Many people have the tradition of making their Christmas ornaments, or at least making one for every child, every year. They may be themed or may be simply pictures with the name and date on them as a way of keeping track of the years. For others it may simply be whatever creative turn takes their fancy for the year. It is not just kids that make these types of ornaments. There are adults who make their own as well from simple to complex. No matter adult or child making Christmas ornaments is a fun and memorable holiday tradition.

It doesn't take much to make homemade Christmas decorations many of them are quick, easy and simple enough that even small children can assist. There are some that have small pieces so be sure to supervise smaller children. The first and probably simplest type of ornaments to make is to use clothes pins and a variety of craft supplies. You can make just about anything using the clothes pins as a way to hold the ornament to the tree. Snowmen, reindeer, Santa Claus figures, even little doodles with glitter glue can provide a sparkling addition to your tree.  Be sure to stock up on white craft glue and an assortment of pipe cleaners, googly eyes, fabric stickers and felt pieces.

If you are someone who does scrapbooking or other paper crafts using small left over scraps can provide great ideas for Christmas ornaments that are easy to put together and simple enough that children can participate. Using old greeting cards or cards that did not come out quite right if you make cards yourself are another great way to make ornaments. Simply take the card and cut it in a design you like leaving enough around the edges for holes. Then use a hole punch, put a single hole in the top and thread a ribbon or sting through or punch out an outline of the ornament and thread a ribbon, string or even cloth through to make a design all your own.   Consider laminating these paper ornaments for use year after year.

Cinnamon Christmas ornaments add a delightful scent to your tree or decorations. These are easy to make and fun for kids to help with. You will need the following ingredients.

• 1/2 c ground cinnamon
• 1/3 c apple sauce
• 1 Tbsp Tacky glue

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well blended, and then work the mix with your hands for about three minutes. It needs to be formed into a ball. If the mix is too dry you can add a bit more applesauce and more cinnamon if the mixture happens to be too damp. Next, kneed the mixture on a on a surface sprinkled with cinnamon until the mixture holds together, then roll and cut into the desired shapes. Make sure to make a hole so that you can thread a string on it and put it on the tree. These should then dry for about 1-2 days. They will need to be turned several times or you can speed the process up by cooking it in a slow oven.

There are a number of different recipes you can use to make baked or homemade ornaments from food, and you can recycle a number of different items from your home to add a unique touch to your family's Christmas tree. Do not forget that you can easily make Christmas ornaments out of pictures with small popsicle stick frames or felt.

A quick trip to a local craft store in October will reveal bin after bin of interesting wooden ornament that can be painted and dated.  You'll also see small wooden picture frame ornaments.  Load them up with junior's photo and accent with glitter, paint and a fingerprint or two and you'll have a keepsake that will last for years.

These types of ornaments make great Christmas gifts for Grandparents.  They can also spruce up a Christmas gift!