These crafts and decorations are made by using candy in some way. You shouldn’t plan on keeping these “whole” decorations from one year to the next. So go ahead and eat the candy and really enjoy the craft. If you are careful you can get it back out next year and re-decorate it. Plus by the time Christmas is here you will have ate all of the candy, and it will be time to pack it up for next year.
I like this one because you can use so many different ways to decorate it. You can use the candy you like, or if you are making it for someone else, you can use their favorite kind. You also could use all different kinds if you are making it for a group, like school or at the office.
Candy Wreath
You need : a wreath, any kind and any size and shape will do
candy, wrapped ( I like to use – peppermints, tootsie rolls, smarties – anything that is wrapped in twisted plastic
small ribbon or string – one piece for every piece of candy you will use
a long piece of ribbon or string, or many long multi-colored pieces
1. First you take a small piece of ribbon or string and tie it onto a piece of candy, you do this for every piece of candy you plan to use.
2. Now you take a long piece of ribbon or string and loosely loop it around the wreath. You will be tying the smaller pieces of string onto this.
3. You then take these small pieces of string and tie them onto the wreath, onto the long piece of string or ribbon.
4. You can put on as many pieces of candy as you want, or as many as will fit.
I do this as a way to count down the days until Christmas. The kids put on whatever candy they choose, and take off one piece everyday after lunch. This way when they get to the last piece of candy they know that tomorrow is Christmas. The only problem is when they eat more than one piece in one day, and still expect Christmas to come when the candy is gone. Beware some children will think that if they eat it all today, then Santa will come tomorrow.
I liked making the strings of popcorn when I was little, now that I am the one who cleans up we don’t really do that at my house. So when I saw this on a friends Christmas tree, I decided that here was the strings that my kids would make for our tree.
Mint Garland
You need : small pieces of ribbon or string
candy, wrapped( I use peppermints – red and green, and tootsie rolls)
1. First you tie a ribbon/string onto one end of the wrapped candy, then you tie another piece of candy onto the other end of the ribbon, string. You just keep doing this until you run out of candy.
2. Now you wrap this decorated string ( garland ) around your tree.
I like to make a string of red peppermint, and a string of green peppermint, and then put them both on the tree. Don’t forget to take your candies apart before you pack up your tree after Christmas. This is also a good one to use to count down to Christmas, you can hang them from the mantel or fireplace beside the stockings. Then you can eat and enjoy one everyday.
This is one that I liked to do when the children were young. When my children were little they wanted so much to help with the decorating on the Christmas tree. As you know many Christmas decorations are fragile, whether they are made of glass or not. Some may also be old, and very precious, you want to put them on the tree, but don’t want to worry about them getting dropped. This is what you can do for the kids, so that they will still get to decorate, but just not with your decorations.
Children’s Christmas Tree
You need : Poster board – the bigger the better
markers/ crayons
glue
candy – wrapped ( lots of different kinds )
1. First you take the poster board and draw out a Christmas tree. If the kids are big enough to do this on their own let them. If they can’t agree on who will draw it, then you should make the outline, and let them color it. You should make the tree as big as you can on the poster board.
2. After the children have colored the tree with markers or crayons ( do not use paint ), you will hang the tree on a wall.
3. They will use the glue to ” decorate ” the tree with the candy. Keep in mind that some candy will not stay glued on the tree. This is fine, if the candy falls off then let the children eat it. You can also let them “pick” candy from the tree as Christmas gets closer. They can also use their markers to help decorate, although the candy is much more fun.
This way the kids get to decorate their own tree, and spend an afternoon together. Remember to only use candy that is completely wrapped.
This is just a few of the wonderful candy Christmas crafts that you can make. I listed crafts that are inexpensive, and child-friendly.
Remember that a craft should be fun, and crafts are always better with your children.
