Every holiday season, my parents, siblings, and I made homemade ornaments for our tree and to give out to friends and family. This tradition is and was one we loved to do together no matter how old we got. Our home would be filled the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg, my parents would sneak under the mistletoe, and their kiss would be met with a resounding chorus EWWWWS as loudly as we possibly could… (like all children do when their parents smooch in front of them).
My parents knew the importance of spending time together as a family. They also knew that activities over Christmas break was the best way to help keep us kids from fighting. 😉 My family and I made these recently and my son promptly hung them on his little Christmas tree in his room. He LOVES how they make his room smell like Christmas.
Making these ornaments is really simple and cost effective. All of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen cupboards and art drawer.
Step One: All of the Ingredients!
- 1 cup of Cinnamon ($ Saving Tip- Buy in bulk from your local co-op)
- 1 Tbsp Cloves
- 1 Tbsp Nutmeg
- 3/4 Cups Applesauce
- 2 Tbsp White Glue
- 1 Drinking Straw
- Ribbon or String
- Parchment paper (optional)
Work in mixture with hands 2-3 minutes or until dough is combined and is smooth.
Step Two: Cookie Cutters and Straws!
Divide dough into 4 portions and roll dough until is 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out with favorite cookie cutters and poke hole in top of ornament with straw.
Step Three: Dry! and Dry! and Dry!
Let them dry on plates or parchment paper for several days. Your home will smell SO good while this is happening.
Step Four: Ribbon and String!
Once the shapes are dry, tie a string through the hole you made with your straw. Hang on your tree or put in little baggies and tie with leftover ribbon or string to hand out to friends and family as fun gifts. 🙂
That’s all there is to it. I hope you enjoy making these as much as my family and I do. Have a great holiday and remember to drink lots of cocoa, eat lots of cookies, and to snuggle in with your family and enjoy a favorite holiday movie.
What a great holiday tradition! Thanks for sharing.
Great rainy day project to keep us all entertained!
Can’t wait to make these this week when the kids are home from school. Thanks for the idea!
Enjoy!!
We’ve made these with the kids as well, but didn’t add the glue and they were SO crumbly and difficult to work with. I will definitely use glue next time! One thing we did, in addition to these steps, that helps speed up the drying process, is bake them in a really low oven for a bit – at 175 or 200 for an hour or so. This works well, especially if you’re wanting to give them as gifts and you’ve procrastinated!
These would be great gifts for the kids to make for teachers! Gotta remember this next year 🙂