The bright constellation

With photo editing software or a color copier, enlarge or reduce your photos so your family's faces are about 1 inch tall. Print the photos and cut them into 1 1/2- by 1-inch rectangles.

Tip: School photos work well here.

Cut an 8 1/2- by 2-inch strip of white card stock. Tape a 1 1/2- by 1/2-inch piece of white card stock to the left end of the strip, then fold it over the edge of the strip to create a hook. Glue your photos side by side on the strip (on the same side you taped the hook to), lining up the subjects' eyes and leaving at least 2 inches at the right end of the strip uncovered.

Fold the blue card stock in half widthwise. Cut a snowy hill and a snowman with a 1 1/2-inch head from white card stock. Use a craft knife to cut a 1-inch circle from the snowman's face, then glue both pieces to the card, placing the snowman so his head is 1 inch from the right edge and 1/2 inch below the fold.

Open the card and cut a matching face hole in the blue card stock, as well as a 2-inch-long vertical slit parallel to the snowman's head and about 1/2 inch from the edge of the card.

Turn over the card and tape the ends of a 2 1/2- by 1/2-inch strip of card stock to the inside edge of the hole for a guide, parallel to the slit, as shown. Slip the photo strip facedown under this guide and out through the slit.

Close the card and write "Pull" along the edge of the strip. Draw a snowman's face on the white card stock that shows through the hole, then add arms, buttons, and a card stock scarf, if you like, as well as a holiday greeting.

Make 2 basic egg carton body shapes as described for the Petite Penguin (omit the rice in one of them). Paint them white and sprinkle on clear glitter. When they have dried, glue the empty body part atop the rice-filled one.

Use a pushpin to create a small armhole on each side of the bottom segment, then push through two 31⁄2-inch lengths of brown pipe cleaner for arms, bending the ends for hands.

Glue a 1- by 41⁄2-inch piece of felt around the top of the head for a hat. Glue closed the top, then glue on a pom-pom.

Glue the snowman to a white snowdrift (cotton glued to a 3-inch cardboard circle).

Glue on an orange felt nose, mini black pom-poms for a mouth, eyes, and buttons, and a 1- by 7-inch strip of felt for a scarf.

Cut a 6-inch-long teardrop-shaped body from red felt. Near the center, cut 2 parallel slits that are 1 inch long and 1/2 inch apart.

For a pair of ears, cut a 5-inch-long rounded bow-tie shape from green felt. This will be used to make the ears.

To put the mouse together, fit the ears through the slits in the body. Glue on googly eyes and a pom-pom nose.

Finally, add a curly tail by slipping a candy cane beneath the mouse and tucking the straight end between the body and the ears to hold it in place.

To make one, first snugly wrap 3 or 4 rings of double-sided foam mounting tape around a clean, dry, and labelless aluminum can (ours was 15 ounces).

Peel off the tape's protective covering to expose its second sticky side.

One at a time, attach colorful individually wrapped candy sticks (available at candy shops; we used 26) to the tape, setting them as close together as possible and pressing them firmly in place.

For a festive finish, tie a ribbon around the container. To use the vase for fresh flowers or plants, set a plastic cup inside the can as a liner before adding water.

Take two of the wrapped candies and using ribbon, tie a twisted plastic end of one to an end of the second mint. Continue until your chain has enough candies for your countdown.

Hang your garlands from the mantel or from doorknobs. Each day, untie and eat one piece of candy.

For each one, thread a needle with a 2-foot length of thread, then double it and knot the end. For the snowman's body and head, pass the needle through the centers of 3 white pom-poms: first a 1-1⁄2-inch pom-pom, then two 1-inch pom-poms.

To add a hat, sew through the centers of a 1-1⁄2-inch circle of colored felt and a matching 1-inch pom-pom. Slip the needle through a 1⁄4-inch jump ring (found in the beading aisle of craft stores), then secure the snowman by scrunching the parts together slightly and sewing back through the hat and the head. Tie the thread to itself between the two 1-inch white pom-poms and trim any excess.

Glue on a small orange felt triangle for a nose and add dots of black fabric paint for a face and buttons. Finally, tie on a yarn scarf and a loop of string for a hanger.

Cut off and discard the top of the box. Trim the cut edge of the box so that it resembles a sleigh.

Cover the sleigh with red tape or paint, or leave it if you like the pattern already printed on.

Cut holes in the lower corners of the sleigh and insert candy canes "runners."

Fill the sleigh with candy.