2023 is gradually winding down and almost everyone is in a reflective mood- as is common this period.
Just after Halloween, the foremost social media platforms became awash with Christmas promotions.
From seeing videos of the New York Times Square covered in snow with a humongous Christmas tree festooned with Christmas lights and ornaments, to the funny clips of miniature toy Santas, shaking its derrière in time to a catchy Christmas bop, it is undeniable that everyone’s favorite time of the year is here.
Here in Nigeria, the atmosphere seems a bit subdued, but that might be because we’re still in the early days of the season. And while the economy might have to be partly blamed for the lack of cheer, there are a few ways to get into the festive mood without having to break the bank.
One of such ways include going the DIY route and crafting fun, creative Christmas décor and presents yourself to cut down costs.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, DIY is a term that simply means Do-It-Yourself and Wikipedia further describes it as a method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts.
The crafts listed here are super easy to do, you don’t have to be an artsy person or a professional to try them out
Now, to get down to business, here are some easy-to-recreate DIY crafts you can try out by yourself or with a loved one (or two!) this season:
- Yarn Ball Ornaments: You can’t go wrong by using these bright ornaments to add color to your Christmas tree.
To make: Wrap a bright color of yarn around a small half-way blown up balloon holding the beginning of the yarn in place with a dab of strong glue, until the ornament is totally covered. You can carefully add toothpicks with a covered head to mimic knitting needles before hanging these in your Christmas tree.
- Santa Advent Calendar: Nothing like a good old Christmas countdown to get you in the Christmas spirit. The purpose of an advent calendar is to move, remove or sometimes add a piece of any item each day to the calendar to visually gauge our progress towards Christmas Day.
To make: Cut out Santa’s face from a white cardboard paper. Draw on pink cheeks, eyes, and nose to the face. Next, cut out Santa’s hat from red and white sugar paper and glue on to the face -make sure to avoid covering Santa’s eyes when you do this. Afterwards, you cut out a long beard shape from the white cardboard and write the days leading up to Christmas (1-25) on the beard. Hang the calendar and set a bowl of cotton balls and a jar of glue nearby. This is used to countdown to Christmas day.
- Christmas Felt Wreath: If buying a fancy Christmas wreath is too out of budget for you this season, then be sure to try this craft.
To make: Cut strips of two felt materials e.g., red & green. Tie these strips around a wreath form. Attach small red ornaments throughout the wreath with strong, adhesive glue. Then, loop a length of wide ribbon around the wreath to hang.
- Festive Air Fresheners: These DIY ornament-shaped air fresheners will keep a car, home, or office smelling divine.
To make: Trace or draw the shape of a wooden Christmas tree ornament on a scrap of nice fabric twice. Cut out and glue to the front and back of the ornament. Once the glue dries, soak the fabric with a sweet-smelling essential oil of your choice. Finally, thread ribbon through the ornament loop and hang.
- Yarn Stars: This is the perfect crafted ornament to add to your Christmas tree along with the yarn ball.
To make: Cut a star shape from a piece of cardboard using a pair of scissors. Wrap the star in a colorful yarn, using dabs of strong adhesive gum to help hold the yarn in place near the points of the star until it is completely covered. Cut out a length of yarn and glue it to the back on one point to create a loop for hanging.
