8 Craft Projects For The Holiday Season

Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, home cooking. Each year the holidays come around, and while it’s lots of fun seeing family and friends, it’s also a lot of hard work – particularly once the kids are off school. That’s why parents everywhere need to carve some ‘me time’ out during this festive season, and what’s a better way to do that than with crafts? 

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Proven to lower your blood pressure and compared by many to a form of meditation, they are the perfect self-care project, from which you get to take home something pretty or useful. So, with that in mind, here are 8 ideas for holiday-related crafts that might just help you relax a little…

1. Warm Simmer Pot

Starting by engaging all the senses, a winter simmer pot relaxes you as soon as those warm rich scents hit your nose. Sometimes called a Stovetop Potpourri, this is a really easy DIY that can be customisable depending on which scents you enjoy. Most commonly calling on ingredients like orange, cinnamon, star anise, pine and apple – a simmer pot gives your home that wonderful smell of baking, without doing any of the work. Simply let all the ingredients simmer in one big pot and let the luxurious and relaxing scents waft throughout your house.

2. Resin Ornaments 

Making Christmas ornaments is always cute and something fun to do with your kids, but if you wanted to do this solo or with a group of friends, resin ornaments are a really fun festive activity. Essentially anything can be made into a resin ornament with the help of some epoxy resin and some hardener – mixed together in a 1:1 ratio. You can also get plenty of silicone moulds online or from your local craft store, many of which come in festive shapes! A chance to make any image or small object into a piece of decor, we love this one 

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3. Christmas Terrarium 

They always say that being near plants has calming properties, so why not bring nature inside by making a Christmas theme terrarium? Get together some pine leaves, twinkly lights and maybe a little fake snow, and you’ve got yourself a perfect festive scene. Plus, if you don’t want to spend too much, this can easily be achieved with a glass jar you have lying around at home. 

4. Festive Embroidery 

Did you know that the British Journal of Occupational Therapy found that knitting actually can help increase happiness levels? Well, it might be a bit of an intensive task to learn to knit over Christmas, however many of the same calming qualities can be found by indulging in a bit of embroidery. Much like knitting, simple repetitive movements have been found to calm the mind and encourage a certain level of mindfulness while doing so. 

5. Pressed Flower Bookmark

While on the topic of mindfulness, it was also found that the simple act of giving thanks can make you happier. Naturally, therefore, preserving memories should also improve your sense of well-being, giving you a chance to reflect on all you have. A really lovely crafty way of doing this is to create a pressed flower bookmark if you have any special occasion flowers you might have saved. Whether from an anniversary, wedding or just because they were pretty, this is a way to keep them forever. 

6. Christmas Colouring 

We all remember the trend for adult colouring books a few years ago, but it really is true that colouring can help your mental state. The repetitive movement allows space for your mind to relax and de-stress, plus it allows adults to have a bit of play and a space for expressing their creativity. Much like all these crafts, this isn’t to say that a bit of colouring is going to fix all your ailments, but nonetheless, it cordons off a space for mindfulness in your busy day. There are plenty of Christmas colouring books available, packed with images of Christmas markets, reindeer and mistletoe, but if you just want to give it a go, you’ll also find plenty of printable images online that you can access for free!

7. Painted Coasters

Likewise, if you’re wanting to stretch that artistic muscle, a really simple way to do this is by painting some wooden coasters. Available cheaply at places like IKEA, just grab yourself a pack of wooden coasters and some acrylic paint and then get painting any design you want. As with drawing, the simple creation process is sure to relax you, and then you can keep your coasters either on the table or turn them into baubles by making a hole and adding some string. It’ll make the tree look extra homely and cosy. 

8. DIY Bath Bomb 

And last but not least, spa-themed crafts are always winners. So an at-home bath bomb is the perfect self-care craft because you get the enjoy it twice – once while making and once while using. Much like the simmering pot, you can decide the scent depending on your personal preference. But whatever you choose, a relaxing experience is sure to ensue.

Most of all, make sure to carve out a bit of time to take care of yourself this year and remember that it’s less about creating something beautiful and more about allowing some self-care time. So, with that in mind, happy crafting to you all, and have a great holiday season!