Submissions from visitors to www.SantaClaus.com:

• 1. Construction paper garland chain.

• 2. String popcorn and cranberries into a thread as another type of garland.

• 3. Using paint, markers, rubber stamps or potato stamps make homemade wrapping paper on brown or white craft paper (or grocery bags).

• 4. Buy or gather pine cones. Roll them in peanut butter and then roll them in birdseed. Attach a string to them and hang on the trees for the birds to eat off of during the cold weather. Even very young children can be involved in this fun craft.

• 5. Christmas flashlights:

  2 flashlights or more
  1 piece of red tissue paper
  1 piece of green tissue paper tape
  1 ruler
  1 pair of scissors

  Steps:

  1. Take one of your flashlights and measure the top with the ruler.
  2. Take your sizzors and cut out of the red or green tissue paper a circle the same size as the top of your flashlight.
  3. Place circle on top of the flashlight and tape it. Turn the flashlight on and there you have a coulourful light. Do these same steps with other coulour of tissue paper on different flashlights. They are a beautiful touch to your christmas decorations.

• 6.Decorate a paper plate like Santa: Add cotton ball beard, paper eyes (or color in with felt pens). Glue on wiggle eyes if you have some. Make nose a red circle. Add construction paper triangle for hat and cotton ball brim and ball on tip of hat.

• 7. Salt dough ornaments: Fix flour in proportions of 1 cup flour to 1/4 cup salt with enough water to form dough (add flour if too sticky). Mix in some cinnamon for scented dough if desired. Use cookie cutters to make designs. Be sure to poke a hole in the top so you can make a string hanger. Bake at low temperature in oven (under 300 degrees; I think 250 degrees was right but can't remember for sure) so they won't brown. It will take quite a while for them to bake this way. If desired, paint with tempera paints and let dry. Tie string through top for hanger.

• 8. Homemade Ornaments: Put glue in the interior spaces of a pine cone. Sprinkle with multi-colored glitter and use a colored pipe cleaner to create a hook to hang it with.

• 9. If you glue two wooden clothes pins together and glue another on on the round part up-side down to the other two, you can create a cute little reindeer! To make it look even more like a reindeer, you can add eyes, antlers, bells, or even a peice of string so that you can hang it on the Christmas tree!

• 10. Kids can fold paper and cut out snow flakes and tape a piece of string to the top, then tape it to the ceiling of the house. 10-20 is enough for a very good effect.

• 11. Here is a real fun and cute idea for christmas crafts you can do with your kids!

  You will need:

  clothes pins (not the spring kind, just the solid wood kind)
  little eyes (found in craft stores or wal-mart type stores)
  little red pompoms (found in same stores as above)
  permanent marker
  brown craft paint
  raffia (optional)
  yarn "
  pin backs " (like for a broach)

  Take the clothes pins and paint them brown. Turn them so that the "ears" are pointing up. On the "face part" use glue gun to glue on eyes and pompom nose. Use your marker to draw on a smiley mouth. These can be used as Christmas tree ornaments, (attach them to the tree by the "ears". Or you can attach a pin back to them for children to wear as a broach. Or you can attach 3 or 4 of them to yarn, ribbon, raffia , etc. to make a necklace!

• 12. Try wrapping your wall hanging pictures in gift wrap and a bow. You'll discover you have a giant present hanging on your wall.

• 13. I wanted to give you a suggestion for a gift to give to a younger sibling. A wishing candle. All you have to do is get a candle the color of your brother/sister's favorite color. Then anytime they have a wish, they can get your parents or you to light the candle and they can wish until it burns out.

  Another idea I have for your grandparents is make a personalized calendar with pictures of you and your family. It is very simple. Buy a blank calendar or make blank pages on your computer and print them out. Then place pictures of the grandkids and birthdays and special occasions in the blocks. They'll love it.

• 14. Ask your readers to save their old Christmas cards. Use the front of the card as a tag for presents. Just cut the card front off (as long as the back side is blank), punch a hole in the top left hand corner (I use decorative paper punches, i.e., Santa, Tree, Present). Write your To - From greeting on the blank side, tie bright colored ribbon, or yarn through the hole and tie onto ribbon on package. Not only are you saving money, you are now recyling those old cards!

• 15. Family Christmas Tree:
  • Have your family save all babyfood jars (25 at least).

  • Have your hubby or someone who can handle a hammer and a pin punch a hole in the lid of the jar.

  • Have the mom or one of the older kids spray paint the lids.

  • Have the dad or an older brother or sister glue the jars together in the shape of a christmas tree.

  • Have the mom or one of the kids fill the jars with tinsel and screw on the lids.

  • Have the mom or dad, or one of the kids place a small christmas tree light in each of the jars and when finished, plug it in. It's a very inexpensive gift and it comes from the whole family.

• 16. Idea: This is something I did for a friends birthday, but it can be used anytime. I took pictures I had, from the time we first met until present, with favorite memories and places we've been/things we've done together. I put them in order, and wrote a story; OUR story, begining with how we met, first impressions, where we first got to know each other, how our relationship grew, and what I love about them. Paste one or two pictures per page, with the writing below, and create a storybook, just for them, about your friendship.

• 17. There is nothing like hanging ornaments on a tree. And it means even more when someone you care for has made it. For gifts this year I went to White Rose and picked up some paints and some ceramic Christmas ornaments. For each of my friends I am painting 4 ornaments. This way (since it is our last year of University) I will always be with them at Christmas time. Even if you have the people you care about make an ornament for your tree, something as simple as a snowflake, or one with their picture on it.