I have recently decided that I want the theme for my Christmas tree over the course of the next several years to be that there is no theme. I want it to be a mish-mash of things that mean a lot to my family. Homemade ornaments my kids make at school or at home together, maybe a string of popcorn we do together one year, small dolls or things that meant a lot to my kids, you get the picture. Well at the moment, our tree is looking pretty sparse so I wanted to start with some homemade ornaments. I found the perfect recipe for cinnamon clay ornaments that you can cut out with cookie cutters in fun Christmas shapes and add to your tree. And one of the best parts is that it smells divine! Even after they are dried and hanging on the tree, they smell deliciously just like Christmas. It is really fun to have your tree smell wonderful like cinnamon.

After you make your dough, roll it out onto wax paper and use extra flour on your hands if it is sticking too much. Don’t forget to poke a little hole at the top to easily string it for an ornament. These take about 24 hours to dry all the way. After they dry you can paint them with your kids and if you really want to emphasize the cinnamon smell you can even add a little cinnamon to the paint as well. You also leave them the original, dark color by putting mod podge or a quick spray of clear sealer to seal them off.

Now this clay also serves double duty. Not only can you use it to make ornaments, but if you store it in an airtight container, it can just be used as play dough for your kids to make all kinds of wintery fun. By keeping it this brown color you can create adorable reindeer or gingerbread men. If you leave the cinnamon out and keep it white, add some glitter and you have wonderful, glittery snow to create adorable snowmen, or any sort of winter wonderland. My daughter loves playing with play dough and it is a great sensory tool for fun and creativity.

What is your Christmas tree like? Do you have any homemade ornaments that you have made and love? I’d love hear any ideas for something you’ve made that you think is a Christmas tree must in the comments below :)

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