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Holiday Gratitude Tree
by Heather Harden
As the days grew shorter and the Solstice approached most Northern cultures had a celebration to welcome the returning light. Candles are lit and bonfires are built to welcome back the returning Sun.
Because they stayed green through the long winter, ancient northern European peoples regarded evergreens as a symbol of renewal and hope. For this reason, it was made part of the festivals celebrating the return of the light at the Solstice.
This month our project is another centerpiece for your holiday table that supports your daily gratitude practice. We will make an evergreen tree centerpiece out of foam core or cardboard and decorate it with candles that have been used as part of your daily gratitude practice.
Tools:
• Scissors
• Metal ruler
• Craft knife with NEW #11 blade ( Such as an Xacto knife)
• Cutting mat or cardboard to protect your work surface
• Inexpensive paint brushes – 1” & ¼” inch craft brushes
• Disposable plate or small paint palette
• Markers, crayons, colored pencils
Materials:
• Card Stock – white and/or cream colored – this is available at most craft stores that carry scrapbooking supplies. It can be purchased by the sheet in a wide variety colors. Make sure card stock can be used in your printer.
• 2 – 1 oz bottles green acrylic craft paint – this is available at most craft stores
• Transparent tape
• Double sided tape or photo mounting squares or glue stick
• White glue or glitter glue (optional)
• White or clear glitter (optional)
• Foam Core - A sheet at least 20” x 30” and 1/8” or 3/16” thick – This is available in office supply stores and in art or craft stores in even larger sheets
OR
• Corrugated cardboard – inexpensive corrugated presentation boards are available in office supply or craft stores or a recycled box
• Downloads from this article – There are three downloadable files; patterns for the top & bottom of the tree and a page of candles.
Candle page
Tree Pattern Top
Tree Pattern Bottom
Daily Gratitude Practice
Determine a time period that you and your family will do the gratitude practice. It may be the entire month before the Solstice/Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanza, two weeks before or a week before your holiday. Each day of the chosen period, family members will take a candle; write something they are grateful for or a word of gratitude (love, thanks, grace, etc) and stick the candle on the tree. You are encouraged to do this at a time when the entire family can be present and involved with the process. Take time to fill your heart with gratitude and feel its full measure as you write on your candle. As was discussed last month, studies have shown that being in gratitude for just 10 minutes can give your immune system a boost for six hours!
Preparing the Materials
Download and print the patterns for the top and bottom of the tree. Cut out the patterns and assemble them along the horizontal line at the bottom of the tree top and the top of the tree bottom. Leave about an inch of card stock above the overlap line at the top of the tree bottom. This will make it easier to assemble the pieces. Secure the pieces with tape or glue stick.
Lay the pattern on the foam core or cardboard with the branches facing an edge. Make a line on the foam core parallel to the centerline of the pattern. Place the center line of the assembled pattern on the line on the foam core. As you trace the pattern make sure the centerline of the pattern stays on the line on the foam core.
After you have completed tracing the pattern, flip the pattern vertically over the center line and trace the pattern in reverse.
This process needs to be repeated to make the other half of the tree. To save space, trace the pattern with the top of the tree facing in the opposite direction.
To make the tree stand up, you will need to make a slit in the center of the lower half of one of the tree sections, and the center of the upper half of the other. Measure the height of the trees and make a mark at the midpoint of the center line. For example, this tree is 12 ¼”, so the midpoint is 6 1/8”.
Measure the depth of the foam core; most foam core is 1/8” or 3/16”. The depth of the foam core will be the width of the slits in the center of the trees. If the foam core is 1/8”, measure 1/16” on either side of the center line. Measure and mark this in several places along the centerline.
Connect the marks to get a straight line at either side of the center line. Repeat this process on the other tree section. It is helpful to color in the area to be removed for the slits. On the first section, color from the top of the tree to the mid point and on the other section, color from the midpoint to the bottom of the tree.
Cutting out the Tree
Foam core is relatively easy to cut. The key to success is a NEW # 11 blade. The long cutting surface of this blade goes all the way through the foam core. A dull blade will tear the surface of the foam core rather than cutting it cleanly.
Protect your work surface with a cutting mat or a thick piece of cardboard. Slowly and firmly follow the outline of the tree with the craft knife. Work carefully around places that come to a point and where lines intersect. It is helpful when coming to the end of a point to cut past the end and start the cut a distance away form the other side of the point.
Carefully proceed around the entire outline of both trees. Before trying to remove the tree shapes from the sheet of foam core, check the reverse side to make sure the entire outline has been cut all the way through. Trim as necessary and gently remove the excess foam core.
After the tree shapes have been freed from the surrounding foam core you are ready to cut the slits in the center. Align the metal ruler with the lines to be cut. Use the ruler to guide the knife blade. Carefully cut both slits and remove the foam core.
Check the fit by sliding the tree with the slit on the bottom over the tree with the slit on the top. Trim as necessary. You will need to take the tree apart to paint it.
Painting the Tree
Prop the tree parts on a small box or can, so you can easily paint the entire surface and the edges. Use the smaller brush to do the edges and the slit in the center of the trees. Allow the paint to dry. This will take around 2 hours. Turn the trees over and paint the other sides. Allow this to dry, and apply a second coat of necessary.
When the tree is completely dry, reassemble the parts. A touch of white or clear glitter along the edge of the branches, will add a bit of sparkle; like snow or ice on the branches. Dab a bit of white glue wherever you want the glitter and sprinkle the glitter on top. Place a piece of paper under the tree to catch the excess glitter and return it to the container.
Applying the Candles
Use double stick tape, photo mounting squares or a dab of glue stick on the back of the candle and stick it to the ends of the branches. Candles can be added to both sides of the branches. To make the candles sparkle, add bit of glitter to the “glow” of the candle. Paint a thin layer of white glue on the glow of the candles and sprinkle with glitter. Add the glitter after you have written on the candles.
If you have made more gratitude candles than will fit on the tree, use them as ornaments around the house or on your tree. Simply punch a hole in the top, thread a 10 – 12” of ribbon through the hole, tie a knot to make a loop and hang.
I hope you and your families have a joyous holiday season filled with sweetness and gratitude! Please share photos and stories about your Gratitude centerpieces with us!
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Heather Harden has been an avid crafter for all of her life who is fortunate to have had her parents and her grandmother as wonderful creative influences. She learned about process and detail through her work in the business world as a Programmer Analyst at Bath Iron Works. As the mom to a developmentally disabled adult daughter she honed her patience and creativity. She is currently pursing the fiber arts, as a dyer and a beginning quilter.
Got cool spirit crafting ideas? Send them into SpriritLiving at submissions@spiritliving.org and please include pictures of the steps!
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