What
can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were
a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; yet
what can I give Him: give my heart.” -Christina Rossetti
My favorite Christmas Carol is the Little Drummer
Boy. No matter what version, those
barumpumpums get me every time. In addition,
I relate to his plight- the tot who wonders what he could possibly have to
offer this newly born King.
Christmastide for all its joy and magic, stirs that same plight within
us all, as we ponder, then fret over the perfect gift.
In our family, we prefer homemade and heed the
mantra, “No matter how small, it truly is the thought behind the token which
matters, and Hey, and if ya can package it up prettily, all the better!” Over the years, we have found different
crafts and ornaments to make and share. The
most simple and equally pretty is pipe cleaners threaded with beads and
curly-cued. We enjoy the time spent
together in this process. Even grown,
our daughters still take time to make a few gifts and we try our best to sneak
in moments together.
Therefore, time of ourselves is a good gift. Simple homemade is also good. Being the Christmas card junkie I profess to
be, (I adore picking out or making the perfect one each year!) and I equally
enjoy going to the mailbox to find one arrived!
Just as it is best to be ourselves in any situation in life, the same
holds true in gift giving…give from the heart and no matter whether the
recipient is grateful, (this being a lack in the recipient, not the gift!) you
will have given of yourself. Nothing
fails which comes from love.
SALT
DOUGH ORNAMENTS
*When I was in third grade, Mrs. Noel taught us how
to make these salt dough ornaments. We
actually made tiny little loaves of bread and decorated with poppy seeds and
sesame seeds then brushed with egg whites.
After they were baked, we glued magnets on the back for gifts for our
mothers at Christmas. It has been awhile
since we made these…the last time was a Thanksgiving Day project with my
Mother-In-Law, in which, she made and painted small beautiful wreaths. The girls used cookie cutters and made shapes
such as sugar cookies…I found many other ideas on Google, such as, nativity
animals and figurines. Keep in mind that
the thicker the sculpture, the longer it needs to bake…but let your creative
juices flow and have fun!
Ingredients:
1 CUP SALT
2 CUPS FLOUR
5 TBS CINNAMON
¾-1 CUP LUKEWARM WATER (NOT HOT, NOT COLD!)
-MIX FLOUR AND SALT IN LARGE BOWL.
-ADD WATER A LITTLE AT A TIME UNTIL LARGE BALL IS
FORMED.
-TURN ONTO A FLOURED SURFACE SUCH AS WAX PAPER AND
KNEAD FOR 5-10 MINUTES (THE LONGER YOU KNEAD, THE SMOOTHER THE CLAY) IF DOUGH
IS STICKY, ADD MORE FLOUR A LITTLE AT A TIME.
IF DOUGH CRUMBLES, ADD MORE WATER A LITTLE AT TIME.
-DECORATE, AS YOU WOULD SUGAR COOKIES OR WITH
BUTTONS AND GLITTER….
-PAINT WITH FULL OR DILUTED FOOD COLORS OR USE HERBS
SUCH AS CURRY POWDER OR INSTANT COFFEE FOR NATURAL COLORS
-FOR SHINE, BRUSH WITH BEATEN EGG WHITES
-MAKE SMALL HOLE WITH STRAW FOR HANGING
-BAKE @ 325 DEGREES 1-1/12 HOURS UNTIL DRY….CHECK AT
45 MINUTES TO 1 HOUR
LET COOL BEFORE PAINTING IF PAINTING
-SEAL WITH SPRAY OR LIQUID VARNISH TO PROTECT OR
EVEN ELMERS GLUE…LIKE CLAY, THIS DOUGH IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO MOISTURE SO IT NEEDS
TO BE PROTECTED IN ORDER TO LAST!