Family Christmas Activities (cont.)
3. Family Snowflakes
Families celebrate their uniqueness with this cooperative craft project.
You’ll need:
- small craft sticks
- assorted buttons
- hot glue gun
Have family members each create a stick person representing themselves using craft sticks and buttons. Small families can create extra stick people to represent extended family members such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles. When everyone’s finished, glue the feet of the stick people together to form a snowflake.
Ask:
- Is it really true that no two snowflakes are alike? What do you think and why?
Say: Scientists say the differences between snowflakes are limitless. Many snowflakes look alike—even under a microscope. But when we look really closely, they truly all have designs that make them special. God created each person in your family unique, which makes every family one of a kind—just like your snowflake.
Families can hang their unique snowflake in a window to remind them to rejoice in the uniqueness of the family God’s given them.
4. Mitten Angels
Help families make a craft project that brings comfort and warmth to children in need.
You’ll need:
- 11/2-inch foam balls
- 12-inch squares of white netting material
- gold chenille wires
- assorted pairs of children’s knit mittens
Place one foam ball in the center of a piece of white netting material. Then fold the netting around the ball to form the angel’s head. Use a pair of mittens to create the angel’s wings by wrapping a chenille wire around the angel’s neck and the mitten thumbs. Another chenille wire can be used to form a halo.
Let’s Talk
Ask:
- Describe the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received. Why was it so special?
- How would Christmas be different if you didn’t receive any presents?
Say: Many people go without gifts at Christmas. These mitten angels can be a very special gift for children in need. If you’d like, make more angels together at home. Then bring your mitten angels to our Christmas Eve service, and we’ll deliver the warmth of mittens to a local family or women’s shelter on Christmas morning.
5. Inheritance Christmas Ornaments
Families can begin an ornament-making tradition to decorate the Christmas trees of future generations.
You’ll need:
- red chenille wire
- red and white tri-shaped pony beads
- resealable plastic bags
Have each family member make two candy cane ornaments by stringing a white pony bead onto the end of the chenille wire and wrapping the wire around the end of the bead to secure it. Continue to string beads, two white and then two red, onto the wire until it’s full. Wrap the wire around the last bead to secure it. Form the beaded wire into a candy cane shape.
Let’s Talk
Have parents tell their kids Christmas traditions they’ve continued from their childhood.
Say: These decorations can be the start of a new tradition for your family. Place two of the candy canes on your tree this Christmas. Then find a box at home for each child. Decorate and label each box, “[Child’s name’s] Christmas Ornaments.” Divide the remaining candy canes between the boxes and store them. Each year your family can create new ornaments—enough for your current tree as well as your children’s ornament boxes. When your children leave home someday, they can take their boxes of ornaments with them. Then they’ll have the same ornaments as the family tree.
