The giving spirit: Lend-a-hand wreath

Celebrate the gift of giving with this wreath of helping hands.

To make the base of the wreath, cut out the middle of a paper plate. Colour the remaining circle green with markers or paint.

Trace your child's hand on card stock to create a pattern. Using the pattern, cut out hands from green construction paper (make enough hands to equal the number of countdown days). Write one good deed or simple service project on the back of each and set them aside in a basket.

Each day, pick a hand from the basket, perform the deed or service, and add it to the wreath (we attached each hand with adhesive Fun-Tak to give the wreath more texture.

Excerpted from Family Fun Homemade Holidays: 150 Festive Crafts, Recipes, Gifts and Parties, edited by Deanna F. Cook and the experts at Family Fun Magazine (H.B. Fenn/Disney Enterprises, 2002).