Have you ever seen the way a child’s eyes light up when they spy a brightly-lit Christmas tree? Have you watched a little one frolic in the snow for the first time? (And we don’t even need to mention how excited they get when the presents come out.) There’s just something magical about Christmas. No matter how old you are, Christmas is a time for feeling young again. Now you can return to your youth with this collection of  kid-friendly Christmas decoration ideas.

A Huggable Teddy Bear Christmas

Teddy bears have long topped children’s Christmas wish lists. Now these soft plush animals can be your central holiday decorating theme. To make these pieces, you’ll need teddy bears, fabric, pins or a hot glue gun, and various other materials mentioned below. Craft stores and thrift shops are great places to find teddy bears and materials that won’t break your Christmas budget. 

Start your teddy bear theme with a wreath of stuffed animals on your front door. Gather up a dozen 5-6” bears in different colors. Then fashion some coats and hats for them using scraps of holiday fabric. If your budget allows, you can purchase Christmas bears that come pre-dressed in elf and Santa suits. Take a 14” Styrofoam wreath ring and cover it with cedar needles or plastic poinsettia or holly leaves. Then fasten the bears to the wreath using pins or hot glue. After they’ve been secured, finish the whole thing with a big, colorful bow. You could even make or purchase tiny gift boxes for the teddy bears to hold.

When your guests sit down for dinner, dazzle them with a homemade teddy bear centerpiece. It doesn’t matter if you prefer something cute or something classic; there are teddy bear designs to suit every taste. A simple centerpiece can be made by placing a store-bought Christmas wreath flat on your table. Sit a Santa bear in the middle, and you’re ready to go. For something a little more elaborate, take a shoe box and cover it with gold paint or fabric. Sit two or three teddy bears inside the box, and fill the empty spaces with red and white plastic berries interspersed with evergreen sprigs. Cut small pieces of paper and design them to look like music sheets. Voila! Your teddy bears have become cute carolers.

But don’t stop with the front door and the dinner table. Decorate your home in teddy bears galore. Guests will enjoy the cute collection of plush bears gathered in windows, on mantles, and on top of shelves and staircases. Stuffed bears can peek out of stockings and hang on the tree as ornaments. Just think of the fun you’ll have picking out a new Christmas bear to add to your collection each year!

Christmas Cookies

They’re not just for nibbling anymore. Cookies can be as lovely as they are delicious. They also fill the house with a sweet, mouth-watering aroma. But did you know that cookies also make wonderful decorations?

When Christmas comes around, bake several batches of your favorite gingerbread or sugar cookies. Use a drinking straw to poke a hole near the top of each cookie just prior to baking. After they’ve cooled, decorate the cookies however you like. Then string ribbons through the holes. Now you can dangle your cute Christmas cookies from the tree.

Christmas cookies can also be a nice centerpiece for your dinner table. Arrange glass plates in a circle, and top them with colorful cookies that guests can nibble while they visit. Or put a bunch of green cookies together to form an edible wreath. Top off your sweet arrangement by placing cookie-scented candles in the middle.

And don’t forget that edible and timeless classic, the gingerbread house. Gingerbread houses can be as simple or as elaborate as you want to make them. Go online to find some great ideas. Kids especially love decorating gingerbread houses with colorful candy and cookies.

If you’ve baked a lot of cookies, don’t let your guests go home empty-handed. Decorative cookie gift bags are always appreciated. Tie yours with a festive ribbon and drop in your favorite Christmas cookie recipe. Then your loved ones will think of you when they bake up their own cookies.

An Old Fashioned Family Christmas

In the old days, families made Christmas decorations out of whatever they had on hand. Everyone got involved in the total decorating experience, which involved lots of talk, laughter, and hot cocoa. Using personalized ornaments is a great way to say something special. This year, return to the old traditions to save on decorating costs and maximize your family’s fun.

With some scissors, glue, and construction paper, your little ones can have a heyday making red and green chains to drape around the house. Garlands are another fun decoration that kids can make. Do it up like they did in the old days by making strings of popcorn and cranberries for the tree. Puffed cereal also does the trick.

Purchase some inexpensive sponges in Christmas shapes, and help your kids decorate the windows and mirrors. The key to easy clean-up is to add a teaspoon of liquid dish soap to the acrylic paint. Mix well, then apply the paint to your sponges and start decorating! Use glass cleaner to scrub the shapes right off after the holidays.

Do you have a young one that loves attention? Put their favorite train collection on display. Use pop-up children’s Christmas books as simple centerpieces on small tables. Drape the table with a white cloth, then open a book to a colorful scene and place it flat on the table. You’ll have a unique decoration that kids of all ages will appreciate.

For authentic old-fashioned tree decorations, roast some nuts in your oven and sprinkle them with sugar, honey and cinnamon. Then wrap a handful of the nuts in a little packet of aluminum foil. Close the packet, and use a needle and thread to stitch a loop in the top of the foil. Tie a ribbon through this loop, and hang the ornament on the tree. Your family will have fun eating their handiwork after Christmas has passed.

About the atuhor: Angela Lytle is a self-employed mother of four and the publisher of Christmas Decorations Online, a website featuring holiday decor from inflatable decorations for your yard to sparkling outdoor Christmas lights.