3 Natural Holiday Decorations To Make With Kids

Hiya, inspiring you. It’s Jesse here, wishing you well and sending glitter dust and gentle vibes your way. We’re trying to make the best of another lockdown over here in Southern California. All this togetherness is so cozy and sweet, and many days it’s really overwhelming and tricky, ya know? You get it.

How are you holding up over in your cozy home?

To make the most of our long days, we’ve been having some fun creating handmade decorations instead of buying new. There’s loads of citrus trees in our neighborhood. So that has been the theme and it smells like oranges and greenery and feels like fresh needle pricks on fingers wrapped up in a bandaid. Glorious! ;) If you can find a plastic needle, even better.

Would you like to try any of these ideas at home? My kids, ages 4 and 7 enjoyed helping me. There is some parent supervision involved if you plan on using a needle and a hot glue gun. I find a little bit of risky play is also part of the fun.

  1. Orange, Cinnamon and Bay Leaf Garland

    This garland can be made using plastic needles or clothespins depending on the ages and what your children prefer. We hung ours in a window, but it would also look pretty on a Christmas tree, or to top a doorway.

    What you’ll need:

    4-5 large oranges, thinly sliced

    15-20 bay leaves

    8-10 cinnamon sticks

    Plastic/Sewing needle or Mini clothespins

    Twine or string

orange garland

What to do: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and bake thinly sliced orange slices for 3-4 hours. Using a needle and twine, begin threading orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves in a pattern of your choice. Clothespins also work well (ages 5+ may enjoy threading with a needle, while ages 3+ might enjoy clipping using clothespins, but you know your children best). String it up in a window or drape it on your Christmas tree. Either way, gorgeous!

2. Orange Peel, Moss, and Cinnamon Vial Ornaments

This activity was a family favorite. Both of my children enjoyed stuffing their vials, in their own special way. They look so pretty and natural looking on our tree. We gifted a few to our neighbors too.

IMG_5083.jpg

What you’ll need:

Dried orange peels (the ends of dried oranges work well)

Moss

1-2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

10 ml glass vials with cork and eye screws (found here)

Twine or string

What to do: Using the leftover odds and ends from your dried oranges (simply bake slices in a 200 degree F oven for 3-4 hours and voila), fill a glass vial with moss, pieces of cinnamon stick, and orange peels. You may need a toothpick to stuff it all in. Feel free to allow each person to make their vial in their own special way. The green moss against the orange and brown looks oh so pretty no matter which order it goes in. Add a cork and twist in an eye screw. Thread in some twine and string and hang it on a Christmas tree. Or my daughter brought up how it would be fun to wear it as a necklace!

3. Orange and Star Anise ornaments

This is a simple craft yet it looks so stunning and smells divine!

handmade ornaments

What you’ll need:

Dried orange slices

Star Anise

A hot glue gun

Twine or string

Toothpick

What to do: After your oranges slices have baked and dried for about 4-5 hours in the oven at 200 degrees, poke a hole at the top of each using a toothpick, and thread with twine. Tie a knot at the top. Using a hot glue gun, add on a star anise at the bottom (I normally drip a small dot of hot glue, and my children like to gingerly pop on the star anise, watching out for their fingers).

I’d love to know, which of these handmade ornaments might you try? Or are there special ornaments your family likes to make at home? Do share, and sending a big hug your way.

Lots of love,

Jesse xx

Parent Counselor and teacher - learn more here.

If you’re interested, I offer a  free, made for you mini-series full of rich independent play ideas.