Our Christmas Terrariums are all about the kids. Let this joyful craft be full of their ideas and Christmas Spirit. There’s no need for perfection here.
Every once in awhile, I get an idea for a Kids Craft. As we all know, I’m not the crafty sister, so when I do get an artsy idea, I pounce on it. This year, I came up with the brilliant idea that I was going to make Christmas terrariums with the kids. We would make them the day after Thanksgiving, with Christmas music playing in the background, and a nice glass of wine would be in my hand.
It would be lovely. Epic, really…
Until it so didn’t happen that way.
The day after Thanksgiving, I excitedly reminded my kids about the figures they picked out at Michaels a few days earlier. They looked up from their Kindles and “umhummed” at me and quickly looked away. I was a bit disappointed, but I let it go. After all, it was their weekend too, so my husband and I went outside to decorate the yard instead.
Saturday came and I tried again. I waved the big bag of craft supplies in the air and they glanced up from their movie and pretended I wasn’t there. Hmpf. Again, I let it go. As an extroverted introvert, or whatever the click bait quizzes call me, I completely understand their need for downtime. So instead, I decorated the fireplace mantle and helped Santa buy some Christmas gifts.
When Sunday came, I was determined to make this Christmas terrariums craft happen. I more or less begged my daughter to do it with me and since she was in a giving mood, she actually obliged. I quickly tossed everything onto the table before she could change her mind. I explained the craft and gave her a quick run down on how we could make it fabulous. She listened politely and then dumped the entire bag of fake snow everywhere. As I frantically tried to explain the need for accuracy and the importance of placing each figure perfectly, she gave me a dirty look and plopped her “dudes” right in the middle of the snow-filled apothecary jar.
I was a bit distressed. To be quite frank and perfectly honest, her Christmas terrariums looked like a train wreck and this special crafting moment really wasn’t going how I planned. I was about to have a Mommy Crafting Meltdown when I caught sight of myself in the dining room mirrors.
I was pouting.
Not smiling. Not laughing. Not encouraging her.
I was having my very own Mommy Hissy Fit.
And, for what? So I had a “Pinterest-worthy” apothecary jar?
Hmpf.
I realized I was being an idiot and took a deep, centering breath.
I needed to focus on what was really important here. Right here, right now. In this moment of hanging out with my kids. So I walked over to Pandora and found the Holiday channel that the kids love. I turned it on and cranked my daughter’s favorite song, Feliz Navidad. I went over to my son and asked him to come join us…and he did. By this time, my daughter had dumped her entire snow-filled village out onto the table because she didn’t like the way it looked, so I set out all of their supplies again and helped them place the fairy lights inside of jars. Then, I sat back quietly and just let them do whatever they wanted to do with their Christmas terrariums.
Although this Kids Craft didn’t turn out exactly the way I had envisioned it, the moment — once I focused on what was important — became pretty gosh darn special. The kids were incredibly proud of their Christmas Terrariums and they had a lot of fun making them. Yes, there was fake snow all over the place. Yes, they bickered over who created the better masterpiece. But, they also had a lot of fun and laughed their butts off.
After the craft, they ran down to the basement to challenge their father to a car racing game on their XBox. I was left alone, with a glass of wine in my hand, staring at their beautifully lighted Christmas Terrariums and being grateful that they’ll remember this moment in a positive light instead of a negative one. They love their terrariums…and I do too.
CHRISTMAS TERRARIUMS FOR KIDS
Materials:
- 1 Apothecary Jar (this one is an Ashland jar from Michaels, but this would work too)
- 1 set of Shimmer Lights (this one is an Ashland jar from Michaels, but this would work too)
- 1 package (3 oz) of Buffalo Snowflakes
- Mini figures – Merry Minis, Lemax
Directions:
Step 1: Clean your apothecary jar carefully. You want the glass squeaky clean.
Step 2: Place the fairy lights into the apothecary jar. Fill jar with fake snow.
Step 3: Let your kids decorate their Winter Wonderland jars however they see fit.
Step 4: Place lid on the apothecary jars and place in a high profile location so you can “ooohh” and “aaahh” over them all season long.
Looking to make your own Terrariums? Check out our links below – we gathered up a list of everything you’ll need to get started! (Affiliate links follow – there is no additional mark up to you – but we may receive a small commission from your sale. Thank you in advance for supporting our site!)
