Handmade Holiday Heirlooms

While we thoroughly appreciate the beautiful holiday decor available in stores, the ornaments and elements that have special meaning and memories attached are always the most prized in our collection. To help us come up with creative ways to display our favorite kid-crafted pieces—and create new holiday heirlooms to treasure for years to come—we asked our resident expert crafter, TSG Senior Designer Marigold Haske, for ideas and inspiration. Here are her recommendations:

• Create a “kids tree.” Special pieces can get lost in a big tree, so consider putting a small, potted tree in the the playroom that kids can decorate with their handmade ornaments. Alternatively, you could buy a simple wreath and add a handmade piece (or ornament given as a present) to it each year.
• Engage little ones in an ornament-making activity. When it comes to making decorations with the younger set, you can’t go wrong with the classics. Salt dough is easy to work with—it can be easily shaped, braided, and adorned—and popsicle sticks never fail to spark creativity (especially when paired with googly eyes).
• Remember that you don’t have to be crafty to create memories. If making ornaments isn’t your thing, look for a store bought piece that represents something special that happened that year and jot down the milestone on the back. (For example, Haske gave her son Huck an airplane ornament that commemorated his first flight one year). Haske gives each of her children a personalized ornament every year, so when they’re grown up they’ll have a full set.