The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 4th Day - Homemade Gift Wrap

On the fourth day of Christmas Break, make some personalized homemade gift wrap.

You Will Need

large roll of craft or butcher paper
markers, crayons, paint, etc
items unique to the person receiving the gift

Ask your kids what trait they think of when they reflect on a certain friend or family member and you'll have the beginnings of a gift wrap idea! Here are some examples just to get you started: 

If the person loves shopping, wrap the gift with a map of your local shopping mall. Instead of a ribbon, use a long cash register receipt or several taped together.

For a sports enthusiast, wrap the gift with a page from a sports magazine and tie it up with a a new headband or a pair of socks.

If the recipient enjoys gardening, wrap the gift in floral design fabric and top with bunches of seed packets tied together for a clever bow.

Wrap a gift for someone with a great sense of humor in the comic section from the Sunday newspaper. Write your own joke in the gift enclosure. 

For the person who loves to cook, print a special recipe on the wrapping paper. Fill the packages with ingredients called for in the recipe. Attach a kitchen utensil or gadget to the bow.

December 1 - National Christmas Lights Day

Today is National Christmas Lights Day! People have decorated their homes with Christmas lights since the 17th century. The very first Christmas lights were actually candles clipped onto the Christmas tree branches. Outdoor electric lights came about in 1880 and by 1903 Christmas lights were being sold to the general public.

You can celebrate National Christmas lights day by decorating your home with lights or by visiting a local Christmas lights display.

In honor of National Christmas Lights Day, you can do some fun crafty projects with the kiddos in your life.

DIY Paper Christmas Lights Garland from Stubbornly Crafty.

Christmas Lights Suncatcher Project from And Next Comes ESL

Christmas Lights Ornament Craft from Buggy and Buddy

However you choose to celebrate National Christmas Lights Day, I hope you enjoy this kickoff of the wonderful December holiday season!

Happy Celebrating!

Graphics used in this post are purchased from Thistle Girl Designs

National Unicorn Day

National Unicorn Day is a new holiday this year and is set to happen every April 9. Growing up I was not a "horse" girl but I was most definitely a "unicorn" girl. One of my absolute favorite movies as a child was The Last Unicorn. With most holiday celebrations, the first thing we think of is a big party. However, this year instead of having a unicorn party I'm sharing ways to celebrate while practicing the social distancing that we all need to do to stay safe.

How can you celebrate National Unicorn Day? Well first of all, by watching one of the best movies ever. Have you seen The Last Unicorn (I'm honestly surprised at how many people haven't). Here's a clip and trailer from the movie.

If you would like to watch the movie but don't have a copy, you can rent or buy a digital copy through Amazon video.

Maybe you would like a snack while watching the movie. In that case, you might like to make some yummy Unicorn Dip like this that I found over at Simplistic Living.

Now that you've had your snack and watched your movie, are you looking for something else to keep you busy? You could make this toilet paper tube unicorn from Meraki Mother. It's super cute!

Another great craft that you can do at home that uses household items is this mixed media Unicorn Craft from Arty Crafty Kids.

However you decide to celebrate National Unicorn Day, you should definitely take some pictures and share with your friends. Even if we can't all be together, we can still interact virtually and share the holiday fun!