[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas: Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms
January marks the beginning of a new year.
If you want to give your room a seasonal touch, why not try some hands-on crafts? Create and enjoy pieces unique to January—such as pine decorations symbolizing longevity, camellias that shine in winter scenery, or festive cranes for the New Year.
Using familiar materials like construction paper, tissue paper, and origami, there’s a special joy in watching seasonal works take shape.
Shape with your fingers, choose colors, and get creative with embellishments—these moments will ease your mind and bring a smile.
How about enjoying a relaxed crafting time while sharing your New Year’s resolutions?
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[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas: Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms (91–100)
Lucky God Ornament
A “god of good fortune” is a deity believed to bring luck, with the Seven Lucky Gods being a representative example.
In particular, good-luck decorations made using paper clay in molds have a soft texture that soothes hearts tired from everyday study or work, making them a great New Year craft idea.
Try carefully crafting various types of deities while wishing for a year of happiness.
Displaying these auspicious gods—filled with your hopes—makes you feel excited, as if something good is bound to happen!
Origami for Fukuwarai
Did you know that the “Okame” used in fukuwarai is actually a deity who brings good fortune? Let’s try folding this auspicious Okame with origami.
First, make the creases, then fold along them again.
Some steps are a bit tricky, so please offer support if it seems difficult.
If you also make facial parts for the finished Okame, you can play fukuwarai.
You could glue the parts on and enjoy it as a decoration, too.
Origami has a long history, so it’s a familiar pastime for older adults.
Through origami, some people may even recall memories from their childhood.
For Seniors: January Craft Ideas. Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms (101–110)
Red and white Japanese-style wall decoration
The origin of Japan’s red-and-white pairing is said to go back to the Genpei War, where the Taira clan flew red banners and the Minamoto clan flew white ones.
Over time, this opposing red and white came to be used for celebrations.
In Japanese life, the colors red and white are deeply woven in—calling newborns “akachan” (red babies), using white for burial garments, and cooking red rice for festivities, among others.
So how about making wall decorations using red-and-white streamers or colored paper? With rooms and walls adorned in red and white, you can ring in a dynamic New Year with the same energy as the year-end Red and White Song Contest.
Decorating with red-and-white origami cranes and turtles also feels perfectly fitting for the New Year!
Super easy Daruma-san
This is a decorative daruma that uses both sides of the origami paper to create color contrast, with a striking three-dimensional look.
First, make creases that connect the corners, and use those as guides to shape it into a daruma.
It’s also important to fold parts back so the white side shows; how you reveal this white area will change the expression.
Once the overall shape is set while letting some white show, the base is complete.
After that, draw the face and patterns with a pen.
The way you draw them adds originality, so it’s fun to see what kind of daruma each person creates.
Dragon wall decoration
This is a simple and charming idea for a dragon wall decoration that involves nothing more than cutting construction paper in a spiral.
Dragons are imaginary creatures known for their long bodies.
Here, that long body is represented by cutting the paper in a circular, spiral pattern with scissors.
You can also cut lunchbox grass dividers (baran) and stick them onto the body to create a scale-like pattern.
It works as a wall decoration as is, or you can add a string to turn it into a hanging ornament.
Why not give it a try?
Good Fortune Crane
How about making an “ofukuwake crane” that’s perfect for gifting sweets or small items? It’s considered lucky, so why not enjoy trying it at the start of the year! Up to a certain point, the steps are the same as folding a traditional paper crane, so if you’ve made one before, you should find this easy.
The design features an open back on the crane, so pack the sweets or small items into that space beforehand.
Finally, punch holes at the tips of the wings, thread a ribbon through, and tie it over the crane’s back for an elegant finish! Have fun arranging it with different patterned origami papers.
shimenawa (sacred Shinto rope)
A shimenawa is a sacred rope displayed at entrances and similar places.
It signifies a holy space where deities have descended and serves as a kind of protection against evil.
It’s one of the most iconic New Year’s decorations.
Most people probably buy ready-made shimenawa, and that’s perfectly fine—but how about making one yourself this year, with a wish for a happy year ahead? Using the guide introduced here as a reference, try making a shimenawa with paper cord.
Shimenawa can also be used as a base when handcrafting a Japanese-style wreath.
Starting the year with a handmade shimenawa is sure to bring happiness.
