Christmas Joy and a Tiny Craft

Hi Friends! We are enjoying a wonderful snow day, and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We have been enjoying a really great Christmas season. The last few years for some reason I have felt down about the commercial, selfish version of Christmas that seems to surround us in our culture. This year we've taken care to keep the crazy out of Christmas, and I'm enjoying it like no other. All is calm, all is bright. 

Thing Two is learning to read, and he sounded out a banner that we have that says "Joy to the World." Since it's Christmas time  "joy" seems to be plastered on everything in every store and decoration. Thing Two is loving recognizing that word when he sees it, and it's been the perfect reminder for the rest of us. Thing One said, "Mom, he finds 'joy' wherever we go!" and Thing Two said, "I can see joy everywhere!" How true. We tend to find joy whenever we remember to look for it. That's exactly what we are doing this year. May you find joy this Christmas! 

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great JOY that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."                      Luke 2:10-11

Now, as long as you are here, I thought I'd share a tiny, easy Christmas craft that I made just for fun. I'm trying to use up things we have around the house, and I've had these 2" terra-cotta pots for a while just waiting for the right craft. Since we have twigs in the backyard and always plenty of play-doh, the only thing I had to buy was the pine-tree pipe cleaners. You can get those and the terra-cotta at Hobby Lobby. Aren't these little pine trees cute? They would make great placard holders or office gifts maybe? A perfect desk-size tree : )

Here's the quick run down. Use wire cutters to cut the pipe cleaners into different sizes. The biggest pieces I used were half a pipe cleaner. 

Then arrange them by size and twist them unto a skinny 6" long twig. To make the branches shorter just twist around an extra time. 

I used about four pipe cleaners for each tree. Leave about two inches of twig at the bottom. Fill the terra cotta pot with play-doh and press it in to make it firm. Insert the tree base into the play-doh and squash it around the trunk to hold it tight and straight.

If you want you can add a little moss to cover the play-doh. If you don't have the terra cotta, you could also tie a little scrap of burlap around the play-doh base instead. That was my original idea, and then I saw the pots. 

Here's to happy, easy crafts. Just say "no" to Christmas crazy, friends. Find joy! You are loved!

-Haley