Part of welcoming Baby into the family is the addition of a baby Christmas stocking. Placing it with the others on the mantle somehow solidifies the little one’s place in the household.

Picking the baby Christmas stocking used to be limited to choosing pink or blue, with the words “Baby’s First Christmas” embroidered on the front. But times have changed! Stockings can specialize in the family’s favorite sports teams, hobby or town or have photo inserts for that all-important first-year portrait.

If you’re a crafty mom, making a baby Christmas stocking is an enjoyable way to prepare for the holiday. The stocking will be unique and truly special.

Begin with a plain stocking. Patterns are available in stores and online. (I like the clear directions and pattern at Craft and Fabric links. Here are two other easy ideas.

Handprint Christmas Tree Stocking
Make a Christmas tree from your baby’s hand- and foot- prints. Start with the trunk of the tree. Using brown paint, footprint your child. Carefully press the tiny foot to the stocking, positioning it correctly. Green handprints make boughs of the Christmas tree. Make a handprint stamp by transferring your baby’s handprint to thick FunFoam. Cut it out and use it to create the tree. This prevents accidents caused by wiggling little fingers! Use 3-5 near the bottom of the tree and decrease by one until the top is created. Fingers should point out for the lower branches, and up for the top. The number of handprints will vary, depending on the size of the stocking. Allow the painted tree to dry, then adorn with beads, sequins, buttons, etc. Tiny charms can be used as miniature ornaments, and a locket can hold a photo of Baby.

Photo Insert Baby Christmas Stocking
Photo insert stockings are easily made. Purchase fabric needed, plus a small square of thin vinyl (available in many fabric sections). Before sewing the front and back stocking pieces together, position the vinyl on front of the stocking and sew in place on three sides. Once the photo is inside, close the opening and sew the stocking as directed. Cover stitching with decorations or trim. Several photo inserts can be placed on the stocking to show baby’s growth during the first year or Baby with different family members.

However you choose to make your baby Christmas stocking, enjoy! This is a great Christmas for you and your family.

Americans send about 2.1 billion cards during the holidays, and most of them end up in the trash after the holidays. Here are some ideas for reusing your old cards.

1. Bookmarks – This is an easy craft that’s great for readers. Simply cut your old cards into long strips about one to two inches wide and use them to keep your place in your favorite book.

2. Gift tags – Probably one of the most useful ideas, and it will save you money next holiday season. Just cut square or rectangle shapes from your old cards, and then fold them to use as gift tags.

3. Post cards – Cut off the picture side of the card and draw a line down the blank back to use it as a postcard. Write your message on the left and address on the right.

4. Dinner placecards – If you host the big family dinner every year, this is a great idea for table place cards. Cut off and discard the back portion of the cards and cut the picture on the front into a rectangle. Then fold that in half to create a placecard.

5. Christmas placemats – Kids will have fun with this one! Cut pictures from your cards into fun shapes and arrange them, collage-style, on a sheet of 11×17″ paper, then laminate.

6. Christmas tree ornaments – Cut a picture from one of your holiday cards, punch a hole in the top, put a string through it and use it as an ornament on the tree.

7. Christmas tree spiral ornament – First cut the card into a circle. Then turn it into a spiral by cutting from the outside of the circle and working your way in. Then pull the spiral apart slightly and put a hole and string in the top to hang it three-dimensionally on the tree.

8. Scrapbooking – No explanation really needed! Simply cut out pictures from your holiday cards and use for scrapbooking projects.

9. New cards – This is a fun way to reuse your cards the next year. Go to a crafts store and buy blank cards. Then cut out some pictures from the cards you receive this year and past them on the blank cards to create cards for the next year.

10. Jigsaw puzzle game – Cut 5 -6 cards into several pieces, mix them all together, and have the kids try to put them back together.

Craft ideas from Where to Buy Recycled Christmas Cards… and What to Do with the Old Ones on Squidoo

This is an easy Christmas craft project for kids. It’s quick (my kids were done in less than 10 minutes), doesn’t require many materials, and is simple enough that even younger kids can help.

 
Materials for Clothespin Reindeer
- 3 clothespins (the old-fashioned kind work best)
- 2 googly eyes
- 1 red pom pom
- glue
- optional: red ribbon
 
Directions for Making a Clothespin Reindeer
1. Glue the first two clothespins on top of each other to make the body.2. Glue the third clothespin upside down on top of the others to make the head and antlers.

3. Glue the googly eyes and pom pom on the top clothespin to make the eyes and nose.
 
4. Optional: If you’d like to use your clothespin reindeer as a Christmas ornament, tie a red ribbon around the neck and make a loop at the top to hang it on your tree.
 
That’s it. You’re done!