Christmas Craft: Read the Poem, Create a House, Play the Game

Read the Poem

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…

My Mum used to read this poem to me when I was a girl. I now enjoy reading it to my own children. Our family doesn’t focus on Santa at Christmastime but still like to have a bit of fun with the concept, especially in terms of creative inspiration.

Create a house

I was thinking: if Santa didn’t have to live in the North Pole, where would he live and why? I put this question to the children and we decided to make an Aussie version of the North Pole. Santa would want to live in Australia (of course) but a Santa without snow would be wrong, wouldn’t it? So we put fake snow on the lawn.

We used these materials:

* Corrugated cardboard

* Paddle pop sticks

* Cotton wool balls

* Craft Glue

* Miscellaneous craft items

Each child had definite ideas about what they wanted to make and worked independently; yet bounced ideas off each other. It was wonderful!

When I asked my daughter why Santa would like to live in Australia, this is the list she came up with:

* To have a break from the cold weather and get into stubbies and thongs.

* To visit our famous landmarks like Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef.

* To swim. He might need swimming lessons though because he probably never learnt to swim in the icy North Pole.

The children wanted to share their creations with you. This video was an impulsive thing and I had no idea what they were going to say or do.

PS: Do you like my washing pile in the background? That’s a special touch isn’t it? HA! Welcome to our family peoples.

Play the Game

While I’m talking about Santa and homes, realestateVIEW.com.au has a fun competition running. The idea is to help find Santa a new house. Here’s how you can play the game:

1. Check out this site: Help Santa find his ideal house

2. Find daily tips on Facebook and Twitter.

3. Use the clues to search the realestateVIEW.com.au website for properties that meet Santa’s house criteria.

4. When you think you have found Santa’s house, submit your entry on the website.

5. You can enter daily and be in the running to win one of 5 x $500 Myer Gift Cards.

6. The ‘Help Santa Find a Home’ competition ends 20th December 2010.