On Christmas Eve, if your children are off the wall with anticipation knowing that Santa is on his way, help them focus their energy by making a Christmas Eve craft. Doing a craft will provide your children with a creative outlet that will help ease their excitement, as well as provide you with an opportunity to create last-minute Christmas decorations or gifts.

Decorate a Plate For Santa

Let your kids have fun decorating their own cookie plate for Santa. With a few craft supplies, your child can transform an ordinary white paper plate into an extraordinary, original piece of art. Your child can color or paint his plate, or even use Christmas-themed stamps and red and green ink pads to decorate his plate. Adding embellishments like glitter, small silver bells, or ribbon will make the plate even more festive. Writing something special like “Santa’s treats” will complete the craft. Baking sugar cookies and decorating them to leave on the plate will complement this craft nicely.

Candy Cane Vase

If you are hosting Christmas dinner at your house, a candy cane vase will make a festive table centerpiece. After gathering candy canes, a few sturdy rubber bands and a piece of ribbon, your child can begin attaching candy canes to an empty coffee can. Putting a rubber band around the can will hold the candy canes in place. The candy canes should be placed with the curves facing out so that there is room to insert a plant or flower arrangement in it once it is complete. While the candy canes may lean to one side at first, as your child continues inserting them into the elastic around the can, the more candy canes he adds, the straighter they will stand. Adding an additional rubber band after the candy canes are snugly in place will ensure they all stand tall. Finishing off the craft by tying a green or red bow around the can will cover the elastic and complete the craft. If you are heading out to visit others on Christmas Day, a candy cane vase will make for a wonderful hostess gift.

Reindeer Food

As your children will agree, Santa’s reindeer are hungry from flying house to house on Christmas Eve. Your kids can help keep Santa’s reindeer energized by leaving them a special treat. Since reindeer are attracted to oats, leaving a bit of raw oatmeal in front of your house will ensure that the reindeer are guided right to your front door. To be sure that the reindeer can see the oatmeal in the dark, mixing it with glitter before placing it out will give it the sparkle it needs to glimmer in the moonlight.