As a change from store bought, the warmth and charm of handmade Christmas decorations can turn any home into a festive haven.
From intricate paper snowflakes to rustic wooden ornaments, do-it-yourself projects offer a unique way to express creativity and celebrate the season. Staff and students make their own Christmas decorations.
History and robotics teacher Carl Andrews comes from Norwegian and German descent.
“Growing up, me and my siblings would make ‘Yule goat’ decorations,” he said. “They are made out of wheat straw and are literally shaped like a goat with red ribbons wrapped around it.”
Andrews said the ‘Yule goat’ has no specific relation to Santa Claus.
“The Yule goat is believed to be an invisible spirit that would appear before Christmas to make sure that the holiday preparations were done correctly. The goat would later on take the role of a gift giver,” Andrews said.
He said making these as a kid was “so special” to him.
“Making the Yule goat was an experience I will never forget because it was a fun process that would allow me to spend time with my family,” he said. “As a kid making these ornaments was exciting because you automatically knew it was Christmas time, a magical experience for me.”
Junior Tillee Bardwell said she hangs up Cheetoh popcorn garland on her tree.
“Me and my mom once saw it on the television and decided to give it a try,” she said. “My mom loves the Cheetoh popcorn, especially the white cheddar ones so we thought why not make the garland out of those.”
Bardwell said the popcorn ornament is something they don’t do every single year.
“Some years we are more minimalistic, but some we go full on,” she said. “Not all my family do the ornaments-just me and my mom.”
Bardwell said she loves the Christmas feeling.
Senior Enya Reeve does DIY ornaments with her family.
“It’s mainly me, my mom, my sister and little cousin that make them,” Reeve said. “We really don’t have a traditional one we make; we just make a DIY one every year.”
She said it all started because they had free time to do decorations.
“We got bored one day and decided to make decorations,” she said. “Most of the ideas come from Pinterest; they have really awesome and cute ornaments there. One of the DIYs I have done was a clear plastic ornament that I put paint inside and just decorated the outside.”
Reeves said ornaments is great for family bonding.
“I do DIYs because I get to spend time with my family,” Reeve said. “And I think it is probably the best thing that one can make, making fun and everlasting memories with your family.”
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Students, staff complete DIY projects
December 12, 2024
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