Christmas Holidays - keeping the kids entertained

The Christmas holidays are 6-8 weeks long in NZ, and can leave some parents wondering what to do (and where to escape).  Here are just a few ideas of things you can do with children over the holidays with minimal cost.


A
Ambury Farm (it's a working farm and is free to visit and walk around; you can also go bird watching there)
Auckland Art gallery - there is a kids section where kids can do their own artwork.
Alphabet hunt - look for things beginning with each letter of the alphabet.
Angels - make an angel - eg paper angel, a sand angel, pinecone angel
Auckland Airport - go to the lookout and watch the planes come in and take off.
Alice in Wonderland
Alphabet numberplate game - this is a great game for long journeys.  You have to look at all the numberplates on the cars around you and try to find the letters from A to Z, before someone else does. Try to get to Z first.
Animal, vegetable or mineral - a question game where one person thinks of an object (either an animal, vegetable, or mineral) and the other person/s have to ask yes or no questions to try and find out what it is.  Eg "Does it have four legs?" is a good question.  "How many legs does it have?" is not a Yes or No question and is not allowed in the game.

B
Baking - Make a batch of biscuits - yum!
Beach - go to a beach, take a boogie board or fishing net and explore the rockpools. Browns Bay Beach has lots of rockpools to explore.
Buttons & beads & bottle caps- get out a box of buttons, beads, or bottle-caps, and play with them, make flowers and gardens, use your imagination.
Books
Bingo - make your own Bingo game if you haven't got Bingo. You could use stickers to make them, or download a Bingo from the internet - and there so many to choose from... Animal Bingo, Dinosaur Bingo, Alphabet Bingo, Number Bingo... anything goes!
If you are going on a long journey, make your own travelling Bingo cards with things that you may see - eg a caravan, mobile home, bicycle, horse, cow, church, road signs, road works, aeroplane, etc.
Boats - go and look at boats, or make your own paper boat
Ball - play catch or try and throw at a target or into a hoop or box. Keep a tally of how many times you got it in.
Bounce a tennis or small bouncy ball against the fence and try to hit it.
Bike
Balloons - fill balloons up with water and throw at targets drawn on the fence or driveway
Botanical Gardens - free to go to, and beautiful to look around.

C
Cooking; bake cupcakes or a cake
Camping
Chalk - get a bucket of chalk and draw on the fence / driveway; write numbers along the fence line - call out a number for the kids to run to.
Circus / Carnival - get out the tablecloths and sheets and create your very own Big Top in the lounge or bedroom, and the kids dress up and put on their own show.
Catch - play catch, either with a ball or beanbag
Create - get out the scissors, glue, magazines, pencils, stickers, pipecleaners, beads, paper, pens, whatever you have, and get creative.
Christmas cards - make your own christmas cards or birthday cards to send to friends and family.
Christmas decorations - make a christmas decoration or paper chain.
Cardboard boxes - turn into cars, trains, firetrucks, ambulance, aeroplanes, rocket ships, hot air balloons, houses, villages, robots, Santa's workshop or grotto...
Chess
Cornwall Park
Cinderella

D
Dens - get out the sheets and tablecoths, rope, pegs, tables and chairs (or trees if outside) and create a den. You could decorate it with battery operated fairy lights to make it pretty.
Dinosaurs - get out the dinosaurs and create a small world with them using rocks, pinecones, blocks, lego, sticks... whatever you can find.
Hide the dinosaurs around the garden and go on a dinosaur hunt.
You could leave a trail of large footprints (use chalk - chalk even works well on carpet and vacuums off easily) for children to follow.
Go to the beach and make large dinosaur footprints in the sand for other kids to follow.
Dragons - make a dragon cave using chairs or trees and old sheets; draw a large dragon on an old cardboard box for children to colour and paint (you don't have to be good at drawing, children are very forgiving of our artwork!).
Dance - put on some fun music to dance to; learn some new dance moves. Get out the fairy lights and a mirror ball and have a disco!
Dalek - make a dalek out of a cardboard box.
Dominoes
Devonport - get the ferry or drive over, and go to Northcote Point. Take a torch and explore the battery and the tunnels there. It's free and it's so much fun!
Dress up - put on mum or dad's clothes!
Domain - go to Auckland Domain, wander around the winter gardens, have a picnic, look at all the statues.

E
Explore
Elves - make santa's elves out of pipecleaners or wooden pegs (or both). Dress up as an elf.
Experiments - do your own science experiments. There are so many you can do at home.  Nanogirl shows you how!  http://www.medickinson.com/nanogirl/  check out her 100 Day Project for some awesome and fun experiments to do at home.

F
Facepaint - get out the make-up or facepaint if you have some, and have a go at painting your own child's face!  Look at some examples of facepainting online to get some ideas. Remember you don't have to be good at art or drawing, just be willing to take risks and make mistakes.
Fairies - make a fairy garden, go looking in the garden for fairies, make fairy bread.
Flowers - plants some flowers.
Flying Fox - go to a park where there is a flying fox - fun!
The Faraway Tree - introduce your child to Enid Blyton's wonderful children's book, The Faraway Tree. Or to The Famous Five - one of my favourites as a child!
Ferry - go on the Devonport ferry
Fishing - go to a wharf with a simple fishing line and have a go at fishing.
Fairytales - choose a fairytale to read together.

G
Gardening
Gallery - visit a local art gallery
Grandparents - visit or call the grandparents
Gingerbread men - bake your own
Give - find, make, or buy some toys to donate as Christmas presents for children in need.
Glue - get out scissors, magazines, paper and glue and get sticking and cutting!
Goat Island

H
Hangman - a classic children's game!
Hopscotch - get out the chalk and draw your own on the driveway or somewhere suitable
Hunt - go an an alphabet hunt, a bug hunt, a treasure hunt. Give your child a list of things to find and let them go and search.
Hammer - get out the hammer and nails and some wood, and get busy. Maybe use driftwood collected on the beach and make something with it.
Hansel & Gretel - read a story.

I
Icecream - make your own icecream and iceblocks.  There are lots of recipes online, or freeze juice or yoghurt into iceblock moulds.
Indians - make your own feathered headbands (simply glue or staple feathers onto a strip of card to fit around the head) and play at native Indians.
Make a teepee in the garden with an old sheet and bamboo sticks.
Ice - make coloured ice by mixing water with food colouring. Put glitter in, or small plastic dinosaurs or toy bugs, and freeze.
Pour water into balloons or rubber gloves and freeze.
When frozen, put salt on the ice and watch what happens.
Put string into tubs of water before freezing, so that you can hang them up outside and watch them melt.
I Spy with my little eye, something beginning with.... a great game for long car journeys.

J
Journal - get a scrapbook and make it into your own journal of the holidays. Draw pictures of what you did each day or put in photos, and write down something that you did each day (or get an adult or older sibling to write for you).
Jokes - go to the library and get out a joke book, and learn some jokes to tell your friends.
Juggle - practice juggling
Jelly - make some!
Juice - make your own!
Jump - create your own backyard obstacle course, with things to jump over, crawl through, balance on... use logs, tyres, chairs, planks of wood, tables, hoola hoops, whatever you might have on hand.
Use chalk to draw stepping stones on the driveway for you to jump in.
Use an old pair of stockings or get some elastic from the $2 shop to make your own elastics.  Loop around two chairs and jump in, out, and over.
Jewellery - get out the beads and ribbon or string and make your own. Make paper beads by rolling strips of paper around a pencil. Use pages from old magazines to create your own paper beads.
Jigsaw puzzles

K
Kim's Game - choose a number of objects, and cover them up. Then try and remember all of the objects on the tray. Write them down if you can. Take away an object and try to figure out which one is missing.
Kite - make your own or get one from the $2 shop, and go fly a kite.
Knit - learn to knit, either with knitting needles or finger knit. Get a book from the library with easy clear to follow instructions. You can often find cheap wool and knitting needles at your local charity shop.
Kings - dress up and play at kings and queens, and knights in shining armour. Make your own throne by decorating a chair; make a crown using card and glitter and pens or crayons. Make a sword and shield using card - old cardboard boxes (especially cardboard boxes that beer comes in, if you drink beer) are great for this.
Kick - kick a ball around the back yard. Make a goal - either use chalk on the fence, or get two chairs and tie a piece of string between them, or up-end an old coffee table.

L
Library - go to the local library and choose some books to read together
Lighthouse - visit Awhitu Lighthouse, on the Awhitu Peninsula. Take a picnic. Stop in at the art gallery there.
Long Bay Beach
Lights - go look at the Christmas Lights when it gets dark
Ludo - this game can last for hours!
Last Card
Listening games - get your child to identify different noises/sounds; Simon Says is a great listening game.
Lego
Lemonade - make your own, it's fun and easy!
Lacing - make your own lacing cards using card and a hole punch, if you don't have any. Or get out beads and buttons and straws and thread string through. Learn to tie your own shoelaces.
Lanterns - make your own
Little Red Riding Hood - tell the story, dress up, act it out.

M
Museum - Auckland museum is always worth a visit.
Maraetai - there are two regional parks at Maraetai which you can visit and walk around.
Monkey bars - go to a park and get on the monkey bars
Monopoly
Mousetrap (the game, I mean)
Memory game - use cards or objects. The card game can be played by one person, so if you have an only child, once they learn how to play, they can play by themselves which leaves you free to do what you need / want.
Magic tricks - get a book out the library and learn some magic tricks to show your friends when you go back to school
Music - learn to play a musical instrument, or put on some fun music to dance to. Listen to a variety of different music - classical, country, jazz, folk, pop, Celtic, drums...
Movie - put on a movie and make popcorn.
Mermaids - get a tub of water and create a small world for mermaids. Use shells and pebbles.
Make a shell necklace for yourself or a friend.
Draw or colour in a mermaid.
Tell the story of The Little Mermaid.
Fill up the paddling pool and pretend to be a mermaid.
Mobile - create a mobile to hang in the bedroom or outside. Use shells with holes in, beads, buttons, sequins, bottle caps, create butterflies or whatever you fancy, cut shapes out of felt to hang up, Attach to a stick or piece of driftwood.
Make masks - use paper, card, or papier mache.

N
Northhead Point, Devonport - take a torch
Neverland - create your own Neverland. Use rocks, pebbles, a mat, sticks, whatever you have to hand. Make it big outside or make it small in the corner of the room.
Nurses - dress up, and play at nurses and doctors. Get out the bandages and plasters, use empty boxes and toilet rolls as bottles of medicine; set up a hospital corner, or a waiting room complete with books or magazines; make a nurses headband using white paper and draw a red cross on the front of it. Get the teddy's and dolls to be patients.
Native birds - go to the library and get out a book on native birds; go for a walk in the bush; make a list of native birds that you might see, and cross them off as you see them. (eg Kereru, fantail, tui),
http://myfamily.kiwi/activities and http://regionalparks.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks details many walks around NZ and Auckland.
Numbers - play games that strengthen your child's number knowledge.
Look at numbers on letterboxes, on car numberplates.
Count how many presents under the tree, how many Christmas cards.
Make a number snake using chalk on the driveway for children to jump on, over, run to, count forwards, count backwards. Skip count as kids jump on every second or third number along the number line.

O
Origami - get a book out of the local library to help you.
Op-shops - spend some time wandering around your local charity shops.  They are great places to buy children's books, puzzles, and games, at a fraction of the cost of brand new.
Old Maid (card game)
Otuataua Stonefields
Onehunga waterfront - the reclamation of land is finished and is now a really lovely place to walk, swim, kayak, and take a picnic.

P
Parks and playgrounds
Parnell Rose Gardens
Port Waikato
Picnic
Pinecones - collect pinecones to use in crafts
Paper planes
Postcards - write some postcards and send them off to friends and family
Pirates - dress up, make an eye patch, make a sword out of card (old cardboard boxes are ideal);
make a boat - use blocks or lego or upside down table or the bed;
go on a treasure hunt;
walk the plank.
Poi - make some poi. Stuff two plastic bags with stuffing or paper towels; make two plaits and tie around the plastic balls; cover with a large square of fabric and use a bit of wool or string to tie around the neck of the balls; cut off excess plastic bag and fabric. Put in a couple of stitches to secure the fabric.
Paint - get out the paint and paper. Use your hands, fingers, sticks, feathers, bubblewrap, balloons, plastic forks, combs, leaves or string to paint with.
Playdough - it's easy to make your own. Mix together 3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cup salt, 3 teaspoons citric acid, 1-2 tablespoons oil and 3 cups of boiling water. It will look like a hot sticky mess. When it becomes impossible to stir, dump out onto the kitchen bench and start kneading, pushing and smacking the dough on the bench. It will be hot, so watch your hands. The more you knead, the more you release the gluten in the flour and it starts to become stretchy and elastic.  Keep kneading until the dough is nice and soft.  Divide into parts and add food colouring.  I keep my playdough in an icecream container, but some people keep theirs in the fridge. I find this dries out the playdough somewhat, but just add a bit more water as it starts to dry out, and knead through again.
Pom-poms - add googly eyes to make fun creatures. Use green wool to make a frog; yellow wool to make a chick; brown wool to make an owl.  Wrap wool around two cardboard circles with a hole in the middle cut out (just like two cardboard donuts). Keep wrapping around the circle until you are satisfied with the fullness.  Snip around the middle of the donut with scissors; tie a piece of thread tightly around the middle of the donut and slip the cardboard pieces off.  Fluff up to make a nice round pom-pom.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

Q
Quiz - make your own quiz or find one on the internet. Base your questions on something your child is interested in, eg dinosaurs, animals, vehicles, birds, trivia.
Queen - make a crown, decorate a chair to be a throne, have a high tea with club sandwiches and tiny biscuits, dress up, be a fairy queen, make a wand using a stick and paper stars.
Quilling
Quick - have races - sack race, hopping race, running race, wheelbarrow race; make an obstacle course or hurdles and get mum to time you. Then do it again and try to better your time.
20 Questions - give clues every 5th question. Questions have to be answered Yes or No.

R
Read a book together
Ride a bike
Run - run around the garden, run along the beach, run to numbers / letters of the alphabet written on the fence (get an adult to call them out).
Rugby
Recycle and re-use - don't throw away plastic bottles or caps - collect them and try to think of ways to re-use and recycle. Make plastic bottles into planters or bird feeders. Thread a pile of bottlecaps with string (use a hammer and nail to put a hole through the middle) and make a bottle cap snake. Plant seeds in egg cartons.  What else can you make?

S
Scavenger hunt
Storytelling, Snow White
Sing songs
Sewing
Snakes & Ladders
Snap!
Stamps, stickers, scissors - get them out and get creating!
Sorting - sort out buttons into size or colour; sort shells or stones; sort out toys and put in the right place.
Swings - go to the park and play on the swings
Skype a family member
Star Wars - dress up, make costumes, convert the lounge or hallway to the Death Star, make paper stars and planets to hang up and create a galaxy; make light sabres, play the Star Wars theme music, make masks.

T
Trees - climb a tree
Trivia games
Threading - get out string and buttons, beads, macaroni or pasta, shells with holes
Throwing - throw balloons filled with water at targets; throw beanbags; balls, etc.
Tent - put up a tent in the back yard. If you're brave enough, sleep in it!
Trains - there is a miniature train ride at Centre Park, Robertson Road, Mangere.  http://manukaulivesteamers.co.nz/home-new/
Totara Park - http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/parksfacilities/premierparks/pages/totarapark.aspx
Tracking / Trails - make your own trails and tracks for the children to follow. Leave arrows and clues to work out where to go next.
Thank you letters - write thank you notes to friends and family for your Christmas presents.

U
Up, Under, over - make an obstacle course in the back yard.
Unicorns - tell stories about unicorns, pretend to be a unicorn, make a small world play area (use blocks, lego, whatever) for little toy unicorns.
Upside down day - have dinner in the morning, breakfast at night, wear pyjamas in the day and clothes at night!

V
Video - make your own.
Volcano - visit a volcano, climb up the top, learn about how volcanoes were made (get a book out the library), look for volcanic rock.

W
Waitakere Ranges
Walk
Water play - fill up a plastic bag with water, tie up to a tree and put holes in it so that it spurts out.
Get a tub of water and some jugs, funnels and empty bottles.
Make a water wheel using plastic plates, plastic cups and tape.
Put the sprinklers on and jump over them.
 Get out the water pistols.
Wash the car and have a water fight with wet sponges.
Tie string around large car-washing sponges, dunk in water and hang from above so that it drips down - fun to ride bikes through or run through!
Wheels - get out the bikes, skates, or skateboard.
Weird & Wacky - have a weird and wacky day, dress up, put on crazy face paint or makeup, and be silly!
Wind in the Willows - introduce your child to the beautiful stories of Rat and Mole, Badger and Toad.
The Wishing Chair adventure books by Enid Blyton - magical and fun stories to share with your child.

X
haven't got X sorted yet - let me know if you have any ideas!

Y
Yoga
Yahtzee - if you don't have yahtzee, just make up your own dice game.  Throw two or three dice (two dice for children who are still learning to add) and add them up together. The first person to get to 20 (or whatever number you decide upon) wins.
Yogurt - make your own
The Yes or No Game! The question game where you are not allowed to answer with a yes or no! The other person (or people) try to ask questions that make you say Yes or No and you have to answer without saying it.  If you do, your turn is over and it is then someone else's turn.

Z
Zoo animals - go to the zoo; or make your own using blocks / lego and plastic animals; make animal masks; eat fruit and vegetables; paint the lines of a cage using a brush and water on the fence.
Zen sand trays - get a tray of sand (or glitter, or mix sand with glitter; if you mix cornflour with sand it creates a fine, silky texture), a little rake or fork, scoops, (the scoops from baby formula cans are fabulous) pebbles, little shells, and anything else you may have, eg little sticks, small pine cones, acorns, flower petals, leaves.  A large plastic tray/serving dish works well, as does old cake tins - you can find suitable containers very cheaply in your local charity shop.

Christmas... Making gift giving affordable

Christmas can be a difficult time of year financially when it comes to buying presents, but with a bit of smart shopping, creativity and effort, it doesn't have to break the bank. Here I share a few ideas to make Christmas gift-giving affordable.

Creation Station - a gift for the creative child

I made this Creation Station for my 4 year old niece who loves art and making things. This would work for any age though.

I bought:
1 x Foolscap filing box (they cost maybe $1)
1 x pack of A4 coloured paper from the $2 shop
1 x pack of A4 coloured card from the $2 shop
a pack of envelopes
2 x craft punches that were on sale for $2 each
1 x pack of gel pens for $2
Stick-on gems or stickers - $1

 total cost - no more than $12

I used:
a variety of scrapbooking paper
ribbon
PVA glue
craft punches
My Cuttlebug and embossing folders
recycled boxes and tins
a craft knife or guillotine if you have one
adhesive spray



Method:

• I covered the plain white office filing box using a variety of scrapbooking paper and ribbon.
• I cut the A4 packs of coloured paper and card into A5 sizes. 
• I folded the card to make A6 greeting cards. 
• I embossed some of the coloured paper using the Cuttlebug.
• The rest of the coloured paper was left plain.
• I created labels using strips of paper to wrap around each pack and wrote ideas for use on the labels.
• I decorated recycled boxes and tins using a variety of scrapbooking paper.
• Using my craft punches, coloured paper, old wrapping paper, and colourful pages of magazines, I punched out a variety of butterflies, hearts, and flowers and put them in the recycled tins to be used as embellishments.

You could add stamps, crayons, scissors, rulers, stick-on gems, glue-stick, coloured pencils, whatever. My niece uses her box all the time (ie, every day), and it is easy to refill with packs of paper from the $2 shop.

Album / Journal

 I created this for my sister who wanted a baby album for her daughter. This would make a great gift for any new parent, but it doesn't have to just be for baby photos.  This could be made as a travel journal, a meditation journal, a holiday album... anything you can think of that relates to the person's particular interests.

I bought:
1 x A4 visual diary, $7
Total cost: $7

 I used:
PVA glue
Scrapbooking paper, tissue paper, serviettes
Stamps
Acrylic paint
Gloss medium to dilute the paint into a glaze (you don't have to do this, I just wanted to colour the paper).
Ribbon

I began by painting the pages with diluted paint, and let them dry.
Then I decorated them using a variety of papers and stamps.

This was quite a time consuming project, because you can only work on one page at a time if you need to let them dry - it is not something you want to start in December if you want to finish it in time for Christmas. Pages do not need to be painted however - you could complete this project quite quickly if you were to just decorate using papers and stamps.

I found that adding decorative papers to the pages, made the book rather bulky.  I ended up removing quite a few unused pages from the back of the book, to make the book lie flat.

I covered both the front and back covers of the book, and glued a long length of ribbon along the back cover, to be tied up at the front.


Recipe Album

For the foodie in the family, or the person who simply loves to collect recipes from magazines. Or create one for the person who is about to leave home and go flatting. Ideal for university students!

I made this album using an old unused A4 folder that I had lying around, but they are cheap to buy. Alternatively, you could use a visual diary as above.

I decorated the folder using scrapbooking paper and chipboard letters that I had bought previously on sale and had been wondering what to do with.

If making this as a gift for someone else, you might just like to decorate pages using stamps and paper, ready for them to stick their collection of cut-out recipes into. Or you might like to present them with a mix of pages, some with recipes already stuck in, and some blank pages.

  

You could use coloured paper (you can get packs for $2 at the $2 shop) or you could buy a ream of plain white office paper to decorate for about $6.

If making this using a ringbinder, you might like to purchase a pack of plastic sleeves to protect the paper - you can get a pack of 100 for a few dollars from the local stationery shop.

Organiser / Memo Board

For the person who needs a bit of help with remembering things.  You could make this however you like - I added a note book (useful for creating shopping lists as I run out of items in the kitchen that I can then tear off when I go shopping) and a blackboard for making notes. You can find these little blackboards in stationery shops and Looksmart. Or you could paint half (or all) of the board in blackboard paint.

I bought a wooden placemat from Mitre 10 for around $2. You could also adapt this idea onto a clipboard. I simply decorated it using a variety of decorative paper and embellishments, and glued on a notebook ($5 from Whitcoulls) and a mini blackboard.  To make the pen-holder, I wrapped a strip of card around a pencil, used double sided tape to attach it together to make a roll, and hot-glued it to the the board.

You could adhere magnetic strips to the back so you can stick it to the fridge. I used 3M adhesive 'hooks' to adhere it to the wall.

Bookmarks 

For the avid reader in the family. I used my Cuttlebug to create the tag shapes. If you don't have a Cuttlebug, you could always cut your own using a craft-knife and ruler. If you have a friend who is into scrapbooking or paper crafts, see if you can get together and have a craft day where you can use their tools.  Once I had cut out a number of tags, I then decorated them using decorative paper, old wrapping paper, pictures cut out of old-school encyclopaedia's (which I had bought for 20c), stamps, and lace.  You could attach a ribbon or piece of thread to the top and thread some beads through to finish it off.

You could adapt this idea and make a gift-set of greeting cards and matching envelopes. I decorated a recycled tin to put the set of cards into. Buy a pack of card from the $2 shop and a pack of envelopes, fold the card into greeting cards, and decorate.

Buying Gifts: Charity Shops

I prefer to trawl around charity shops rather than trudge through over-populated shopping malls with all its bling and glitter designed to make you part with your hard earned cash. I find shopping malls, especially in December, very stressful. The last time I was in a shopping mall in December was 4 years ago. Whereas charity shops offer a completely different shopping experience. You never know what you will find in charity shops, and we have got lots to choose from in Auckland. Sometimes charity shops even have sales, so you get a real bargain.

These beautiful hard cover books were only $1 each at the St Vincent De Paul charity shop in Onehunga, along with the paper backs which were also $1 each.

 I used to love these old fashioned toys which bend when you push the bottom of them.  I found this little toy for $1 at the Salvation Army shop in Avondale. Little things like this are ideal stocking fillers.










I always look out for games in good condition when I go to charity shops - Cluedo, Scotland Yard, Trivial Pursuit, Dominoes - games that provide whole family entertainment, are fun, educational, and don't go out of fashion - board games tend to stand the test of time, and you can get them for $5 instead of up to $70-80 brand new.

This particular game was only $3, and the Salvation Army shop in Onehunga were having a half price sale, so I only paid $1.50 for it!


Take advantage of clearance tables and sales during the year.

 I bravely ventured into a mall earlier this year, looking for a particular children's book.  Whitcoulls happened to have a clearance table, and everything was $2! So I bought a number of these fabulous kits, for Christmas presents, for school, and to donate to the Salvation Army's Christmas present collection. For $2 each, Christmas (and birthdays) for the kids is sorted and I don't need to stress about what to get them - now I only need to decide who to give what to!

I hope that this helps to give you some ideas and inspiration to make quality yet affordable gifts. 

Handmade Christmas Decoration - Swaps

Every year (apart from this year due to health reasons) for the past three-four years, I have participated in handmade Christmas decoration swaps, where you make 10 decorations, send them off to people on your list, and you get 10 back.  It's lots of fun, and it is wonderful to see all the different decorations that people have made - I have never received two the same! It doesn't matter what sort of craft you can do or not do (I can't knit or crochet), decorations can be made out of all sorts of mediums and using many different techniques. Decorations can be sewn, knitted, crocheted, glued, made out of wire and beads, made out of fimo modelling clay, plaster of paris, ceramics, buttons, ribbons, pegs, terracotta pots, pinecones, ivy.... hopefully this gallery of swaps will inspire you to make your own! (and one of the decorations shown was made for me by my 4 year old nephew).
Anyway, here are some of the decorations I have been lucky enough to receive in swaps.