Items Needed:
* Two pieces of construction or copy paper of different colors. One should be brown. The other, for the background, can be any color
* Paint - brown was used here but any color is fine
* One small pom pom
* Craft glue .
* Paper plate or tray (sponge optional)
* Googly eyes
* Black marker
* A pencil
* Scissors

This gift was made by my preschooler at the Middlesex Recreation Department's Pre-K art class for the Christmas holiday and I think this would make a great keepsake gift for the grandparents or other relatives. You could probably do this with an older toddler but it could take a few tries to get the hands right.

Take your brown piece of paper and have your child place his foot on it and use your pencil to trace around it. Cut out the traced foot (an older child can do this; otherwise the parent should).

Glue the foot tracing to the background paper. Put paint on your paper plate or tray. You can have your child place their hand directly into the paint or use the sponge, which I think is easier. You can use the sponge one of two ways: dip the sponge into the paint, wiping off the excess, and have your child firmly press their hand into the sponge or use the sponge to wipe the paint onto their hands. Once the paint is on their hands, help them place each hand on the paper to make the antlers. I strongly recommend you do one hand at a time.

You can do the facial features before the antlers so your last step is clean up, but I think the hand placement could determine where the eyes, etc go so I chose to do it first. If you do the hands first, you'll want to take a minute to clean their hands and then glue the eyes and the nose.

Depending on the age of the child, they can draw eyelashes and a smile or the parent can do it. Sign your artist's name (or they can do it) and you have a wonderful crafty holiday gift.

Items Needed
* Brown paper lunch bag
* Brown construction paper
* A medium pom pom
* Googly eyes
* Scissors
* Pen or pencil
* Craft Glue
Optional: Oatmeal, glitter and plastic sandwich bag for "reindeer food"

A very easy holiday craft to do with your child and it can also be a keepsake or gift bag.

Cut the open end of the lunch bag so that it is rounded.

Use your pen or pencil to trace your child's hands on the construction paper and then cut them out. Glue the hands to your bag to make the antlers. Then glue the eyes and the nose. You can choose any color pom pom for the nose; my daughter chose pink because it's her favorite color.

You can use the bag as a special gift bag, perhaps for your child to give to a friend or family member.

As an option, you and your child can make the reindeer food by mixing oatmeal and glitter together in a sandwich bag and then keep it in your reindeer bag until Christmas Eve. Then sprinkle the reindeer food on your lawn on Christmas Eve night.

Items Needed
* Construction paper - at least two different colors
* Scissors or paper cutter
* Tape or Glue stick
* Pen & ruler (optional)

This is a fairly easy craft to do with your child of almost any age and an inexpensive way to count the days until Christmas.

If you have a paper cutter, the adult can cut the construction paper into strips. If you don't, then you can use a pen and ruler to draw lines to create the strips that need to be cut. Or you can simply cut the paper into strips by "eye-balling" it.

The strips we made were roughly a half inch wide and about 3 inches or so long. We chose red and green for Christmas but you can use other colors or add another color.

Once the strips are cut, your child loops one together to make a ring and then use glue or tape to hold it together. Then take a strip of the other color and make a ring and attach it to the first ring. Keep going until you get to 25.

We hung our chain from a doorknob but you can hang it over the fireplace, from your Christmas tree or whatever place you choose.

On December 1, your child just tears off the first ring and each day they do this until the final ring on Christmas Day. It's such a simple thing but my 4-year-old daughter has been so excited to take the ring off each day.

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