Every Christmas growing up I looked forward to seeing the handprint with a poem my preschool teachers helped me make as a Christmas gift for my parents back when I was two. I really wanted to do something to capture my own children’s sweet little hands and feet, and while I was searching for ideas for our Father’s Day gifts last spring, I found several ideas for making pictures from a Nativity scene. I decided to combine them to decorate a skirt to go around our Christmas tree.
I bought a
burlap tree skirt (I chose this one because it was a little nicer quality and was lined, but there are cheaper ones out there) and used acrylic paint I already had. The browns were a little lumpy, so those prints didn’t turn out quite as nicely as I’d have liked, but over all I’m pleased with how it turned out.
My three older boys provided the handprint camels and full fingerprint wise men, robed in their favorite colors. Nathaniel’s hand made a sweet donkey. Nico and Arianna provided the footprints for Joseph and Mary, while Clara’s little foot made the manger for Baby Jesus.
Then the Ian, Elijah, and Nico used their footprints for shepherds, and Nathaniel’s and Arianna’s hands were the sheep. (Clara’s seven months and it’s
really hard to get a good handprint, so I didn’t dare trying the two colors for a sheep with her. She made the little brown cow instead.) I painted both girls’ feet white to make the angels and then just added a few details.
I probably should have ironed the skirt before we started the painting, but I figure it’s going to get covered up with gifts anyway. I hope the kids will enjoy getting it out every year and marveling over how small their hands and feet were back in 2017.
Merry Christmas!
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