Children can be involved in decorating the Christmas tree in more ways than just helping hang the ornaments. They can actually make some of the ornaments at home. Before they begin, make sure you clear off plenty of space on a table or floor and cover the workspace with newspaper or a large drop cloth to protect the floor or table from spills or stains. This way, you can toss the drop cloth or newspaper in the trash when the project is done. Smaller children may require adult supervision while creating ornaments. To make a Christmas cinnamon ornament, you’ll need one cup of applesauce, one ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of ground cloves, one ounce of ground nutmeg, one ounce of ground ginger, and some cinnamon for the cutting board. Combine the ingredients to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough on a cutting board dusted with ground cinnamon. Cut the dough with the cookie cutters of your choice. Of course, Christmas cookie cutters in the shapes of such as Christmas trees, stars, angels, and Santa Clauses are the most decorative. Once you’ve cut out your shapes, make a hole in the top of each ornament. An easy way to help remember who made the ornaments is to carve the child’s initials with a toothpick on the back of the ornament. Lay out flat to dry. Turn over every 12 hours until ornaments are completely dry. Once dry, pull some string through the holes and tie the ends together. Now you can decorate the Christmas tree and enjoy the fragrant smell of cinnamon throughout the holiday season.
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