by Jamie Hurst DeLuna
With the costs of gifts for everyone (kids, friends, cousins, teachers) adding up, who isn’t looking for some inexpensive family fun, especially once the kids are out of school and bored at home for two weeks?! Here are a few quick and cheap (or free!) ideas to jump-start your holiday fun:

Make a dried apple garland
This is a fun craft for which you probably already have most of the materials. Bonus: It will make your home smell delicious!

• Core & slice 6-8 apples into ¼” slices & soak in lemon juice for 6 minutes.
• Pat dry with paper towel & sprinkle both sides with mixture of 8 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp cloves
• Bake in single layer at 200 degrees for 6 hours until completely dried & slightly pliable
• String apples onto jute or other craft rope, alternating with fabric strips or holly sprigs.
• Hang and enjoy!

Make Snowflakes
An oldie but goodie. Take a piece of paper and fold in half(greeting card style). Fold in the two corners and snip off the bottom so that you have a triangle with a rounded bottom. Snip, snip, snip away along the edges, and then unfold to reveal your masterpiece. Having trouble? Here’s a great tutorial. Want to really make a ‘wow’ moment? Make 25 with your kiddo then hang them up all over the ceiling of her room!

Jamie Hurst DeLuna is a native North Texan and runs her own parenting website, Avant Garde Parenting.