Cinnamon Stick Nativity Ornament

If you read our blog regularly, you may have noticed that I love making ornaments.  That can be evidenced by my most recent Washi Tape Cookie Cutter Ornaments, or last year’s Keepsake Ornaments.  This year, my mom gave me a can full of cinnamon sticks, which inspired my Cinnamon Stick Star Sign as well as this Cinnamon Stick Nativity Ornament.

One of my favorite memories growing up is of getting the boxes of ornaments out at Christmastime.  My sister and I helped decorate the tree for as long as I can remember, and we would take each ornament out and talk about its significance.  We each had our own special ornaments, and we even had an ornament that we fought over every year– each of us claiming we had made it!

When I grew up and had my first apartment with friends, my first major purchase was a Christmas tree.  And throughout our marriage, I’ve bought special ornaments for first my husband, and now my kids.

This cinnamon stick nativity ornament is a simple ornament– I love simplistic and rustic.  All this requires is cinnamon sticks, several cloves, a hot glue gun, thick cotton string or twine and a tiny scrap of fabric or ribbon.

The corners are hot glued together, and the string is wrapped around for looks, not for structural support. 

I made baby Jesus with one whole clove wrapped in string.  For Mary and Joseph, I broke a cinnamon stick and used only the halves of it.  I broke the tops off 2 cloves to use for their heads, and used a tiny scrap of white fabric over Mary’s head.  I also used a small piece of cinnamon stick that had broken as the manger for Baby Jesus to lay in.

I just love the simplicity- and the smell!- of this cinnamon stick nativity ornament.  I’m so excited for the kids to get to hang it up in the tree we are planning to go cut down this weekend!

Do you decorate a live or fake Christmas tree?

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