Growing up, I'm pretty sure we didn't have much money but we really were rich by
knowing that we loved each other and that Daddy and Mama seemed to always be able to
provide what we needed to get along just fine. My Mother stayed at home to
care for us and be a "housewife" and she Loved Christmas!
It was absolutely her favorite holiday. She took great pleasure in Christmas
shopping and picking out the "perfect thing" for everyone on the list.
After the shopping, the Really Important Part was wrapping the gifts.
She was partial to foil papers and bright shiny tags and ribbons. She
sent a big stack of Christmas cards every year and she baked lots of cookies and made
candy---including divinity and pecan pralines.
And she decorated much more than just the tree. One year, when we came home
from school, we discovered our front door covered with red oil cloth and wide white
ribbon, complete with sprigs of live pine and several glass Christmas balls worked into
the bow. Plus she always encouraged us to help with all the decorations and
suggest ideas of our own.
There was always a crafts box (but we called it "the makin's box") filled with
packages of sequins and beads, ribbon, colored paper and little bits of rick rack,
shiny cord and the like. We bought Styrofoam balls to decorate or snipped out
Christmas tree and angel shapes from felt and added sparkling decorations with white
glue. Some of these shapes were used to trim our Christmas packages and passed from
one family member to another from year to year. It was the obligation of whom ever
received it on a gift one year to pass it on the next. The tradition was to keep it
going to someone in the family so we could see who "got it" next.
However, the "craft" I remember the best was one that any family---no matter how
modest their means---can do AND DO extravagantly. One year we cut hundreds of
snowflakes from white paper. All sizes and the lacier the better. Some
were suspended on thread and hung from the ceiling with tiny bits of tape. (Vary the
length of the thread for the nicest effect) All the rest were randomly placed
on the walls with a tiny little fold of tape. Now I am sure there are wall
coverings or treatments that this could harm, but plain painted walls shouldn't be a
problem. The cut paper is so light that a very small bit of tape will hold in most
cases. Some of the really large ones may need to be secured in several places but,
again, just a little bit of tape will do the trick.
Hints
for Making Snowflakes |
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Start with a square of paper, vary size of square from 2 or 3" to 6
to 8". The different sizes all mixed together in display really look great. |
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Fold opposite corners together to make a triangle |
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Fold again twice more so you are cutting through six layers of paper |
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With sharp, pointed scissors make a graceful cut on the folded side
beginning out near the edge. Curves are nice but do try some straight/angled
lines or zig zag as well. Remember, snowflakes are all different in real life so do
lots of variety. |
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Cut down toward the middle of the triangle but leave enough room to make
additional cutouts along the fold so that you will get a lacy effect. |
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When you get near the middle point (leave at least a quarter size of paper
at first--less when you get adept), reverse the scissors and cut back up toward the
outside. |
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As with the original cut on the fold, allow a nice amount of paper so that
lacy cuts can be added to the folded parts. Try for a feeling of symmetry in the
whole--which means you'll want to cut the two "arms" to similar
length and do remember to cut rather "fat" so there is plenty of paper for
making the cut outs along the folds. |
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Experiment and you will soon get the hang of this . You could use
different colors of paper, add glitter glue and other touches of your own. Try
folding the triangle one more time on larger ones to see what develops. |
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For neatness, hold paper and cut over a wastepaper can or spread a sheet
or a tablecloth to catch all the paper snips. |
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Unfold carefully and smooth out fold lines with fingers (careful on the
delicate, lacy sections). |
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