Grammy on the Go
By Karen Shadrach
Making ornaments for holiday trees together with our grandchildren will create memories for years in the future, as these ornaments will be brought out every year for decorations. Cookie cutter ornaments are easy, inexpensive and a super fun craft to make and children of all ages can participate.
I have collected a large selection of holiday cookie cutters throughout the years, either purchased or handed down to me from my mother and grandmother. If you do not have many, look for them at garage sales, or purchase through a bakery store or online. I have camels and all kinds of animals, Santas, angels, trees, gingerbread people and stars. You can decide to make all different types, or stay with one theme, using only star cookie cutters or different shapes of Santa’s for decorating your tree.
The easiest and least messy to make are the tissue paper stained ‘glass’ ornaments. Let the children trace around the cookie cutter on cardstock. Cut assorted colors of tissue paper into small pieces. After cutting out the shape, glue the tissue pieces onto the cutout. Trim any pieces that go beyond the borders. Punch or cut a hole in the top to hang with yarn or ribbon. Tissue paper can be glued onto both front and back sides if preferred.
Melted Peppermint Candy Ornaments are fun for the kids to watch in the oven as the candies melt and form to their cookie cutter shapes. Spray the inside of the cutters with cooking spray and preheat the 
oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the cutters on top. Arrange the peppermint candies in a single layer inside each cutter (you may need to fill in gaps with broken candy pieces), then place in the oven for 5-8 minutes. Watch it closely and remove as soon as the candy melts to close all the gaps. Remove the baking sheet and after sitting for 2 min, make a hole in the top with a skewer or other tool to make a ribbon hanger. Again, let sit for 15 min (don’t wait until completely cold) and gently pull the cookie cutters away from the edge of the shape and push out the candy piece. Add a 10 inch long piece of ribbon through the hole, tie and it’s ready to hang!
The aroma of these cinnamon dough ornaments will last long after the holidays are over! Ones I have made and stored in the past have kept their aroma for several years. Mix 3/4 cup applesauce and 1 bottle (4.12 ounces) ground cinnamon (If a larger size bottle of cinnamon is used, measure 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cinnamon.) in a small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. (You may need use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.) Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet of plastic wrap. Cut dough into desired shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer. Place ornaments on baking sheet. Bake 2 1/2 hours in a pre-heated 200 degree oven. To dry ornaments without baking, you can place on a wire rack at room temperature and let stand at room temperature for 24-48 hours or until thoroughly dry.
Use inexpensive aluminum cutters to turn out ornaments faster than you can bake a batch of cookies! Make Christmas scenery ornaments by gluing a background such as an old Christmas card, wrapping paper or cardstock to the back of the cutter. Choose patterned papers or color-photocopy pictures and glue onto card stock. Thread a narrow ribbon through a needle and then poke it between the paper and cutter. Wrap ribbon around the top of the cutter. Slip a bead over ribbon’s ends and knot.
Additional popular cookie cutter ornaments include clay dough ornaments and salt dough ornaments, both that after drying, you can paint with acrylics. Gingerbread salt dough is another option that will give you a scented ornament similar to the cinnamon ones.
This season, choose a cookie cutter ornament that is suitable for your grandchild’s age and have fun creating something special together!
Photos by Karen Shadrach
