Christmas Tree of Dreams

What you need

Vase (preferably clear, red, green or white)
Bunch of twigs
Old Christmas cards
String
Hole punch
Pens
Scissors with serrated or decorative edges

Intro

Do you remember the excitement of making a wish list for Santa? Perhaps it was inspired by what you saw in the shops, on the TV – or in an all-singing, all-dancing Christmas catalogue! Even as we grow older, we secretly want things… maybe something sparkly in a small box, the latest power tool, or even a world cruise.

The pleasure of this activity is allowing people to dream and capture their wishes on a special tree. Who knows, they might even come true. It’s a lovely, imagination-sparking activity for a group or family – and can also be done with just one person. Just make sure you pop that tree somewhere for everyone to see

The Activity

Gather the person or group at a table
Play some Christmas music to get in the festive spirit
Put the twigs in the vase and onto a separate table where everyone can see it
Tell everyone we’re going to write down our Christmas wishes and dream gifts, and hang them from a special tree
Start the conversation by reminiscing and asking everyone about their most memorable Christmas present, received or given
Scatter the Christmas cards on the table and ask each person to choose a selection of 2 or 3 cards
Cut out a section of the card in any shape – this is what you’re going to write on so make sure it’s big enough
Punch a hole at the top of the card and thread the string through
Once the tags are ready, encourage everyone to think about what present they’d like if they could have anything in the world – don’t limit it to one idea, they can think up as many as they like
If they can’t think of anything, they can also remember a past present that has meant a lot to them
Once everyone has finished writing, ask each person in turn to share what they’ve put (if they’re happy to)
Invite people to hang their tags onto the tree
Display the tree somewhere for everyone to enjoy – especially for friends and family who might be wondering what to buy this Xmas