• Turn gumdrops into a themed centerpiece.bowl of gumdrops image by Faith Ashurst from Fotolia.com
  
  Plenty of handmade Christmas crafts are easy to make and provide a great way to spend quality time with the kids. They also make original gifts for loved ones to treasure. Choose to go traditional, elegant, trendy or downright goofy to decorate your home for the holidays with distinctive personality and style.
  
  

Gumdrop Tree Centerpiece

• Make a partially edible Christmas-themed centerpiece using three polystyrene foam cones in varying sizes, toothpicks, white glue, lots of green gumdrops and gumdrops in other assorted colors for decoration. Thread two to five gumdrops on each toothpick, depending on the size of the candy (small sizes looks best, but large sizes make the craft go faster). Leave at least ¼ inch of toothpick exposed at one end. For every three or four green toothpicks, make one of a different color. Starting at the bottom, stick the gumdrop toothpicks in straight rows around the cone. Add a tiny dab of white school glue to the exposed end to help keep the toothpicks in place. Work in a pattern of green and colored toothpicks, with three or four green followed by one other color. Stagger the pattern with each row so the colors appear regularly spaced throughout the green. Arrange three such trees of varying sizes on a plate sprinkled with coconut.
  
  

Beaded Wreath Ornament

• Make a simple wreath ornament using sunburst beads, 8mm beads in two colors, a chenille stem and ribbon or cording. The sunburst beads, also called paddlewheel beads, are the basis for the wreath and you can choose any color to match your Christmas decor. Match the color of the chenille stem to the sunburst beads for the best effect. Use white sunburst beads with gold and white round beads for an elegant look, green sunburst beads with green and red round beads for a traditional look and silver sunburst beads with silver and purple, blue or pink beads to complement a trendy Christmas decor.
  
  Thread the beads on the chenille stem, alternating round beads and colors with sunburst beads. For example: red bead, sunburst bead, green bead, sunburst bead. Once you've threaded 10 sunburst beads and five beads of each color, bend the stem into a round shape and twist the ends together tightly to secure them. Clip the ends of the chenille stems. Finish the ornament by tying a loop of ribbon where the chenille stem is joined and secure it in place by adding a bow with a dab of hot glue.
  
  

Personalized Wreath

• Personalize a wreath to hang on the front door by using a grapevine or fake evergreen wreath as the base and adding themed elements that reflect your interests. For example, show school spirit by adding a stuffed animal that represents your school mascot. If the name of your school team is the Bears, use a stuffed bear as the wreath centerpiece. Give the bear a scarf made from fabric scraps or ribbons in team colors or buy a bear-size sweater and glue on a team patch. Hot glue the bear to the wreath and add assorted decorations that reflect either the team colors or the sport--or both. Add small frosted ornaments in team colors, a wide ribbon with a bow and a country-style, hand-painted wooden banner (available at craft stores) at the bottom with your family name or a holiday greeting to finish the wreath. This makes a great Christmas present for a beloved coach.