| Some of the best Christmas memories I have is | | | | out. |
| taking time with my children to make | | | | |
| Christmas decorations. We have made | | | | Then let the child cut out the image. While |
| decorations for the house that we still use | | | | they're cutting, you may fold a piece of |
| today. It's wonderful to remember activities | | | | light brown construction paper (from top to |
| that we shared as we created decorations for | | | | bottom, making a 4" x 6" piece). Next draw a |
| Christmas. Ideas for creating your own | | | | slightly elongated shape with slight points |
| keepsake decorations are fun for the whole | | | | at the folded end. This is where the finger |
| family. | | | | "antlers" will be glued. While the child is |
| | | | cutting out this shape, you need to cut 2 |
| We love to make wall decorations that add | | | | white "egg" shaped circles the size of a |
| Christmas memories and color to our home. A | | | | silver dollar, 2 dark brown quarter-sized |
| fantastic keepsake decoration is 'Rudolph', a | | | | circles, and a half dollar sized red foil |
| deer with antlers made in the shape of your | | | | circle. These are for the face. Cut out white |
| child's hand. Make sure to put the date, | | | | candy cane about 2" (hook) and 5" long, and |
| child's name & age on it. A perfect | | | | draw on about 12 diagonal lines for the red |
| complement to Rudolph is a wreath with your | | | | stripe, which can be colored with the |
| child's picture, which is detailed in | | | | markers. |
| Keepsake Christmas Decorations, Part 2. | | | | |
| | | | Now it is time to glue everything on and make |
| DEER WITH HANDS ANTLERS | | | | the keepsake memory of the antlered deer, |
| | | | using your child's hand. Take the light brown |
| Materials:Â light & dark brown, & white | | | | oblong shape and glue the "antlers" on the |
| construction paper, scissors, red marker and | | | | folded part with the slight points. Next glue |
| glue. The first you need to do is to draw | | | | on the oblong white shapes about 2" to 2 & |
| around your child's hands, with their arms | | | | ½" from the bottom, on either side of the |
| crossed and laying on the light brown paper. | | | | "face", with at least 1" between them. Now |
| This will let the right thumb be pointing | | | | glue the dark brown circles in the middle of |
| left and the left thumb will be pointing | | | | the whites and glue the red foil just below |
| right. Have the tips of their little fingers | | | | the eyes, in the middle of the face. With a |
| about an inch apart. After tracing the hands | | | | black marker, make a mouth, slightly curved, |
| and the area between the little fingers to | | | | almost the shape of the bottom of the "face". |
| the wrist (which forms a "U"), add the | | | | Glue on the candy cane angling from the |
| antler's bottom by drawing a line between the | | | | mouth. You now have 'Rudolph' with your |
| thumbs that matches the width of their hands | | | | child's "handmade" antlers, a wonderful |
| (about 2"). Make it parallel to the line | | | | keepsake in the future of what size your |
| formed between the little fingers. Sideways, | | | | child was this year. |
| the form will be a "C" with fingers aiming | | | | |