12 Days of Christmas Traditions--Crafts

I think there's something extra special about a handmade gift.  For that reason, the Christmas season always finds me creating some thing or another.

This year it was cocoa cups and chocolates.

I think the crafting tradition actually started in my youth when my mom and sister would come up with an annual idea for a handmade Christmas gift for friends.

I've given up making my own Christmas cards, but I always find a reason to get out my paper and stamps.

My kids love cocoa.  I mean they really love it.  They drink it just about every day.  So several months ago, we bought cocoa cups and lids in bulk.  It makes it so handy to be able to take their cocoa with them as they're running out the door to school each morning.

These pretty white cups were just screaming to be decorated.  So I came up with the idea of putting together a "hot cocoa bar" gift for a couple of our friends.  It included three kinds of Stephen's cocoa, whipped cream, various toppings like chocolate chips and marshmallows and a cocoa cup for every member of the family.  I thought it turned out great!

I had so much fun putting it together that I did several more "single serving" hot chocolate gifts and decorated cups for an upcoming party, too.

Every time I make something handmade, I think of this quote from President Uchtdorf:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before."

Creating does make me happy.  Especially at Christmas.