Chapter 8 - Children’s Christmas Parties

Children's Party Games

Pin The Tail On The Reindeer

Convert this most favorite of all children's party games to the Christmas season; substitute a reindeer for a donkey. It takes a bit of handiwork and can be a decorative motif for the party as well as a game, Cut out a large reindeer, from white paper, and paste on a bright blue background. Spark the reindeer with glitter, and paste silver snowflakes all around in the sky. Make enough little tails, prepared with a pin, and proceed as always with this beloved game.

Clap-A-Carol

In a group of any number, select one person to clap out the tune of a well-known Christmas carol. The first person who recognizes the carol may then clap out his favorite, for the others to identify.

Jumbelo

Give each child a list of jumbled words, with room for him to work out their unscrambling. The one with the first correct list is the winner, but set a time limit at the beginning, based on the age level of the group.

Pin a tail on a Christmas reindeer

A word game or word puzzle would be an excellent prize for the winner.

(Scrambled words for Christmas)

1. tassmirch                              (Christmas)
2. eridreen                                (reindeer)
3. oteltimes                               (mistletoe)
4. ylhol                                     (holly)
5. rolca                                     (carol)
6. german                                 (manger)
7. respten                                 (present)
8. herpsheds                             (shepherds)
9. etsnil                                     (tinsel)
10. reet                                    (tree)
11. instepoita                            (poinsettia)
12. Helbtheem                          (Bethlehem)

Carry The Snowball

A great game for a children's party is Carry the Snowball ~ even if this year there's no white Christmas where you are. Prepare cotton snowballs, about 3 inches in diameter. Give each guest a snowball and a slip with a number on it. Line up everybody at one end of the room opposite a wall that you will call the North Pole. The player with the lowest number, 1, is given a tablespoon and asked to carry his snowball in it, with one hand only, as fast as he can to the North Pole. At the word go! he dashes. Have someone keep time and, when all the players have tried, according to their numbers, the one who does it fastest wins. If the snowball falls off, the player must pick it up and return to the starting place.

Or, you might make two teams and have relay races, with the same general procedure.

A giant popcorn snowball or popcorn snowman is an excellent prize for the winner.

Santa's Storehouse

Nothing is quite so wonderful for children as a treasure hunt. Tell the children that the room they're in is Santa's storehouse, and they must gather up all sorts of goodies for the trip on Christmas eve. Give each guest a mesh stocking or even a bright little box or bag and have them fill it, finder's keepers. You will have hidden (each wrapped in a bit of colorful paper!) all sorts of tiny gifts and treats: erasers, mints, pencils, lollipops, little metal toys, peanuts, gumdrops, pencil sharpeners, fake money, gold coins made of chocolate, just about any small inexpensive object that's easily wrapped in a twist of paper. Have enough so that even the small children can find plenty.

All together the objects might be only the sort of thing you'd want to give anyway as a tree present to take home, but in this way it makes a happy game and lends more sparkle than being handed a box at the door. Christmas Toss

Here is a game that's fun to play. You will need one muffin tin with 8 cups. Paint this green. Line each cup with a circle of felt or fabric on which you paint a number from 1 to 8. Now give each player 3 rather large coat-button "counters."

For Christmas Toss, number the cups of a muffin tin

To play the game, a player must stand back about 6 feet from the tin and toss his 3 buttons, one at a time, at the muffin tin. Get each score by adding the numbers in the cups where the counters fall. The one who has the highest score after five turns is the winner.

A Christmas Gift Scramble

Give each child a piece of paper with the following written on it:

Johnny has wrapped a Christmas present for everyone in his family. Can you unscramble the gifts?

Auntie:                                      whsla
Uncle:                                       sfignih dor
Mother:                                    oock oobk
Father:                                      lpipress
Brother:                                    labblsea
Big Sister:                                 dsaeb
Grandpa:                                  ecna
Grandma:                                 nrya

The one who unscrambles the words first is the winner.

Answers:
Shawl, fishing rod, cook book, slippers, baseball Beads, can, yarn.

Costumes

We're often called on to make costumes for the children during the holidays, for parties and for plays. And of course, this is just the time of the year we are most busy with other things. It's fortunate, then, that sometimes a simple costume will suggest festivity just as much as one more difficult to make.Santa Claus Cap

For school entertainments, often a Santa Claus cap will answer the purpose as well as a complete costume.

The material you'll need for this is one fold each of white and flame-red crepe paper, and paste.

Cut a 16 inch wide, 22 inch long (or correct head size) piece of red crepe paper into a 3 inch deep fringe on one 16 inch end. Crush a 6 inch wide strip of white crepe paper. Double lengthwise and stitch the open edges to the lower edge of the red paper. Stitch seam. Gather the fringed ends to make a tassel. Double over and sew tightly to the side of the cap as illustrated. Sew two rows of curled fringe across the back of the cap for hair.

A Santa Claus cap is easy to make

Angel Costume

For a very simple angel costume, especially good for children but useful even for adults, try this.

Stitch two 40 inch lengths of white flameproof crepe paper together to make a piece long enough to reach from neck to floor (Fig. A).

Gather one edge and sew a white ribbon along it, leaving enough at each end to tie around neck (Fig. B). Cut holes for arms. Tie a sash around waist.
Wings tie on at neck and waist

Angel Wings

Cut wings from medium weight cardboard, following pattern. Slit as shown. Cover wings on both sides with white crepe paper icicles. Start at tips and work up, overlapping the rows like feathers. Slip lengths of white ribbon through slits to tie around neck and waist.

An angel's costume is easily made from white crepe paper

Christmas Gift

For a 14-16-year-old you will need the following material: Dennison crepe, 3 folds No. 439, grass green; 1 sheet green mat stock; 6 yards l½ inch silver tinsel ribbon; 4 pieces each ½ inch red satin, ½ inch silver tinsel gift tying ribbon; l½ dozen small Christmas tree balls; 1 spool No. 2 green flower wire; gummed tape; assortment of small empty boxes, gift wrapping papers, ribbons, and the like.

Make an ankle-length crepe skirt, using 3K yards for fullness, with 6 inches turned up at the bottom for extra firmness. Stitch flat like a hem.

Make a tight-fitting bodice of a double thickness of green. Add shoulder straps of l½ inch silver ribbon. Attach wrapped packages to waistline with narrow silver ribbon. Finish with silver belt and corsage of silver ribbon and tree balls.

A Christmas gift costume of green crepe paper

Make a cone of mat stock (F) about 14 inches high, 8 inches across opening, to fit loosely over the head. Trim with tree balls and bows of narrow silver and red ribbon fastened with spool wire thrust through the cone and twisted on the inside. Make a tight-fitting cap foundation. Paste inside cone so that it may be held firmly and comfortably on the head. The lower edge of the cone should come about l¾ inches below the bottom of the cap.

Angel

You will need the following material for a 6-8-year-oId: Dennison crepe, 3 folds No. 400 white; 1 sheet white cardboard; 2 pieces No. 7 flower wire; 1 spool No. 1 flower wire; 2 boxes No. 5 silver gummed stars; 3 pieces ¾ inch white gift tying ribbon; 4 pieces ¾inch silver tinsel gift tying ribbon; paste; gummed tape; muslin slip.

For the robe, seam 2-yard lengths of white crepe paper to make a floor-length skirt. Gather and sew to a slip at waistline (Fig. A). Make a plain blouse with long loose sleeves, shaped as in Fig. B. Stitch silver ribbon to bottoms of sleeves before seaming, Make a Peter Pan collar, with ribbon trimming like that on the sleeves.

For the belt, braid 2 strands of silver ribbon and 1 strand of white to go around the waist, and allow silver ribbon ends to hang down at the front. Stick silver stars to the lower part of the skirt.

Make wings as described below.

For the halo, wrap a 36 inch piece of No. 7 wire with white crepe paper two or three times, to make about ¼ inch diameter, leaving l¾ inches at the ends unwrapped. Shape in a circle with ends about 8 inches long (Fig. C). Fasten with spool wire. Wrap circle and 6 inches of extension with silver ribbon. Add silver stars, stuck back to back, around circle. Bend the l½ inch extensions at right angles and sew to center extension of wings (Fig. D). Bend circle slightly forward into correct position over the wearer's head. Cover center section of wings with crushed crepe paper.

Another angel costume, with halo attached to wings

Angel Wings

Material: Dennison crepe, 2 folds No. 400 white; 2 sheets medium-weight cardboard; 1 piece No. 7 flower wire; 4 metal paper fasteners; gummed tape; paste; 3 yards 1 inch white ribbon.

Cut cardboard foundation the desired size, following the proportions in Fig. £. Make each wing separately with tab extension about 3x4 inches. Cut out the center, leaving a rim about 1 inch wide. Overlap tabs and fasten with metal paper fasteners (Fig. F). Fasten 2 pieces No. 7 wire to wings with tabs of gummed tape (Fig. F).

Cover each wing smoothly on both sides with crepe paper, pasting it around the edge, and trimming surplus off closely.

Cut 4 inch wide strips of crepe paper into "feathers" 3 inches deep, K inches wide (Fig. G).

Wings have a cardboard framework

Beginning at the tip of the wing, paste feathers to the foundation, arranging them so that each row overlaps the previous one about halfway and so that the feathers alternate. Cover both sides in the same way. It will usually not be necessary to paste the strips except at the edges of the wings. Sometimes a little paste is needed in the center to hold them in place.

Crepe-covered, wings can be bent into position

Cover the extension with crushed crepe. Punch small holes in the four corners. Tie ribbons in place so that wings may be fastened by crossing the ribbons in front and tying them tightly in back. It may also be necessary to sew the wings to the back of the costume. Bend the wings up into correct position, as shown in the illustration.

Party Decorations

Large-scale decorating, for a hall or stage, should be easy to make, impressive, and inexpensive. The Christmas motif can be established strikingly with large holly clusters: giant holly leaves are cut from bright green oilcloth, and red balloons blown up and affixed in the proper place. It could hardly be easier, and is very effective.

Everyone in a class or group can participate in preparing for a holiday party with very effective results. if you decide upon a White Christmas motif. A long strip of white wrapping paper, tacked up horizontally around the room, is fine basis for a snowy mural; tack it at the right height and let everyone go to work with black chalk, making snow scenes. Or, individual pictures can be made the same way if the paper is cut. Have colored chalk ready for making gold stars and red scarfs on the snowmen, or blue smoke rising from a chimney. Use icicles and angel's hair for decorating the room further, and stand up a couple of snowmen. These can be made life sized, very easily. Wad up newspaper and tape it into balls of the right size, then cover these with sheets of cotton. Use white candles on the refreshment table, and decorate it with strips of silver crepe paper and scattered silver snowflakes.

Red balloons are effective as giant holly berries

Where you need large-scale decorations, consider those materials in your area which are free and can be adapted. Greens of all kinds, of course, are the basis for Christmas beauty, but don't stop at the traditional ones. Use dried grasses or branches, sprayed green; there's an endless supply, for the taking, and the effect is pretty and appropriate. Use these same grasses and branches with gold or silver spray, for contrast; bind huge sheaves of red grasses together, for instance, and tie with green oilcloth bows.

If you have many willing hands in the weeks before Christmas, make holly garlands in the properly effective size for your hall. The instructions are given on page 93.

Streamers and fringes of crepe paper are always good and give a mass of color and movement for little expense and relatively little handiwork.

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