The pressure of providing an awesome holiday-time gift to friends and family isn’t helped by the usual problems of youth. Without much funds, supplies, or transport other than those provided by parents, kids are hard-pressed to surprise their progenitors with a thoughtful gift.
Thankfully, there are several chances for young people to handcraft some unique holiday creations to use as gifts, or to enjoy as keepsakes. The Santa Maria Public Library is including two holiday craft events, one for kids ages 6 to 11 on Dec. 13, and another for teenagers on Dec. 17. The events will provide supplies and allow kids to express their creativity while making a fun holiday-themed keepsake, explained Santa Maria Public Library Youth Services Librarian Dawn Jackson in an email interview with the Sun.
“We will be using materials found in everyday life that are familiar to children,” Jackson wrote. “But they will be used in new ways to create holiday gifts for friends or family, or for their own enjoyment.”
The holiday season affords a plethora of iconic images, like wreaths, trees, or snowmen that can be festooned across construction paper, ornaments, and other items. The library will focus on ornaments, a cookie jar, and a festive tree project. Kids signed up for the free event will get to make all three projects across two hours in the library’s Altrusa Theater.
The library isn’t alone in providing creative crafting events for kids this holiday season. Michaels crafts store in Santa Maria is offering a crafting event for kids ages 3 and above. The subject is a snowman made out of yarn that kids can take home with them. A $2 supply fee is required for each half-hour session available from 10 a.m. to noon on Dec. 13.
Handmade projects like these are special for a variety of reasons. The makers get to feel empowered in creating something with their imagination and their own two hands. Recipients get a unique keepsake that will serve as a reminder of a fun holiday season and a youthful expression of generosity.
“I would want to receive one of the handprint snowmen ornaments,” wrote Jackson in regard to the library’s craft event, “because it is uniquely personal to the giver and would be a keepsake to treasure for generations.”
The joy and appreciation of a handmade gift is not the only motivation for providing such an event to the public, Jackson explained. The library is interested in events that raise the quality of life of the entire community through positive experiences for individuals. Creativity and art is potently powerful in helping shape the minds of the upcoming generation, she explained.
“Children who create art develop both sides of their brain, so they often have greater success in school,” Jackson wrote. “In addition, they develop their visual learning, decision-making skills, and receive a host of other benefits. Our goal is to offer a variety of programs that enhance early learning skills for literacy and child development, so that our community’s families can experience an improved quality of life.”
Go make it
The Santa Maria Public Library offers a holiday craft makers event for kids ages 6 to 11 on Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. A teen crafting event is Dec. 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. Both programs happen at the Santa Maria Public Library’s Altrusa Theater, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria. More information is available at 925-0994, Ext. 320; dhildinger@cityofsantamaria.org; or cityofsantamaria.org.
Michaels craft store holds an arts and crafts event for ages 3 and older, including a Yarn Snowman Canvas on Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to noon at Michaels, 1934 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. More information is available at 349-8801.
Arts Editor Joe Payne can’t keep from gluing his fingers together. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 11-18, 2014.