Simply Christmas

A new baby brings with her many many firsts, not the least of which is the first Christmas. Baby or not, Christmas is certainly a time that can breed lots of stress, and it's even easier with a child in the picture to fall into the trap of pressure, spending, and overbooked schedules.

Nevertheless, I was determined that this year would be as simple as ever - taking one day at a time, and enjoying friends, family, and the beginnings of new traditions through the Season. Many a day was spent knitting, baking, watching Christmas movies, and thoroughly enjoying the 7 o'clock bedtime that comes along with a three-month-old. And come Christmas day, all of our family gathered in our home to share a meal together, the first time we've cooked for a crowd since Baby L was born. The day was calm, gifts were simple, and everyone enjoyed the company of one another. In all, one might categorize it as a typical, un-noteworthy Christmas. But it was anything but that, because it was the first. And I pray that Baby L will experience many similar holidays in the future that she will remember as times of love and family, food, and warmth.

Though Baby L won't likely remember this Christmas, she was a wonderful companion as we baked, trimmed the tree, and made gifts to give to her grandparents. How does a baby make gifts, you ask? Well, here is a simple project that I share with you in photos. It took some patience, but was a lot of fun to do together.

Baby Handprint Ornament

adapted from By Little Hands

First, gather supplies:

Air-dry clay, Rolling pin, Acrylic Paints, Brushes, A drinking glass, and 1 Baby

Other important ingredients:

Patience

Humor

Time

Roll clay into 1/4 inch thick rounds and gently press baby's hand into the top. This may take several attempts, and I recommend that if you are making several ornaments, you leave the supplies out and do one or two at a time as baby's mood permits.

Use a drinking glass to cut the ornaments to circles, and punch out a hole using the handle of your paintbrush.

Let the ornaments dry according to the clay instructions and paint them as desired. Metallic paints seem to make the impression stand out better. I used silver paint and then painted Baby L's name and the year on the back of each ornament using pink.

Hang on the tree or wrap for the grandparents to enjoy!