The Workshop

You need

• One square of thin paper, 6 inches (15 cm) on a side
• Scissors
• A thread and a little tape, to hang it

Steps

1. Start with a square. If your paper is a rectangle, fold one corner over to the opposite edge and cut off the strip that is left.
2. Fold the square corner to corner to make a triangle. Fold the triangle in half. Then fold it in half once more. You now hold a small, thick triangle.
3. Snip small shapes out of both long sides: notches, half circles, thin slits. Cut nothing off the folded corner, and leave some paper joining every cut. Small cuts make the lacy look.
4. Open it up slowly, one fold at a time. Go gently so it does not tear.
5. Lay it flat under a heavy book to smooth it out.
6. Tape a thread to one point and hang it in a window. Make more. No two come out the same.

You need

• One orange with thin, firm skin
• A jar of whole cloves
• A toothpick or a wooden skewer
• A ribbon, about 24 inches (60 cm)
• A spoonful of ground cinnamon, and a bowl

Cloves and pins are sharp. Keep them away from very small children.

Steps

1. Wash the orange and dry it well. A firm orange works better than a soft one.
2. Wrap the ribbon around the orange the way you would tie a package, and tie a loop at the top. This leaves two bare stripes to decorate.
3. Make a hole in the peel with the toothpick. A grown-up should do the first few. Push the thin end of a clove into the hole.
4. Keep going, one clove after another. Set them in rows or in a pattern, close together. Cloves are sharp, so keep your fingers behind the head of each one.
5. Roll the orange in a bowl of cinnamon until it is dusted all over.
6. Put it in a dry, airy spot for a week or two, turning it now and then. Then hang it from the ribbon. If it turns soft or smells sour, throw it away. It is a decoration, not a snack.

You need

• Paper in two or three colors
• Scissors
• Tape or a glue stick
• A ruler

Steps

1. Cut strips about 1 inch wide and 8 inches long (2.5 by 20 cm). You need 24 for the days of Advent, or as many as you like.
2. Bend the first strip into a ring and fasten the ends with tape or glue. Let the glue set before you pull on it.
3. Slide the next strip through the first ring. Bring its ends together to make a second ring, and fasten it.
4. Keep going, one strip at a time. Change colors in a pattern if you like: red, white, green, white.
5. Tape one end to the top of a doorframe or a mantel, and let the chain hang down.
6. Each evening in Advent, tear one link off. When the last link is gone, it is Christmas.