Twelve Days of Christmas Crafts.

The fun and festivity of Christmas are all around us! Our towns and cities are bedecked with strings of sparkling lights, Christmas markets firmly ensconced in many of our town centres and ancient marketplaces, and our village greens are adorned with mighty Christmas trees ready for people to gather around, sing carols and roast chestnuts. Well-known songs merrily waft out of every shop and radio station and our screens have a seemingly limitless supply of feel-good festive movies to watch. The Christmas season is well and truly upon us.  

Despite all this merriment, we are still in Advent, traditionally a season of quiet reflection, preparation and even fasting! Christmas is the time of year when Christians remember and celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus and the traditional Christmas period lasts for twelve days, from Christmas Day until Epiphany on January 6, which commemorates the visit of the magi to the child Jesus. Hence, the carols and poems about the twelve days of Christmas focus on those days after Christmas Day itself. 

Within the last few decades, however, the seasons of Advent and Christmas have gradually merged into one, and the traditional time of preparation and contemplation has given way to glitz and tinsel. Undoubtedly, many of us would welcome reclaiming a quiet bit of downtime before Christmas hits! Our first thoughts will always be towards crafting, and so below are some suggestions for twelve crafting activities for families to do quietly at home and take a break from Christmas fever! They are all simple low-cost projects to work on peacefully, carving out some quiet time away from the general bustle. Remember to make yourself a warm mug of your favourite beverage, put on some gentle music and light a scented candle to add tranquillity to your oasis of calm and creativity. Then, if you decide to sell your beautifully made creations, maybe at a festive fair or market; don’t forget about Craft Public Liability Insurance UK.  

Or, you might choose to gather family, friends or neighbours for a crafting session. This too could be a haven of peace amid all the busyness. Crafting together offers a perfect opportunity to chat; share memories, exchange traditions and reflect on the year past and the one to come. A glass of mulled wine and a plateful of mince pies will add to the homely atmosphere. Of course, if children are involved, the noise levels will be raised, but they too need to have the volume lowered sometimes and some focused activity with time to talk – it could become a new family tradition!  

So, here are our twelve suggestions. Enjoy!  

A Christmas wreath

This could be as large or small a project as you like. There are many ideas online, or you could buy a base from a florist shop and decorate it with greenery, ribbons and other trinkets. You could prelude this by a walk in some local woods or fields, collecting evergreens and berries.   

Advent calendars

Buying new calendars each year can be costly for both your purse and our planet. There is certainly a market for durable handmade fabric calendars (don’t forget your craft public liability insurance UK). However, if you want to make an easy, no-sew calendar with your children, we suggest using felt. You can glue twenty-four small pockets onto a large rectangle of felt, held up by a piece of dowelling. The children will have fun cutting, sticking and decorating and enjoy seeing their creations come out each year. 

Christmas stocking

There is a market for these too, but if sewing is not your thing, felt and some basic blanket stitching will produce stockings which last for years. Your children can decorate their own! 

Paper chains

A fun way to spend an afternoon for your family, these will add an instant seventies party vibe to your home.  

Candy cane decorations

Another easy one for children, using either red and white beads or twisted pipe cleaners.  

Snowmen

These can be made with toilet rolls, cotton wool and coloured cardboard? 

Christmas cards

Either a good family activity or a peaceful time with friends, chatting around a table of card supplies. Friends and family will be delighted to receive a unique hand-crafted card through their letterbox. 

Potato print wrapping paper

A great, though potentially messy one for little ones. Spread a roll of brown wrapping paper on the floor and allow your small artists to print away with their potato stamps. We suggest doing this towards the end of the day, followed by a bubble bath, easy supper and Christmassy bedtime story.  

Origami stars

These are fun to make and you can put a little LED tea light inside to add extra charm. 

Christmas tree crochet bunting

This is a project you can take out and about with you or work on in the evening while watching a Christmas movie. 

Clay stars

This is a great one for regulating any over-excited children. Kneading dough or clay is very calming and it’s fun to cut out stars with cookie cutters. 

Felt tree decorations

A quiet one for yourself; gather some felt and embroidery threads and create stars, hearts and gingerbread men. These could be great to sell, so do check our website for craft public liability insurance UK. 

We wish you some peaceful hours of creating beautiful crafts, precious memories and new traditions!