Christmas Ornament Keepsakes

It’s been quite the year, hasn’t it?! One way to invite residents to write about the good things as well as to create a thoughtful gift for family members is to try out this craft.

Items needed, per resident:

• Clear plastic ornament you can open at the top (like these)
• Paper
• Pen or marker
• Ribbon
• Colorful confetti or paper snowflakes (optional)
• Paint pen (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut paper into strips
2. Have resident write down something good that happened this year on each strip of paper. You can also have them write down their favorite things about their family on each strip of paper.
3. Roll strips of paper individually and tuck them into the ornament.
4. Put the top on the ornament and tie a ribbon for hanging
5. If you’d like, you can add colorful confetti into the ornament before you put the top on, remembering that family members will open the ornament to read the slips of paper. A little goes a long way!
6. If you’d like, use a paint pen to decorate the ornament with a festive saying or drawing.

These ornaments are excellent to do yearly, as they become a time capsule for family members to treasure for years to come.

COVID-19 Adaptation: If you don’t have a family night to pass out the ornaments, you can extend the activity by having residents wrap and package ornaments for you to ship to their family members. Or, you can pass out ornaments during a drive-through holiday event for family members. Finally, don’t worry if you can’t get into large groups quite yet in your community. These ornaments are easy enough to make individually for many residents, which means you can pass out supplies for them to work on in their apartments. A few simple check-ins from your staff to answer questions or help them out is all they will need to complete the project.