Easy Holiday Crafts

Easy Holiday Crafts

Creating something always feels like a productive way to spend time. When your creations can become holiday decorations or gifts, all the better. Some simple holiday crafts can turn an independent living or assisted living facility into a place full of cheery holiday atmosphere and leave residents equipped with items they can give to friends and family.

Here are ten holiday crafts for seniors that are fairly easy to do and produce useful, festive results.

1. A Thankful Tree

Everyone could do with more frequent reminders of all the things we have to be thankful about. A thankful tree gives everyone around an opportunity to add their own items to it, listing off the people and things in life they’re most appreciative of.

It can stay up the whole holiday season and grow as the holidays provide more meaningful moments and forgotten memories come back to mind.

2. Fall Foliage Candleholders

Colorful fall leaves are one of nature’s best decorations. This craft starts with an excuse to get outside and collect some of the most beautiful leaves around, and then gives seniors the chance to turn them into crafts that will let their beauty continue to shine in the months to come.

3. Felted Acorns

Start with some simple acorns and end up with a colorful decoration everyone can enjoy. In October and November, these can be decorated in the traditional fall colors. As you near Christmas, you can switch to red and green. Or you can just let everyone pick their favorite colors as they go.

4. Christmas Candy Containers

Having candy available for visitors and friends is a familiar holiday tradition for many. With this craft the presentation can become that much more impressive. These containers, made to look like classic gumball machines, can be used to hold peppermints, gumdrops, or any sugarless candy that’s recommended for the seniors in your facility.

5. Homemade Christmas Cards

Cards may seem old fashioned these days with so many people switching to email, but if you give your Christmas cards a personal touch, friends and family are that much more likely to appreciate them.

There are a lot of different directions you can take with crafty homemade Christmas cards; here are a few ideas to give you some inspiration:

6. Homemade Heating Pads

Any time you’re faced with aches and pains, heat is a trusty solution. These heating pads are very easy to make and can be made properly festive by choosing a towel with a holiday-themed decoration on it. They make great gifts, or can be something useful to keep around for yourself.

7. Waterless Snow Globes

Making water-filled snow globes is probably pretty tricky, but these waterless ones are much easier and still accomplish the same goal. They’re lovely and give a great taste of the season.

8. Cookie Cutter Ornaments

Start with cookie cutters and then think creatively about how best to decorate them to make them more personal. You can add colors and design or fill them with pictures of beloved family members. Whatever direction you go in, they’ll make a great addition to the Christmas tree.

9. A Christmas Bow Wreath

What do you get when you combine two familiar Christmas symbols? This fun Christmas wreath made out of gift bows. It’s simple to put together and makes for a nice Christmas decoration.

10. Bowtie Pasta Garland

The ingredients are cheap, but the results are festive. Decorate some bowtie pasta and string it up to make an inspired holiday decoration. It can go on the Christmas tree, or add some decoration to the walls or windows.

Crafts aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for your residents that love an opportunity to create something, these can definitely brighten the holiday season!

Kristen Hicks is an Austin-based copywriter and lifelong student with an ongoing curiousity to learn and explore new things. She turns that interest to researching and exploring subjects helpful to seniors and their families for SeniorAdvisor.com.

4 Comments

  1. Maureen Baisden November 24, 2018 Reply

    Too bad no photo foR each item was not pictured.

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