When it comes to the holidays, I’m normally kind of a Scrooge. I’m just not into traditional Christmas decor, and I find most holiday music grating. Some years I’ve even lobbied to skip getting a Christmas tree (Steven vetoed that). But this year I’m actually looking forward to the holiday season. I was even nodding along to Christmas songs the other day in the grocery store. My theory is that because of all we’ve been through over the past couple of months, I need a reason to celebrate. Whatever the explanation, I’ve found myself wanting to decorate for the season, and since we don’t have many decorations (see above), I’ve been trying to make a few. It doesn’t get much more festive than “JOY” in glitter, so I must really be coming around on the holidays (or else that head injury did more damage than I realized).

Supplies:
Glitter paper (cardstock weight) – One 12×12-inch sheet if you want them all the same color
JOY template – Each letter is a separate image file: J O Y
Scissors
Glue
Straw
Pencil
Yarn or string

Steps:
1. Print out the letters (J O Y) and cut them out. They’re sized to all fit on one 12×12-inch piece of glitter paper, so if you want to make them all the same color, you’ll only need one glitter page. Place the template backwards on the backside of the glitter paper, trace around it, and cut it out. Repeat with all three letters.


2. On the backside of each letter, cut a small piece of straw and glue it near the top of the letter, as shown. This will be for the yarn/string to go through for hanging, so make sure they’re straight.

3. After the glue has thoroughly dried, thread a piece of string or yarn through the straw pieces. If precise letter spacing is important to you, tie a small knot in the string before and after each piece of straw. (With such a short word, I didn’t find this necessary.)

Happy holiday decorating!