Reindeer Candy Canes

This is an easy project for the younger members and was run by multiple families over the years

Reindeer Candy Canes

How to Run a Holiday Workshop

Welcome to our Holiday Workshop blog/website. If you scroll down and read the rest of the entries, you will find the history, origins, and projects that we have used in the past. The list of projects is not exhaustive and we at First Parish UU in Lexington welcome your feedback and addition of projects.

We are sharing this as part of our Green Sanctuary initiative and offer it up to you to use as well.

Comment on this blog, send us projects that we will add here, and ENJOY!

Milk Carton Ice Candles - Taskers

Milk Carton Ice Candles - Taskers

This one was probably around since the beginning of the Holiday Workshop. Peter and Toni Tasker ran this one for many years

And a link to making Ice Candles

Origami Boxes out of recycled wrapping paper or Christmas Cards

This one was run by Tom Rich

Materials:
*Recycled wrapping paper or Christmas cards
*Origami directions for making a box and lid

This one is simple. Follow the Origami instructions for making a box and lid. You can encourage kids to use this to wrap one of the gifts they are giving a family member.

Pony Bead Fabric Necklaces – Deb and Ben Soule

Pony Bead Fabric Necklaces – Deb and Ben Soule ran this project multiple times

Materials:
• Strips of seasonal fabric that are a yard long, and cut into 3” vertical strips.
• Clear marbles
• Pony beads
• Needles for hand sewing
• Thread



Instructions:
1. Fold fabric lengthwise with right sides together
2. Stitch lengthwise with a ½ inch seam
3. Turn right side out
4. Pick out a strip of fabric
5. Pick out 12-14 marbles, and 14-16 pony beads. Put all of these in a bowl for your project
6. Start at one end of your fabric and place a pony bead on the outside of the fabric
7. Place a marble inside your fabric
8. Alternate until done ending with a pony bead
9. Tie the two ends of fabric, or could hand sew the ends together

Recycled Christmas cards for Others

From my research this activity was one of the original ones from the early 1980's. Ann Collins was at this activity table for most of the Holiday Workshops, and our Minister Helen Cohen also helped run this one during her 22 years of service as our Minister.

Materials:
Recycled Christmas cards
Glue
Sizzors
Construction paper

This is a simple activity. Encourage participants to make a Christmas or Holiday card for themselves and to also make one for someone else. Cut out images and reapply them to your card. In some years we addressed these to shut-ins and the Minister or Lay Ministers would deliver those ones to them.

It is wonderful to see artists of all ages intensely creating their project and recycling cards from past years

Colored Salt Bottles - Dori Reuss

Colored Salt Bottles - this project was one of the original ones. Dori Reuss ran this one again when she got reinvolved in the Holiday Workshop.

Materials:
• Multiple various shaped small bottles, e.g. baby food, spice, miniature jelly
• Sidewalk chalk, big pieces
• Salt, 12 cylinder containers
• 6 Paper plates
• 6 Plastic spoons
• Short thin dowels or tooth picks
• Aluminum foil
• Curling ribbon

1. Fill 6 plates with a cup of salt
2. Color the salt by rubbing the sidewalk chalk in the salt. You can do this with the rainbow colored chalk
3. Spoon in layers into small bottles with plastic spoon
4. Optional – tip bottle as you work
5. Optional – use dowel several times around the edges to make “icicles” around the outside
6. Make sure to fill to the very top so the sand does not move once finished. You can also tap occasionally to help the sand settle
7. When done, cut a circle of aluminum foil an inch wide than the top. Fold in the edges of the foil into the rim of the lid.
8. Firmly screw on the lid
9. Cut 12 “ curling ribbon and tie this around the neck of the bottle
10. Encourage the children to continue to make the colored salt for the next participants to use