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Sure, it's real easy to put store bought gift tags on the Christmas presents you and your family will be giving out this year. But why not make the presents extra-special and create your own custom-designed gift tags?
You'll need colored construction paper, scissors, a hole puncher, crayons or markers, and ribbons or yarn. You might also want to raid the cookie cutter drawer in the kitchen. You can draw around the cookie cutter to get a perfectly shaped stars, gingerbread men, and circles. If you want, though, you can draw your own shapes without using the cookie cutter. After you cut out different shapes, decorate with crayons and markers and write down the "To" and "From" information. Now, all you need to do is tape your tag to the gift box or bag!
Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
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Draw a picture of a box on some construction paper. Cut it out. Punch two holes on top of the box with a hole puncher. Decorate the box with drawings of dots, stars, Christmas trees, etc., so it looks like the box is covered with gift wrap. Thread a piece of ribbon through the holes and tie the ribbon into a bow. Your gift tag looks like a Christmas present!
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Cut a piece of colored paper into a square or rectangle shape. Punch holes out near the edge (but not too close to the edge) of the border. Decorate the tag with your drawings. Thread a fairly long piece of ribbon through the holes, leaving a long end as you begin threading. Tie the ribbon into a bow when you're finished threading. Trim the ends of the ribbon if necessary.
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Cut a gingerbread man shape with a cookie cutter. Punch three holes with a hole puncher near the top of his head. Loop small pieces of yarn through the holes to resemble hair. Draw a face on the gingerbread man. You can draw clothes or designs on his body or even cut out a shirt, pants, shoes and gloves with different colored construction paper and glue it on. If you make paper clothes for him, be sure to trace out his shape on the paper and use it as a pattern. That way, his clothes will be just the right size for him!
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Cut out a circle shape using a glass or round cookie cutter as a guide. Decorate the circle so it looks like a Christmas tree ornament. If you want you can punch a hole at the top of the ornament and loop a piece of ribbon or yarn through it. After your friend opens your present, he or she can use your gift tag as a real ornament!
Where those holiday traditions come from
When you think of Christmas, many traditions come to mind. Perhaps you and your family reserve a weekend to bake Christmas cookies. Then there's the custom of sending holiday cards to your friends and family.
Did you ever wonder how some holiday traditions started? Read on:
- Christmas cards: The tradition of exchanging Christmas cards began in England in the 1840s. The first card to be sold was designed and sold in 1843. About 1,000 copies were produced. By 1860, many cards were being sold.
- Christmas cookies: The Pennsylvania Dutch made Christmas cookies in a variety of shapes: rabbits, dogs, horses, babies, stars, dolls and deer. Although no country specifically claims creation of the custom, it may be from Mexico or the Czech Republic.
- Giving gifts: Long ago in Rome, gems, lamps, pastry, and gold and silver coins were exchanged to celebrate the New Year. In America, the English colonists did not give gifts at Christmas, except to children and the poor. German settlers in America believed the child Jesus laid presents beneath the tree on Christmas Eve. The Dutch believed St. Nicholas brought gifts during the evening before St. Nicholas' Day
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