As we didn't have a Christmas tree and I didn't want a heap of things to move each time we have to get a new rental, I decided to make a felt wall Christmas tree. I already had all the supplies needed, so that made it handy and cost effective!
Whilst I am aware that Christmas is not Christian in origin, it is a wonderfully fun time of year when people are willing to listen to stories about Jesus. So why not take advantage of this, and "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5).
I forgot to take a photo of how to draw and cut out the tree, but you can see how on Cheryl's blog That's What Che Said. Just fold a piece of green felt in half and draw a zig zag tree pattern on and cut whilst folded. If you don't have confidence, you could opt for a simple triangle tree.
We used a metallic cardboard star I kept from my husband's yr 12 formal. It is stuck to the wall with double sided tape, as is the felt tree.
Normally I always double my felt so it is strong and looks more professional, but for this project, I wanted it to be fun, quick, and easy. Also, I was a bit concerned if I doubled the felt that it would be too heavy and not stick to the tree. No-one would find that very fun...
We have:
One star topper - the star of Bethlehem is fascinating - read about the astronomical phenomenon here. Use a large star colouring sheet from here. There is both a five pointed star or a star of David, which may be more appropriate since Jesus was the son of David.
Two doves - like the two doves mary and Joseph took to the temple on the eighth day for Jesus' circumcision. They were so poor that's all they could afford. God did not favour His son when He sent Him into the world. He was born in a manger, not a palace. The template I used was found at Simply Creative Ways.
Three angels - has already inspired a conversation about our guardian angels; use this tutorial and pattern by Laura from the blog Bugs and Fishes.
Four trumpets - used to announce Jesus' birth. He was actually born around the feast of trumpets in September/October; use the trumpet image available here as a template.
Five bells - the poem "The Bells of London" posted below is by Marjorie Anisborough Decker, the author of The Christian Mother Goose Book Trilogy. You might want to visit her blog and browse her awesome book collection; I used a colouring sheet and cut them out of sparkly felt.
Six gingerbread men - just for fun, but mankind is after-all the reason Jesus came into the world; I drew around a cookie cutter, but you could use a colouring sheet from from mrprintables.com as a template. Decorate with puffy paint and jewels for the icing and lollies. I have fond memories of making gingerbread at Christmas with my Mum and sister. Mum always used to make such lovely decorations that I wanted her to do these ones for me too. She did a terrific job once again!
Seven snowflake ornaments - to remind us Jesus' sacrifice makes us whiter than snow; use the tutorial by Laura from the blog Bugs and Fishes.
Eight candy canes - click here for a poem to remember the reason Jesus came into the world; use a colouring sheet from mrprintables.com as a template and glue on ribbon for stripes.
Nine pointy baubles - just for fun; I used a colouring sheet available here and hot glued rik rak on to decorate.
Ten presents - Jesus was God's presence pun intended to us, the wise men gave presents to Jesus, we need to be generous to others; use another colouring sheet from mrprintables.com. Cut out the square from one colour of felt and the ribbon in one piece from another colour. Hot glue the ribbon onto the present.
Eleven star lights - the wise will shine like the stars, see Daniel 12:3; once again I used a colouring sheet available from mrprintables.com.
Twelve round baubles - just for fun; I traced around an upturned glass and sewed a layer of metallic spotted mesh on top of the orange felt.
If you don't want to spend a lot of time making ornaments, you could always try backing ornaments printed on material with felt. Or just cut out a heap of circles in lots of different colours. Tahlia discovered that crocheted hexagons will also stick to the felt tree, so that might be another easy option if you know how!
If you are looking for hours of fun without a lot of cost, I found a printable wall Christmas tree for coloring in. As you need to assemble it from various printed pages, it doubles as a jigsaw puzzle. It looks amazing!! Might be our Christmas project for next year.
Whilst I am aware that Christmas is not Christian in origin, it is a wonderfully fun time of year when people are willing to listen to stories about Jesus. So why not take advantage of this, and "make the most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5).
We used a metallic cardboard star I kept from my husband's yr 12 formal. It is stuck to the wall with double sided tape, as is the felt tree.
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| Baby is admiring the Christmas tree. |
Normally I always double my felt so it is strong and looks more professional, but for this project, I wanted it to be fun, quick, and easy. Also, I was a bit concerned if I doubled the felt that it would be too heavy and not stick to the tree. No-one would find that very fun...
We have:
One star topper - the star of Bethlehem is fascinating - read about the astronomical phenomenon here. Use a large star colouring sheet from here. There is both a five pointed star or a star of David, which may be more appropriate since Jesus was the son of David.
Two doves - like the two doves mary and Joseph took to the temple on the eighth day for Jesus' circumcision. They were so poor that's all they could afford. God did not favour His son when He sent Him into the world. He was born in a manger, not a palace. The template I used was found at Simply Creative Ways.
Three angels - has already inspired a conversation about our guardian angels; use this tutorial and pattern by Laura from the blog Bugs and Fishes.
Four trumpets - used to announce Jesus' birth. He was actually born around the feast of trumpets in September/October; use the trumpet image available here as a template.
Five bells - the poem "The Bells of London" posted below is by Marjorie Anisborough Decker, the author of The Christian Mother Goose Book Trilogy. You might want to visit her blog and browse her awesome book collection; I used a colouring sheet and cut them out of sparkly felt.
Six gingerbread men - just for fun, but mankind is after-all the reason Jesus came into the world; I drew around a cookie cutter, but you could use a colouring sheet from from mrprintables.com as a template. Decorate with puffy paint and jewels for the icing and lollies. I have fond memories of making gingerbread at Christmas with my Mum and sister. Mum always used to make such lovely decorations that I wanted her to do these ones for me too. She did a terrific job once again!
Seven snowflake ornaments - to remind us Jesus' sacrifice makes us whiter than snow; use the tutorial by Laura from the blog Bugs and Fishes.
Eight candy canes - click here for a poem to remember the reason Jesus came into the world; use a colouring sheet from mrprintables.com as a template and glue on ribbon for stripes.
Nine pointy baubles - just for fun; I used a colouring sheet available here and hot glued rik rak on to decorate.
Ten presents - Jesus was God's presence pun intended to us, the wise men gave presents to Jesus, we need to be generous to others; use another colouring sheet from mrprintables.com. Cut out the square from one colour of felt and the ribbon in one piece from another colour. Hot glue the ribbon onto the present.
Eleven star lights - the wise will shine like the stars, see Daniel 12:3; once again I used a colouring sheet available from mrprintables.com.
Twelve round baubles - just for fun; I traced around an upturned glass and sewed a layer of metallic spotted mesh on top of the orange felt.
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| Image Source |
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| Image Source Free Printable available here! |
If you don't want to spend a lot of time making ornaments, you could always try backing ornaments printed on material with felt. Or just cut out a heap of circles in lots of different colours. Tahlia discovered that crocheted hexagons will also stick to the felt tree, so that might be another easy option if you know how!
If you are looking for hours of fun without a lot of cost, I found a printable wall Christmas tree for coloring in. As you need to assemble it from various printed pages, it doubles as a jigsaw puzzle. It looks amazing!! Might be our Christmas project for next year.
Thanks so much for leaving comments on my blog letting me know about this, Carissa! I'm delighted that my ornaments are part of such a special project xx
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