Confession time: I have never, ever sent my kids to school with Christmas cards for all their classmates.
I think Christmas is busy enough as it is without taking on extra tasks. We don’t send family Christmas cards either. And honestly, the idea of bulk-buy Christmas cards with a generic “To/From” greeting and a candy cane taped inside just doesn’t excite me.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s sweet that other kids take the time to do this for their friends.
But honestly? Everyone ends up with forty candy canes that they’re still eating next Easter, and the cards get glanced at once and go straight into the bin. It just doesn’t seem worth the effort of making my children sit down and write out thirty cards each. Nothing about this concept has ever inspired me to take it on.
If I’m going to give myself an extra job over the busy Christmas season, I want to feel inspired about it. Otherwise I’m a big believer in not letting other peoples’ standards or expectations dictate what I do.
Guys… there is no Christmas Police enforcing that you MUST send family Christmas cards, bake cookies, or even decorate your home.
Do it if it brings you and your family joy.
Don’t do it if it brings you stress.
Simple as that.
This year, however, I had a bit of extra time up my sleeve (due to not taking on some of my usual Christmas blog commitments) and I started toying with the idea of doing something fun for the kids’ friends. So I brainstormed some ideas that I could actually get excited about.
Treat bags are such an easy way to make bulk gifts for classmates. Polybags are $3 for a pack of 50 at Kmart, in the craft section. (Also known as cellophane treat bags.) I designed these toppers to fit a standard sized bag at 11.5cm (4.5″) wide, but you could enlarge or shrink this design to fit any similar size. You can fill them with anything you like, and if you have a cute topper they always look so pretty.
Cheap + easy + cute = a winner in my book.
I came up with this fun design for my Christmas treat bag topper after brainstorming lots of different ideas. Marshmallows are cheap to buy in bulk, and I like the novelty of pretending they’re snowballs all the way from Santa’s place at the North Pole. The design was a hit with the kids!
They are so easy to make! Fill the cellophane bag with marshmallows and seal. I folded it over twice to make it a bit shorter. Then print your toppers onto white card, use a paper trimmer to trim them down, write the names, fold in half and staple them on.
It’s easier for the kids to write their classmates’ names before stapling the topper in place. We had an assembly line going – Miss 6 did a fantastic job of filling bags with marshmallows while I trimmed and folded toppers and Mr 7 wrote names.
I used just over 1 kilo of white marshmallows for a class of 21 kids. (That’s about 2.5lb). I ordered mine online from a confectionary shop (they only took a couple of days to arrive) because the ones in the shops always seem to be pink and white, and I only wanted white for my snowballs.
You can grab your free printable Christmas treat bag topper by clicking the pink button below!
I’d love to see how you use these! You can always tag me with @ahousefullofsunshine on instagram to share your creations.
You can also pin this image to save the idea for later!
Who else is starting to think Christmas? What are your “must-dos” and your “take-it-or-leave-its” when it comes to Christmas prep?
This is such a cute idea. And so much better than a Christmas Card! I had 89 to send out this year and I would much prefer to have been able to give everyone (adults included) this fun gift! I really love what you say about not sending out cards if it causes you stress – something I really need to think about.
Thanks for the great ideas!
Oooh you are so good to get through such a big mailing list! I’m impressed! Glad you like this cute lil project 🙂
I love this! I’ve completely abandoned Christmas cards this year but this is such a good replacement and something kids are so much more likely to enjoy!
Why thank you, Jenny!! It was a big hit with our kids’ school friends for sure! Something fun and a little bit different! xo
Thank you for this great printable and craft idea! So cute and perfect, who doesn’t like marshmallows?? Also a nice idea for a class party, where the kids can make them for their parents as a take home gift for the holidays!
That is such a great idea, I love it! Thank you for your encouraging words! xo
Thank you! My son and I loved your idea and printable. We printed and packaged these for my sons 22 kindy classmates. His first year of gift giving was a success thanks to you Karen.
xx
Oh I am so thrilled to hear that, Kelly!! It gives me so much joy to know my printables are being used in real families. Great effort doing these for all the kindy kids! Hope they brought lots of smiles! xo