10 arts & entertainment

November 30, 2011 - Over the Edge

DIY CHRISTMAS

Homemade Reindeer Ornament!

DARCIE SMITH
ARTS EDITOR

he stars align and the clouds part as each year we are all love-tapped in the face with our
favourite realization: Christmas is expensive. Even stingy people have someone they need
to buy a present for. Maybe you’re the type to buy some small “nice” things for friends and
family and then on Christmas Eve your overwhelming anxiety at how terrible your presents are
causes you to rush out and buy everything for everyone you said you wouldn’t. Gift-giving is stress-
ful and spreading Christmas “cheer” usually means getting drunk and eating butter tarts with the
black sheep of the family.
Here is a fun do-it-yourself Christmas craft that you can give as presents to people that they have
to like because you made it for them.

Reindeer Tree Ornament

Supplies:
1 pinecone
Brown felt
2 gold glittery pipe-cleaners (what is a pipe-cleaner?)
2 medium sized googly eyes
1 red pom-pom or crumpled up paper, or a piece of a red shirt you cut out in a panic
7 inches or so of ribbon or string
Hot glue gun
Scissors

Christmas Crisscross Puzzle

by Darcie Smith

ONLINE SOURCE

Directions:

1. The pinecone is the head, and the completed ornament is only a head. There is no body.

2. Using the brown felt, cut out tiny little reindeer ears (two of them).

3. Bend and twist the gold pipe-cleaner to fashion a handsome set of antlers.

4. Glue the ears to the pinecone somewhere proportionally appropriate.

5. Glue the antlers where antlers should go.

6. Glue the ribbon or string to form a loop and glue it to the back of the pinecone. This is
how it will artfully dangle.

7. Glue on the googly eyes where eyes go.

8. Glue on the red pom-pom or whatever red thing you chose for the nose.

9. Allow to dry completely.

My favourite part about this gift is that the pinecone most likely will not hold up for more than one
Christmas season, which means you can make your friend a new one for next year!

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2. Ebenezer

4. Pudding demanded by carolers

6. Colour of Elvis’ Christmas

9. Naughty children get this

13. Charlie Brown’s complaint about Christmas
15. What Alvin wants for Christmas

17. Popular main course

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3. Edible house

5. First state to recognize Christmas as a holiday
7. The most famous Christmas Ballet

8. Winter sled

10. Reindeer in Wisconsin

11. Frosty’s nose

12. Author of “The Cultivation of Christmas Trees”
14. Not a creature was stirring, not evena

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