Melted Snowman Cookies

Make your sugar cookies. You want them to be irregular in shape so that they look like blobs of melting snow once they are iced. We used an oval cookie cutter and then reshaped them to make them a bit irregular.

 Frost your cookies with royal icing and let some of the icing drip off the sides to resemble melting snow.

 Soften one marshmallow per cookie in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Transfer to the cookie and shape as you like to resemble melting snow.

 Decorate as you wish. There are lots of versions out there, but we just got out all of our holiday sprinkles and my creators went to work.

Source: The Decorated Cookie

"Getting the Christmas Tree" Ornament

Tree Cutting, 2006

In celebration of our cutting and bringing home our own tree this year (didn't take a picture of the car this year, but here is one from 2006)...

the boys made these cute "Getting the Christmas Tree" ornaments.

 They are simple and inexpensive to make.

 All you need is a tiny tree, a toy car and some pretty twine or string.

 If you buy a car with an open window, you can put the string through the window instead of having to wrap it around the whole car. It looks more realistic and it secures the tree to the car better.

 When you have tied the tree on a couple of times, you can tie your loose ends together to make a loop to hang the ornament.

They would make fun gifts as well.

Advent Activity: Snowflake Bentley and Snowflakes

Book: Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind." - Wilson A. Bentley 

Observe Snowflakes

Have you ever really looked closely at snowflakes? To make this easier, take piece of black construction paper and slip it into a plastic protector sleeve. Put this in the freezer to get it good and cold or the snowflakes will melt on contact. The black construction paper gives good contrast so you can see the snowflakes and the plastic sleeve keeps the snowflake from melting into the paper. More instructions on how to do this can be found at the Handbook of Nature Study blog links here. You can see some flakes with the naked eye, but a magnifying glass reveals even more. If you look closely enough you can see that the flakes are in different shapes, such as hexagonal plates and stellar plates. What kind of observations can you make between the type of snow and the shape of the crystals?

Once your kids have learned to look at snow crystals, they will begin to notice them more and more about them at other times too. Noticing new things becomes natural.

Make Paper Snowflakes

 If your paper isn't already square, fold your paper into a triangle, which will leave a strip along the side.

 Cut that strip off. If your paper is already square, also fold it into a triangle, but you will skip this step then.

 Fold that in half to make another triangle.

 Now fold this into thirds...

 which will leave some "fox ears" showing at the top.

 Cut off the "fox ears" by cutting straight across.

 Now, here is the creative step. Remember anything you cut out of the point will be in the center of your snowflake. Also, a good rule for young ones to remember is if they cut in on one side, be sure to come back out that same side. It prevents accidently cutting your snowflake so that it falls apart.

 Once you are satisfied with your cut-outs, carefully unfold your snowflake.

Each one is unique.

Crystal snowflakes

They look lovely hanging in the window or on a Christmas tree.

You could also make crystal snowflakes as a science project.

Easy Christmas Gift for Kids to Make: Butterfly Paperclip Angels

Here is a really frugal, fun, easy gift that kids can make for their friends and relatives.

• Butterfly Paperclips
• Pony Beads (silver, pink or gold work nicely)
• Silver Disk Beads (preferably with fluted or beaded edges). You will want the hole to be as large as possible.
• Ribbon, string or yarn

Take the ribbon and tie in a loop. Thread a disk bead, which will become the angel's halo, and then a pony bead, which will become the angel's head, onto the ribbon and push up to the knot. 

Loop the ribbon through the hole in the center of the paperclip and then open up the loop at the end and put through through itself. 

 Slip both beads back down to sit flush with the paperclip.

source: Frugal Upstate

Our Christmas Bucket List

• Buy Christmas decorations as needed.
• Put up outside decorations.
• Make Christmas balls.
• Make Christmas cards.
• Baking Day, or two or three or four...
• See the Nutcracker ballet.
• Put out shoes for Saint Nicholas day.
• Celebrate Saint Nicholas day.
• Go ice skating.
• Go window shopping.
• Get a Christmas tree.
• Get greens and mistletoe and have hot cocoa when we get home.
• Make kissing balls and pomander balls.
• Go to our Homeschool Christmas party.
• Make wreaths.
• Make salt dough ornaments.
• Celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe day.
• Perform in a Christmas Play.
• Make buns for St. Lucia day.
• Play in the snow (if there is any.)
• Make angel necklaces to give as gifts.
• Make Christmas candy.
• Go caroling.
• Make Gingerbread houses.
• Make sugar cookies.
• Go to our Homeschool Cookie Baking party.
• Celebrate Las Posadas.
• Go to an Anniversary dinner and shop for family Secret Santa gifts.
• Have a Christmas movie night with lots of popcorn and hot cider.
• Drive around to see the Christmas lights and drink hot cocoa.
• Roast marshmallows by the fire.
• Have a Christmas teatime.
• Make a Christmas craft, such as snow globes.

And for all of you that do the 12 Days of Christmas, you will understand that our Christmas celebrating lasts until Epiphany on January 6. These are on my list of things to do after Christmas Day.

• Celebrate the Feast of Saint Stephen.
• Celebrate James' 13th birthday.
• Celebrate New Year's Eve.
• Celebrate New Year's Day
• Have a Twelfth Night Party.

Swirly Christmas Balls Craft {for all ages}

This Christmas craft is easy enough for the younger kids and yet interesting enough for the older kids to want to do. A great family project.

You will need:

Clear glass Christmas ball ornaments

the desired colors of paint, acrylic or tempra

tape

Remove the top from the ball and squirt in a medium squirt (about 1-1/2 tsp.) of two colors of  paint. Put a piece of tape over the open to keep from splattering. Shake, roll on a paper plate or otherwise get the paint to move inside the ball. Once the paint is mixed as you like it, tap them upside down on the paper plate or newspaper you have on the table to tap out any excess paint. Leave the ball upside down, without it's top,  in  container it came in, or an old egg carton, to dry. Once dry, replace the top and hang. 

You can let your kids get creative with the color mixing, or if you have a color theme for your Christmas tree, you can  make balls to match it.

source: photo tutorial at Hope Studios

The Eve of St. Nicholas Day

Today is the Eve of St. Nicholas Day. It is time to put out shoes with hay or carrots.

"Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children's shoes (the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Good children receive treats - candies, cookies, apples and nuts, while naughty children receive switches or lumps of coal. Sometimes coins were left in the shoes, reminiscent of the the life-saving doweries the saint provided. Today - especially in families of German extraction - children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and expect to find candy and coins or small gifts in their shoe on December 6th."

Women for Faith and Family

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Quick and Simple Christmas Crafts and Treats

Here are a few very simple Christmas activities that take only a few materials to make. You may know them, but I find that I forget to do them until my kids remind me of how fun they can be!

Candy Cane Christmas Ornaments All that is needed for this one is red or white pipe cleaners and red and white pony beads. You just string the beads on the pipe cleaners and bend up each of the ends to hold the beads on. Bend it into the shape of a candy cane and slip onto the Christmas tree.

Chocolate Spoons This needs plastic spoons, chocolate chips (or Wilton melting chips), and decorating sugar and/or pieces. It can only be done with children old enough to understand how to be safe with hot melted chocolate.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove and bring to the table. Have them dip the spoons in and then add decorations. Place on a piece of wax paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until hardened. These are great in hot chocolate or coffee, or to give as gifts (especially with a jar of hot cocoa mix.)

Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees These require sugar ice cream cones, white frosting tinted green, various candies for decorations.

Just turn the cone upside down on a plate, and frost with the icing.

Decorate with whatever candies you have on hand or wish to use.

Use as decorations (especially nice for gingerbread house scenes) or eat as a treat!

Holiday S'mores

This is just like making regular S'mores (graham cracker, chocolate squares, marshmallows and another graham cracker) but you use holiday Peeps (snowmen, in this case) for the marshmallows and just microwave for about 10 seconds.

Have you ever watched Peeps in the microwave? They puff up wonderfully. The boys love to watch them.

The ingredients in a small gift bag (my kids received these as take-home bags at a dance) would also make a nice addition to a food gift basket.