Tamale Shaped DIY Christmas Ornaments
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on Dec 02, 2021
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If you love the idea of crafting but feel too intimidated to start, try making these adorable Tamale Shaped DIY Christmas Ornaments; there’s no sewing or gluing required. These festive homemade ornaments are also inexpensive to make, meaning there will be a little something for EVERYONE on your list!
So go on and show the world your creative spirit and undying love of food this holiday season – making (and gifting) these easy Christmas crafts is a simple way to spread holiday cheer.
Why I Love These Homemade Christmas Ornaments
Maybe I’m a little old fashioned, but all of the commerciality of Christmas really bums me out. When I was growing up, the holidays were a special – even magical time of year. Back then, times were simpler; Christmas wasn’t on the shelf until after Thanksgiving.
I also loved all of our family traditions: my Mom and Grandma would make all of our favorite Christmas recipes and we would deliver cookie plates and homemade tamales to family and neighbors. I also remember sitting around the kitchen table with my mom sticking cloves into oranges and we would deck our halls with bright, colorful, homemade Christmas decorations that would fill my little heart with joy. Nowadays, it feels like the magic of the holiday season often gets replaced with more and more STUFF (that also keeps getting more and more expensive!).
As a Mom myself, it’s important to me to teach my kids about the REAL meaning of Christmas – time spent celebrating our faith and our family. So when the kiddos were little, we started our own little tradition of Christmas crafting. These simple DIY Christmas ornaments are a perfect way to start even the littlest members of your family on this fun activity.
All you need are corn husks, some fiber filling, small rubber bands, and some pretty fabric or a spool of ribbon. Like I mentioned above, there’s no sewing, no hot glue guns, and no Be-dazzlers involved; this Christmas craft is as easy as it gets!
I also love that these little mini tamale ornaments are kinda like making the real deal – it’s a great way to teach your littles how to make the beloved Mexican dish, or even give yourself a little practice.
If you still need a reason to try this super easy homemade ornaments out, you should know that food ornaments are quite trendy this year, but the ones from the store can get really expensive! These little babies cost about a quarter apiece, but the time spent round the table with your loved ones as you make them? Well, that’s priceless.
How to Make Tamale Ornaments
Making these precious little ornaments is actually a bit like making real tamales! Here’s how it’s done:
First, soak the corn husks to make them pliable, then pat them dry. Next, add a bit of Fiber filling…
…wrap the corn husk around it…
…and secure the top with a small rubber band.
Now, tie the tops with your choice of fabric or ribbon. I used a fabric swatch and cut it into strips for a rustic look.
I then added twine to hang the ornaments.
How sweet are those?!? I will be giving these darling DIY ornaments away to everyone on my nice list this year. They also make a beautiful gift topper and add wow factor to humble brown paper packages.
Want to try more homemade ornaments?
More Ways To Spread Christmas Cheer
If you made these adorable Tamale Shaped DIY Christmas Ornaments, snap a pic for Instagram and be sure to tag me on Instagram with #muybuenocooking.
Tamale Shaped DIY Christmas Ornaments
Equipment
- 1 Pair of Scissors
Ingredients
- 12 corn husks
- Fiber filling
- small rubber bands
- pretty fabric or a spool of ribbon
- twine or ribbon
Instructions
- First, soak the corn husks to make them pliable, then pat them dry.12 corn husks
- Next, add a bit of Fiber filling.Fiber filling
- Wrap the corn husk around it.
- Secure the top with a small rubber band.small rubber bands
- Now, tie the tops with your choice of fabric or ribbon. I used a fabric swatch and cut it into strips for a rustic look.pretty fabric or a spool of ribbon
- I then added twine to hang the ornaments. Feel free to use ribbon.twine or ribbon
Notes
- Make one for everyone on your list! These adorable little DIY ornaments cost just about a quarter apiece. 🙂
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: December 2017.
Won’t the ornaments eventually get mold if you soak the corn husks?
Hi Min, I have had the same ornaments for years, and there is no mold. The filling dries quickly without any issues.
Hola Yvette! De hecho, el plural de tamal es tamales, el singular es “tamal” no se agrega una “e”. Igual y estás adaptando al inglés, pero siendo una palabra 100% mexicana podemos ayudar a que la gente se acostumbre a la verdadera ortografía . Me encantó la idea, está increíble.
These festive homemade ornaments are also inexpensive to make, meaning there will be a little something for EVERYONE on your list!
I love this idea for my elementary Spanish classes. How did you attach the twine to the ornament?
Hi Allie! I simply slipped underneath the ribbon. Hope that is helpful. Feliz Navidad!