Mary and Joseph Ornament

The image of Mary and Joseph, huddled together in a stable, protecting their new little baby, has always been my favorite part of the nativity story, and it became even more poignant to me once I became a mom. Now my own life is me and Bear, huddled together with our little guy, and imagining things transpiring the way the did in the bible fills me with gratitude – both from a place of religious conviction, but also that I live in a time and place where I have access to medical care.

I wanted to include lots of different representations of the Holy Family, and I love this simple, rustic, version that somehow reminds me that at the heart of it, this is a story about a family.

The supplies for this little ornament all came from the unfinished wood section of my craft store. There in little baggies that had what they called “Boy Game Piece” and “Girl Game Piece” that I could decorate to look like Mary and Joseph.

I painted the body pieces to look like clothes, giving Joseph a crew neck and leaving a V Neck for Mary, and then painted on some hair, and a beard for Joseph.

Two little dots for eyes, and then a scrap of fabric hot glued to the head to make a scarf. Cat hair in the beard is optional.

In the same aisle with the game pieces was a bag of little wooden knobs. I painted on a couple of eyes to make the baby’s face.

Then swaddled him up tight in a scrap of fabric.

A little more hot glue to stick the baby in his mother’s arms, glue to stick Mary and Joseph together, and then a little bit more to keep a hanger in place, and you’re all done.

These ornaments are another one that would be great for girl scouts or church groups, or making in bulk for all your religious friends. Next week, we’ll get a little more complicated and break out the messy crafts.