While decorating for Christmas is fun, it’s even better when you get to make the decorations. To brighten up rooms and hallways for the holiday season, have seniors make some of these Santa door decorations:
Santa Wreath
A wreath is already perfect for Christmas, but a Santa wreath door decoration is an easy and whimsical craft.
This simple craft is made with white tulle, a Santa hat, and a wreath form (which is typically made of foam). You can use any size form as long as you find a Santa hat that fits.
Since this craft requires a lot of cutting to get the 30-40 strips of tulle you need, you may have to help seniors with arthritis or other dexterity impairments cut out the pieces. From there, the strips of tulle are tied around the bottom half of the wreath, which some seniors may also need assistance with. You can always try different white materials, like tissue paper or cotton balls, and have seniors glue them to a wreath form or a circle of cardboard.
To hang the wreath you can sew a loop of ribbon onto the back of the hat. You could also use strong tape on the back of the wreath—either use double-sided tape or make loops of it.
Santa Paper Plate
This craft uses simple materials, so it may be easy to do if you’re working with a large group. With a paper plate, cotton balls, and other decorations, seniors can create an adorable Christmas door decoration.
First, paint the paper plate in a skin tone color. You can either paint the top portion red for the Santa hat, or create one out of paper and attach it later. Once the base colors dry, paint or draw on the facial details. Usually this Santa craft has only eyes and a nose since his mouth is covered by the cotton ball beard. Give a thicker-handled paint brush to seniors with arthritis or who have difficulty grasping a smaller brush.
After decorating, glue on cotton balls to create Santa’s beard, the trim of his hat, and the ball at the top of his hat. You can use white craft pom poms instead of cotton balls. That’s all this simple Santa craft requires! You can then tape this Christmas decoration to the door, or you could attach a loop of ribbon to hang it.
There are many variations to this Christmas craft, so look at these sites for inspiration:
Santa Ornament
While Christmas ornaments go on a tree, you can easily hang them up as door decorations too. To use on a door, create flatter ornaments so they don’t fall off. Materials such as popsicle sticks, seashells, and a wide-handle paint brush can all create Santa ornaments that would make great Christmas door decorations.
Popsicle sticks along with decorative materials make a perfect door decoration. You can glue the popsicle sticks together to create Santa’s face, and painting the popsicle sticks is optional. After forming the structure, add a face, beard, and hat. It’s that simple! Attach string to the back to hang it or simply tape it to the door. See how it looks here.
Seashell Santa ornaments can be made with any variety of shells. You can find decorative shells at many stores, so don’t worry if you can’t go to a beach to hunt for some!
Use:
- Seashells
- Paint
- String for hanging
- Other decorative items
Paint Brush Santa Ornaments
If you have extra paint brushes, they can make interesting Santa door decorations.
Use:
- Paint brushes
- Paint
- Batting (or felt, paper or pom poms)
- String
You can use a wide paint brush, though the specific size does not matter. Simply paint the handle red, the bristles white, and add other details. Also try using polyester batting as hat trim, or use white felt, paper, or even small pom poms. When you’re done, loop some string through the hole in the handle or attach string to the back of the handle if it doesn’t have a hole.
Since these ornaments are smaller than a larger door decoration, you can have seniors make multiple ornaments to decorate their doors and get them even more in the Christmas spirit!