Traditions: Handmade

Each year we make lots of handmade things.  We always grace our neighbors and friends with plates of baked goods.  

The kids are always excited to make treats to give away to friends too.  This year there was only Brooke left to make gifts for classmates so we got right to it.  There was a gift exchange in her class and she needed 15 gifts to give to each of her classmates so, of course, it had to be inexpensive.  We chose to make these Snowman Soup Kits.  They were quick and easy and fun. They just include a packet of hot cocoa, some mini chocolate chips, some mini marshmallows, and a candy cane for a stirring stick.  All of this goes into a festive bag and we stapled this little poem on top to close up the bag.

They were a huge hit in her classroom and a real standout.

And because I love to work under pressure (I kid) I decided to last minute whip up some handmade cards for the teachers.  What I should have been doing was cleaning my house because my in-laws were on their way, but instead I decide to make cards.

I had lots of these snowman images so I decided to incorporate them into some cards.  Not bad for about 25 minutes of work. Of course, there was a mess that took 30 minutes to clean up but we won't talk about that.

And finally, for the art teacher, because she has rock star status in our household.  She's pretty cool.

Also, we need to work on some ornaments but we will leave that for another day.