[Christmas & New Year] Craft Ideas for Day Services in December
December is a month when you can feel the Christmas atmosphere, including through decorations at day-service centers.
Christmas, New Year’s, and other major events come one after another.
In Japan, December is written as “Shiwasu,” reflecting how bustling this time of year can be.
Older adults may also be sensing the arrival of December.
So this time, we’re introducing craft ideas for day-service centers that are perfect for December.
We’ve assembled a wide variety of projects—decorations to brighten up Christmas, pieces that boost the festive mood, and New Year’s items, too!
They’re great to make and display in your own room, and would surely delight family members as gifts.
Enjoy a wonderful December with heartfelt, handmade items!
- [For Seniors] Fun Crafts Recommended for December
- For Seniors: Auspicious Handmade Zodiac Ornament Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Let’s Make New Year Decorations by Hand! A Collection of Easy Ideas Using Everyday Materials
- [For Seniors] Recommended for day services! Simple and cute small craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Try Making a Handmade Christmas Wreath! A Collection of Ideas Using Everyday Materials
- For seniors: Introducing handmade decoration ideas to welcome a wonderful Christmas
- For seniors: Decorate the December wall with a tree. Easy ideas using origami and yarn.
- Christmas crafts using paper cups
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- Easy way to make Christmas stockings
- [For Seniors] January Craft Ideas for Day Service Activities
- Take-Home Craft Ideas for Winter: Perfect for Day Services for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Recommended for Christmas Crafts! Simple Handmade Project Ideas
[Christmas and New Year] Craft Ideas for Day Services in December (71–80)
Cyclamen
Cyclamen flowers bloom facing downward, yet they also resemble blazing flames—a duality that makes them truly captivating.
How about crafting cyclamen out of origami and using them as Christmas decorations? With a wide range of colors available, choosing your favorites—beyond the classic red, white, and pink—will make them even more vibrant.
The flower part takes on a crane-like shape midway through, so the folding will feel familiar.
Then just make the stem and leaves, connect them, and you’re done! Their three-dimensional form is lovely, so displaying them in a bottle or similar container is also recommended.
Tree
When it comes to essential Christmas decorations, the “tree” is a must, right? It’s the main feature of Christmas decor, and many places—like senior care facilities—create large wall-mounted trees when December comes around.
There are many ways to make tree decorations, but here’s a super simple one: a tree made from origami.
Fold the origami paper into a triangle, make cuts with scissors, then open it up.
You’ll get strips that you glue one by one toward the center.
Finish by adding a star and a tree trunk, and it’s done! It’s a great idea for a small craft to take home, too.
Toilet paper Christmas wreath
Cut toilet paper rolls into thin strips, shape them like leaves, and assemble them into a wreath.
Instead of just painting the rolls green, try adding translucent origami paper to enhance the leafy look—highly recommended.
Incorporating various colors of origami will add accents to the arrangement of leaves and result in a more beautiful wreath.
Once you attach the finer decorations, it’s complete.
Since the overall color is green, adding red will emphasize the Christmas vibe even more.
Toilet paper Santa Claus
A toilet paper roll transforms into an adorable Santa Claus doll! First, cover the toilet paper roll with felt in colors that create a Santa look, such as red and white.
For Santa’s fluffy beard and the fur-like parts on his hat, use cotton or fluffy yarn.
For the facial features like eyes and nose, we recommend using small pieces of felt cut into shape, safety eyes, or felt balls.
You can also add decorations to the outfit if you like.
Give it a try and make a warm, charming Santa doll!
Snowman made of plastic bags
This is a cute snowman mascot that you can easily make using a plastic bag.
The steps are simple: stuff cotton into a white plastic bag, tie the opening, and shape it into two sections, using yarn as a scarf.
Then, add facial features with stickers or cotton balls, and attach a paper cup as a hat to cover the tied opening, and you’re done.
Packing the cotton firmly while being mindful of the bag’s wrinkles gives the snowman a fuller look.
Choosing different colors for the decorations is also a great way to add originality.
Felt Christmas garland
Why not brighten up your room by handmaking a garland with Christmas-colored felt? All it takes is cutting, rolling, and gluing felt, and you’ll end up with a stylish, cozy piece! First, cut felt into holly shapes in two sizes—large and small—and glue them together.
Next, cut the felt into circles, snip them into a spiral, and create flowers by rolling from the tip while gluing as you go.
The trick is to make flowers in different colors and various sizes! Finally, attach each piece to jute twine, and you’re done.
It’s a craft that uses fine motor skills, so be sure to include it in your day service’s winter craft activity!
Boots & stick candy
When you think of Christmas boots, you probably picture big boots packed with fun sweets.
You might think, “People in the West come up with such stylish ideas.” But in fact, Christmas boots originated in Japan.
The story goes that a confectioner in Shiga Prefecture saw the socks and boots hung on Christmas trees and thought, “What if we make them bigger, fill them with candies, and sell them?” It’s a bit surprising, isn’t it? Let’s try folding one of these Christmas boots with origami.
Matching stick candies folded in the same color scheme are also recommended.