Make one of these festive gems with the kids for each place at your holiday table.
Peanut Butter Cup Tree
Coil a green pipe cleaner into a spiral. Pull the middle of the spiral up to make it into a tree shape. Bend the opposite end down into a trunk. Poke the trunk into a holiday foil-wrapped peanut butter cup. Optional: Thread a sparkly bead onto the top of the tree, or glue on a paper star.
Pretty Peppermint Sticks
Tie three peppermint sticks together with several colors of curling ribbon. Curl the ends of the ribbon and set on each plate.
Walnut Place Holders
Paint the outside of walnut shells with metallic gold or silver acrylic paint. When the walnuts are dry, write each person’s name on the shell with a permanent marker. Glue a pretty ribbon bow on top. Set a napkin on top of each plate, and then set a small branch of a pine bough on the napkin. Set the walnut on top. Keep the nutcrackers away–these are just for decoration!
Candy Cane Reindeer
Twist half a brown pipe cleaner around the middle of the bend of a wrapped candy cane. Form the ends into antlers. Glue on googly eyes and a small red or brown pom pom for a nose (or cut a nose from colored paper). Hook each reindeer to the glass at each place setting.
Gumdrop Name Cards
Cut a rectangular piece of cardstock for each place setting. Cut a smaller rectangle of paper of a contrasting color and glue to the cardstock rectangle. Write each person’s name with glitter glue on the cards. Let dry. With a knife, cut a slit in two medium gumdrops (adult job!) for each card. Insert the card in the gumdrops, with one at each end to hold the card upright.
Happy Holidays,
Laura Torres
lauratorres.com.