Before I had children, I would buy wire frames and painstakingly weave lovely evergreens to them to create Martha Stewart-like wreaths. I also designed and hand-made our Christmas Cards every year. Now, I struggle to get my photo cards in the mail and I buy my wreaths at Costco. I sometimes mourn the loss of my lovely adult arts and crafts. However, I’m comforted by the fact that I’m blessed with three children who fill our holidays with more joy and beauty than any decoration could ever bring. I’d trade anything for a handprint turkey made by my two year old!
This year, I decided that we would make cranberry garlands. They’re pretty, environmentally friendly, and will look nice for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, assuming they age well. (I’m not sure that they will, but I’ll take the risk.)
You will need fresh cranberries, fishing line and a yarn needle. Yarn needles are plastic, not too sharp and can be purchased at craft and fabric stores. I bought 7cm needles. (Susan Bates brand to be exact.) Make sure the eye isn’t too big, or it will ruin the cranberries.
I simply pulled a yard or so of fishing line out from the spool and taped it to the spool so that no more could unwind. Then, I knotted the free end of the fishing line to the needle so it wouldn’t pull off and had my kids start stringing. It was a little challenging for our two-year old, but she could do it with help!
You can make the garlands as long as you like. Just tie them off when they are the length you want. I’m going to string them on the chandelier in our dining room for Thanksgiving. We may make a few strings for our Christmas tree too. It would be a great project for people sitting around watching football, assuming they’re not on a white couch! When the cranberries are ready to be tossed, I’ll just cut the string and slide them into my compost!
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the people you love!
Creative Mama 
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