Here is a Christmas ornament like no other. It’s a Christmas ornament with a special hidden surprise inside. Your children will be kept guessing what special gifts are hiding inside and they will not be able to find out until Christmas Day when they can remove them from the tree and unravel them.
This is sponsored by Australia Post
I come from a family of squeezers and shakers, my friends are the same. I’m sure you know the kind, the ones that receive a Christmas gift prior to the big day and have already squeezed and shaken it to the point they know exactly what is inside. It’s a little frustrating because that surprise is lost long before the day of opening, which is a shame when you’ve thought long and hard about giving a thoughtful (and sometimes expensive) gift.
I recently discovered that Australia Post are on my side and can help keep packages ordered online a surprise right up until the moment that gift is to be opened. Australia Post will give you the option to send your special packages to one of their many store locations (away from those cheeky sticky beaks at home), or you have the option to use one of the Australia Post parcel lockers.
And if it couldn’t get it any better, it does! Australia Post also have recently released a collection of awesome disguise packaging that will have your gift received guessing until the very last moment. Genius! Click here to learn more about how Australia Post is helping to keep Christmas a surprise.
Inspired by Australia Posts and their features, I created a special surprise Christmas ornament. These have a special gift hidden inside and can be opened on Christmas Day. The way they are made ensures the gift received can’t find out what they are, no matter how much squeezing or shaking they do. Now I warn you, these are actually quite addictive to make.
You will need –
- Small toys
- Crape paper streamers
- Ribbon
- Wire or thread
- Sticky tape
- Scissors
These special surprise Christmas ornaments can hide one or many small toys. Begin with the largest toy you’d like to hide and begin wrapping one end of the streamer around it.
Continue wrapping the streamer around the toy, pulling and twisting it tightly around it’s shape. Wrap it in many different directions and continue to ensure it’s covered tightly. If there are some parts of the toy that are oddly shaped or stick out, wind the streamers in such a way that it builds up around those areas and creates a more rounded shape.
As you continue to disguise the first toy, you might choose to add additional toys to the surprise Christmas ornament. Balloons are always great to add as they help to create the rounded shape. When adding more toys, simply wind them in with the streamer you have been using.
You’ll soon find you get better as winding the streamer and pulling it tight around the toys. With effort you will start to see a round shape appear.
Once you are happy with the shape and toys inside your surprise Christmas ornament you can use the streamer to hold cotton thread or wire, which can be used to hang the ornament on the tree. Once you’re done you can hold the end of the streamer in place with sticky tape.
Add some decorative ribbon to your rounded surprise Christmas ornament and you’re done! Your child will never know what is hidden inside, until Christmas Day when they can remove them from the tree and unravel the streamer to reveal the toys. How awesome is that!
These are such great fun to make and quite addictive too. You could easily make surprise Christmas ornaments for the whole tree! Older children would have a great time making them for their friends or family and give them as gifts for Christmas. You could send them through Australia Post too as they are quite light weight. They really are such a unique and fun gift idea that will keep the receiver guessing right until the very last minute. Merry Christmas everyone.
Such a great idea!! I think I will make some wool ones next year, thanks for the inspiration xx
Great idea using wool Kelly. I’d love to give that a go myself.
Such a cute idea!
Thanks Christie. We had so much fun making them.
What a cool idea!
I think I’d put some money in these for my big kids, they’d love unwrapping and unwrapping and thinking there was nothing! LOL
Oh my goodness, can you imagine! That would be a bit of light entertainment on Christmas morning. LOL
Thanks for your comment Kate.
The look on your daughters face is priceless….such an adorable idea!
Thank you so kindly Janice. She’s such a character and pulls the best expressions. I get excited when I can capture them on camera. It doesn’t always happen though. Thank you kindly for your comment. 🙂
I was going to say the same. What a capture, Kate! Such a precious shot and I bet she’ll love seeing her happiness shine through when she looks back on photos later on. I LOVE your surprise ornament idea. First because it’s fun for the kids, and second because then you don’t have too many ornaments (because you have opened them) so it means you can make more next year hehe
Exactly right Chelsea. Your tree could look different every year! 🙂
Thank you for your very kind comments. I adore my girl so very much. She really makes me laugh.
Wow what a great post! I love your ornaments and really like your idea about getting older kids to make them as gifts for family and friends
Thank you so kindly Trixi. Sometimes it can be hard to get older children involved in crafts, but this is a great one. 🙂
Oh my!! Possum’s face is adorable!! And love that Aust Post can hold onto parcels… handy living in the bush too!! Will check that out now… I want to work wtih Aust Post and have them give me lots of free stamps for all my snail mail!! 😉 Hehe!!
Absolutely Bek! 😀
What a cute idea!
Thanks Debs. They were so much fun to make. 🙂
This is so cute!
So much fun to make Kelly. They look gorgeous on the tree too.
Oh that is so awesome!
Thanks Danya. 🙂
Great idea!
Thank you so kindly Louise. I want my hubby to make me one! LOL
Thanks Louise! 🙂
What a cute idea! My girls would love making and opening one of these
Mine too Kate. They are so fun. Trouble would be resisting opening them early.
Surprise Christmas ornaments sounds good. These are very interesting for the kids. Kids are very excited to what is inside the ornaments. They wait until the Christmas come. When Christmas come then they open the ornaments and feel very happy.