Coping by Crafting: Winter Holidays Nutcracker
Content Overview: Holiday crafts, Coping Skill
Hello, and welcome to a brand new series I just decided I wanted to do called: coping by crafting.
In all seriousness, crafting is a powerful tool for healing. As a therapist, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the sheer importance of play, creativity, and expression of self. As a person, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge how much I simply love crafting and can’t turn down the opportunity to buy new ribbon.
As both a therapist and a human, I know the holidays can be challenging.
So, here’s a nutcracker craft to give a try if you are feeling up to it. And if you’re not feeling up to it, that’s okay—maybe visualize what it would look like, so when you do feel up to it, it’s the most well planned, well thought out, detail-oriented nutcracker we’ve ever seen.
Acquire a nutcracker. It doesn’t matter if it’s the ugliest nutcracker you’ve ever seen. You’re going to make it beautiful.
(Available at places like: Facebook marketplace, thrift stores, large department stores in the dollar sections, whatever is accessible to you.)
Gather your supplies.
Recommended: paint, paintbrushes, glue, and mod podge/sealant.
Optional: Anything that would be cute if glued to a nutcracker.
(This is a great way to make use of small, random, absolute junk you either find or have had in random places in your house that you’ve been meaning to throw out but just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Examples: magazine cut outs, ribbon/fabric, pinecones, etc.)
Paint your nutcracker!
If you want to lean into the coping side of this craft, here are some options:
Put on a comforting tv show, music, or podcast while you work
Pick a very specific theme for your nutcracker to encourage creativity and detail-oriented thinking
To engage in mindfulness, focus on the details of the nutcracker. (For example, add designs to different details on the nutcracker, like a polka dot jacket or a striped pair of pants.)
Choose colors that symbolize the energy you want to bring into the new year
As you’re looking around for tiny objects to glue to your nutcracker, maybe reflect on what you’re doing. You are turning forgotten, discarded, discredited junk into something joyful
Add the small, random, absolute junk.
Give the nutcracker a scarf with the three inches of twine you found in the battery drawer. Turn cotton balls into snow. Use your broken hair ties to create a belt to hold the nutcracker’s candy canes, made out of popsicle sticks, or maybe just an actual candy cane that you’re saving for later.
Place your nutcracker somewhere in your line of sight every day to remind you of your ability to always start anew, use pieces from your past in new and beautiful ways, and, most importantly, your ability to turn junk into joy!