put a ribbon or an ornament hanger in the hole for easy hanging.

• Bottle Caps: Ask friends and relatives to save their bottle caps for you. After you have washed and dried the caps, spray paint them your favorite Christmas color. Cut out small face photos and glue them to the inside of the caps. Use your glue gun to attach a small hanging ribbon to the back of each cap.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Help your little artists sculpt original decorations from an easy-to-make salt dough, or roll out the dough and help them cut shapes with cookie cutters. All you need are these ingredients for salt dough:

• 1 cup salt

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ cups water

• 3 tablespoons of cinnamon (optional)

Bake your ornaments on a cookie sheet in a 325 degrees F oven for an hour. After they cool, paint and decorate them however you wish.

Making your own Christmas ornaments not only saves you money, but it also gives you precious time with your kids. They are easy and fun to do. Plus, they make thoughtful gifts for family and friends. Create decorations that are uniquely yours.