Card holders are nice for the holidays. For Thanksgiving make a turkey and for winter holidays make snowpeople, santas, penguins, etc. Staple half a paper plate to a whole one to make a storage space for greeting cards. For the turkey, glue paper feathers to the back of the whole plate. They can use the sponge brushes with the glue, and it doesn't matter if it's neat. If you want more easy, small-motor activity, they can also cut and ruffle the sides of the feathers before gluing. Then, attach a turkey head to the front, half plate and add some feet. Use a variety of colored paper for this project or white paper if they want to paint. Attach a ribbon to the top of the plate to hang it on their door with a tack or tape. ... View related article.
My husband, who adores cookies, loved the cookie tree I made for him. Stained glass cookies (made with Jolly Ranchers-see marthastewart.com) are most impressive on a lighted tree. Also, my boys love snack mixes they can munch on while playing video games. If your sons are gamers, and you can manage 10 dollars, Wired Magazine is a nice, inexpensive year-long gift and includes computer and gaming news. You can also find very nice books at second hand shops. Other much-loved gifts are truffles made from chocolate chips and fudge. Google Rachel Ray's fudge wreath for an easy recipe (and last year Target had a fabulous sale on baking chips, all flavors, prior to Christmas). Save money by omitting the nuts unless you already have some. In fact, some kids prefer fudge without them. ... View related article.
