Take an old or new children’s glove, the stretchy kind is best, then you sew a jingle bell to the end of each finger. You can get the jingle bells in different sizes or you can do them all the same size.

• Cut the wire to a length that will form a loop the size of the wreath you plan to make plus 6 inches (16- gauge wire works best for larger wreaths).

• Curl one end to keep the beads from sliding off, then thread on the beads from the opposite end.

• Twist the wire ends together to close the circle and wrap the loose ends around the wire between the beads.

• Tie on a ribbon and a loop of fishing line or monofilament for a hanger.

Take used Christmas cards or pictures from magazines and glue onto an index card. Write a poem or something like, Merry Christmas, below picture and glue magnet on back. Keep on fridge.

• For each pin, cut out three small rectangular or square pieces of corrugated cardboard and glue them together in a stack (about 1 1/2 inches square).

• Gift-wrap the stack, then decorate it with ribbon and a bow.

• Stick the pinback to the underside of the package, and the pin is ready to wear.

Sprinkle this mixture on your lawn. The reindeer will smell the oatmeal and stop at your house!

1. Cut the corner from the bottom of the cereal box so that the side of the box is the same length as the bottom of the box. The open side will produce a triangle and will be the bottom of the tree.
2. Use a pencil to trace around one side of the tree on the green paper. Cut around the tracing, leaving an extra inch of paper on each long side. Cut a second piece of paper of the same size to cover the other side of the triangle tree.
3. Cover the entire outside edge of the triangle tree with glue. Glue green paper over each side, folding the extra paper down over the sides of the box. Trim away the extra paper.
4. Glue a triangle of green paper to the front and back of the tree.
5. Glue the wiggly eyes to one side of the tree. Glue a pompom nose below the eyes. Use a red marker to draw a smile under the nose. Glue sequins all over the front of the tree to decorate it.
6. Poke a hole in each side of the tree and put an end of a sparkle stem through each hole to make arms. Secure the ends of the stems inside the box with cellophane tape.
7. Cut a greeting from the inside of a Christmas card and tape the ends of the two arms together behind the greeting to look like the tree is holding the greeting.
8. Tape two ends of the two stems inside the bottom of the triangle tree. Bend the two stems out to form legs. Bend the stems in the middle to form knees, then forward at the ends to shape feet to look like it is sitting.

• Apply strips of double-sided foam tape to the Styrofoam cone, as shown at left, until virtually the entire surface is covered.

• Now your child can attach the wrapped mints to the exposed tape, starting with one row around the bottom and working his way up. For the best coverage and color, he should stick each mint to the tree by the rounded edge rather than with the flat surface facing out. Encourage him to mix in a few multicolored sourball or jawbreaker lights as he goes.

• For a tree topper, cut a star out of the yellow paper, tape the lollipop to it, and then push the lollipop stick straight down into the cone. Finally, set the tree on the decorative candle stand.

Take a fan-shaped piece of paper, and fasten with tape down one side to make a cone (experiment to get the fan the right shape). Then take a piece of ribbon/thread/strip of paper, and use to make a loop for hanging on the tree. The cone will take a couple of small sweeties, or bubble baths, or other small gifts.

• Have your crafter cover her work area with newspaper, then inflate a balloon to 3 or 4 inches in diameter, tie it closed, and set the balloon on an upright cup or yogurt container.

• Help your child cut 8 to 10 ribbons (the wider the ribbon, the fewer she’ll need), each one long enough to wrap completely around the balloon with 1 inch of overlap.

• In the second plastic cup or container, use the craft stick to mix together 1/2 cup of glue with 1/4 cup of water. Help your child dip the ribbons, one at a time, into the glue mixture, squeezing any excess back into the cup. Starting at the top, she should snugly wrap each ribbon completely around the balloon, avoiding the balloon’s knot and smoothing out any wrinkles. Have her wrap the last ribbon around the middle of the balloon, equator style.

• Set the ornament on the container and allow it to dry completely, turning it every 1 to 2 hours. When it has dried, help your elf carefully poke at the balloon with a pencil eraser to separate it from the ribbons, then pop the balloon with a pin and remove it. Tie a piece of string or yarn to the top of the ornament for a hanger. To add a bow, thread a length of ribbon through the bottom of the ornament. Tie the ribbon into a bow, dip it into the glue mixture, and hang the ornament over newspaper to dry.

Take a Styrofoam cone about 10 inches tall and glue cotton balls all over. Then glue on miniature glass ball ornaments.