One of my favorite things in the world is when I get to talk with my parents about their lives growing up in the Philippines. Things were so different back then and there, and listening to their stories always makes me feel more connected to my cultural heritage and to them. When I recently asked them about their Christmas traditions in the Philippines , they shared about tabletop trees, going to church at midnight, eating and hanging out until 4am, and Christmas parols! Here is a version of these popular lanterns that I came up with that my daughter and I could make together, and we loved how it turned out. We hope you do too!
Materials
- Popsicle sticks
- Colored tissue paper
- Ribbon and/or yarn
- Glue (the kind you squeeze!)
- Scissors
- Tape (we used double-sided and regular)
Directions
- Glue the popsicle sticks in a star shape – see below!
2. Once the star is dry, trace the star on the colored tissue paper and cut it out. I cut it a little bit further out fro. The line I drew to ensure it would cover the popsicle stick star.
3. Place double-sided tape on the points of the star and stick the tissue paper star on top.
4. Turn the star over. Cut strands ribbon or yarn and tape to the bottom ends of the popsicle side of the star. Add a loop of yarn at the top with tape.
5. Hang up anywhere to add color and brightness to the room! Christmas parols traditionally have lights inside of them, so we hung these in front of some LED fairy lights that we had on hand.
If you get a chance to make these with your kiddos, take some time to look up some images of traditional Christmas parols – they are so incredibly beautiful!
Happy crafting snd music-making!
-Hannah