The Christmas Card Tree

This craft offers a slightly different twist than the others as it allows older children a chance to be creative, learn a bit about sewing, and turn plain cardstock into wonderful decorations that can either be either displayed or mailed to friends and family.

You will need craft glue, plain cardstock, yellow, red and green thread, needle, one yellow button and a dozen or so of green buttons. First, lay the green buttons on the card in the shape of a Christmas tree to get an idea of where they should be sewn onto the card and allow the older children to sew the buttons on while the younger kids can use glue to create their tree shapes. Add the yellow button to the top for the star, and if you're sewing the buttons on, use the red thread to add an extra pop of color.

Allow the trees to dry completely if you've used glue, and if you're sending them as Christmas cards through the mail, be sure to take them to the post office to be weighed so you'll have enough postage affixed before mailing.

Pretty Christmas Poinsettias

Besides being gorgeous plants to have around the home during the holidays, poinsettias are also perfect for making a number of bright, cheerful crafty decorations. Prepare for these crafts beforehand by pressing and drying poinsettias that can be used to bring some holiday cheer to any area of the home.

After cutting the flowers from the plant at the flower's base, place them upside down on waxed paper along with a few of the green leaves, and place another sheet of waxed paper on top. Set a few heavy books completely on top of the flowers so no petals or edges are exposed and wait anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on the humidity levels where you live.

Once the flowers have dried completely, you're only limited by your imagination as to what you can do with them. Make personalized Christmas cards with a bit of craft glue, some ribbons, and few markers or crayons, or decoupage the poinsettias to vases, wooden boxes, picture frames, or laminate them and hang them in the windows, or use on the Christmas table as an added decoration.