Holiday crafts are a great method of getting into the season.  These projects provide a beautiful opportunity to spend some creative and sharing time with your children or grandchildren. Making gift tags can be a fun project that doesn’t have to take too much time or involve too many materials or tools. Since these tags will be attached to presents, there is a built-in level of excitement for this family project.

To begin,  collect bits and pieces of cloth, felt, yarn, buttons, old holiday cards, cotton balls, threads and anything else that may have some potential.

Then get your craft tools– glue, scissors, stapler etc.  Have the kids contribute items of their own for the project such materials they have left over from another project or an original painting that can be cut up.   Now the real creativity begins. Snowmen, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Mistletoe–the list of possible designs is limited only by the kids’ imaginations, so probably there is no limit at all. 

Handmade holiday tags are sure to enhance even the most modest gift. Another idea for a project is to make personal place cards for your family Christmas dinner.  You could include an individual blessing on each of the place cards.

It takes little space or time to collect an array of project material.  Save those old holiday cards, trinkets, and bits of material. They very well may contribute to a magical day with your children.

Blessing to your family during this Holiday Season,

Elaine

Grandmother to three

Two to three weeks  of school vacation for the holidays. What’s a mom to do? There are some great videos available on the internet that promote the spirit of love and giving that is the essence of this holiday season. Here are a few of our favorites and can inspire meaningful conversations with your children. 

The Girl Who Silenced the World at the UN is the story of Severn Suzuki who has been working on environmental and social justice issues since kindergarten. At age 9, she and some friends started the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO), a small group of children committed to learning and teaching other kids about environmental issues. They traveled to 1992’s UN Earth Summit, where 12 year-old Severn gave this powerful speech that deeply affected (and silenced) some of the most prominent world leaders. 

Doctor with a Big Heart    is the story of Ingida Asfaw who came to America in a cargo ship at age 16 from Ethopia. He made a promise to himself that he would give back to his homeland when he was able. Now a world-renowned surgeon, Dr. Asfaw has created an international  coalition to address Ethopia’s medical crisis.

Dance Like No One is Watching  is a video of some guy named Matt doing the Gratitude Dance in 42 different countries. Guaranteed to make you happy. Matt dances with people all over the world and he is clearly quite a character and a beautiful fellow.. For a lot more information about his journey, see Matt’s blog.  

Christian the Lion  In 1969, two Australians living in London purchased a 35-pound lion cub from the exotic animal division of Harrod’s department store. For a full year, John Rendall and Ace Bourke raised the cub as their pet, permitting him to lounge freely in the furniture shop they co-owned and even join them for an occasional meal at a local restaurant. In 1972, after the lion had grown too large to properly be cared for, he was taken to Kenya and reintroduced to the wild. Two years later, Rendall and Bourke paid a visit to Kenya to see their old friend. They were told the lion would never remember them. Watch what happened.