Colorful lights, festive decorations, and the cool Christmas breeze—the holidays are finally here! Most people are already starting to prepare for family celebrations and gift-giving, and while traditional decorations such as Christmas lights and lanterns will always add to a joyful holiday vibe, getting creative with this year’s holiday decorations (and even gifts!) can make the Christmas season more memorable and exciting.
Make special Christmas treats for kids, or ask them to make healthy holiday treats with you. These DIY projects can also give you some gift ideas for your children and your children’s friends! They just require a little bit of effort, but we assure you that it’s worth it. Here are some ideas you can easily pull off with very simple materials while staying in the comfort of your own house or condo.
1. Card-Making Session On A Rainy Day
The holiday breeze may also bring some rains from time to time. But even if you’re stuck in your condo, you and your kids can work on some DIY Christmas projects to pass the time. Some things you can do with your kids during the cold season include fun arts and crafts sessions and card-making. And since it’s the holidays, sneak in some customized Christmas card projects using cut out snowflakes, glitters, and colored papers.
2. Chocolate-Coated Rice Krispies Recipe
For Filipinos, the holiday season is never complete without traditional Christmas food for Noche Buena. But aside from the usual desserts such as fruit salad and leche flan, you can add a twist to your usual Christmas dessert and wow your kids by trying out this holiday recipe which you can easily make in your condo. The complete recipe can be found on the BBC goodfood website, and it is simple enough to make with your kids. Decorate as a cute Christmas canapé and serve at the table. Be prepared to watch the kids go crazy.
3. Christmas Cookie Ornaments
A great idea from the Martha Stewart website, this holiday DIY treat can double as a snack and as a Christmas-themed decoration for your condo! Kids will surely have fun cutting out fun shapes such as Christmas trees and ornaments. Simply draw the outlines on a manila paper, place them on rolled-out cookie dough, and cut out along the edges. You can create a stained-glass effect by using the tip of a paring knife to cut out the center of the cookies and filling it with chopped candy. The candy will melt into a thin film as the cookies bake.
4. Popsicle Stick Gift Frames
It’s one thing to give your loved one a present during the holidays, but it’s another to make them a personalized gift. This holiday season, consider making customized frames with pictures of you and your family, and give it to them for Christmas. You can also encourage your kids to collect pictures of their friends and make popsicle frames to give to the special ones. Use bright, jolly colors to decorate the popsicle sticks, glue them together, and add a magnet at the back so that it can easily stick to the refrigerator. This Christmas gift idea may be simple, but it will sure warm the hearts of your friends and family.
5. Holiday Apples
Add spunk to ordinary apples by turning them into colorful—and not to mention scrumptious—caramel-coated candied apples! Another easy holiday recipe you can make with your kids, this simple treat can be a great Christmas gift to almost anyone. Because really, what’s not to love about colorful, candied apples? Just dip the apple into melted caramel, or chocolate if you wish, and add sprinkles while the coating is still wet. Wrap with a transparent plastic wrapper and tie with a nice ribbon. You can also place them in the middle of your dining table to add color to your condo’s kitchen.Customized Christmas Calendars
6. Customized Christmas Calendars
By the end of the Christmas season, the New Year is just days away. A great way to welcome the coming of the New Year is to make customized calendars that you can hang on your condo wall! Give your kids a few art materials and let them experiment with different designs on a piece of cardboard. Afterwards, just glue calendar pages to the cardboard and hang anywhere in your home. You can also make these as gifts to grandparents, teachers, and friends.
7. DIY Christmas Ladder
If your condo is a bit small for an actual Christmas tree, why not try making your own with a ladder and a few DIY ornaments? Ask your kids to make decorations out of recycled materials, and you can paint your ladder white for that White Christmas feel. For even smaller spaces, you can opt to use a smaller ladder, and prop it up on a side table or chair in your living room. This idea is not just a great space-saver, it’s a cost saver as well!
Holiday expenses have the tendency to skyrocket these days, and that is why simple DIY ideas can be a great money-saver! With a little dose of creativity and a couple of messy-floor days, you and your children can make your condo look and feel as festive as it can be with easy holiday projects that you can pull off with a few inexpensive materials and a handful of ingredients.