How do I prepare and use Make photo ornaments at a Christmas party?

How the photo ornament activity works

Each guest decorates a frame around a printed photo, then adds a ribbon loop and a gift tag. The finished ornament can be the guest's take-home gift. You don't need a separate favor bag.

There are three frame materials: jumbo craft sticks, foil-wrapped cardboard and baked salt dough. You can offer all three, or just one with different decorations. Offering one cuts down on shopping and preparation.

Make a sample before you buy everything. Check that your photo fits, that the frame holds together, and that the finished ornament can be packed without smudging wet glue.

Collect and print the photos before the party

About a week before the party, ask each family for one picture of their own child. Explain what you will make and who will receive it. Keep each reply with its photo so you can match prints to guests.

Upload the approved pictures to a printing service, or print them at home if you have suitable equipment. Leave yourself time to check the prints before the party, rather than counting on a particular turnaround. Store the prints in a labeled basket or separate envelopes, away from the glue until the second round.

Ask before you take any new photos at the party, and ask again before you share them. A family that sends a photo for an ornament has not agreed to it appearing in a group chat or in another family's gift.

Ask about a specific photo and a specific place, for example whether one picture can go in the family group chat. If they agree, confirm that limit back and say you'll ask again before using it anywhere else. Examples of how to ask before sharing party photos can help with the wording.

Work out supplies for your guest count

The counts below are an example for eight guests making one ornament each. The eight guests are the children making ornaments, including the birthday child or host's child if they are taking part. Siblings or other children who will also make one need to be added to the count. Stocking eight sets of every material gives guests a full choice, but eight ornaments only need eight frames in total.

Base the ornament count on the children you've listed as makers, then add spares for the specific uncertainty you have. Spare sticks, foil squares or prints cover mistakes at the table. A finished extra frame or dough base is worth preparing if a reply is unclear, a sibling may join, or one might break or not turn out. The guide to how many party favors to prepare uses the same approach.

For a mixed table, multiply each material by the number of guests choosing it. Example: three stick frames need 12 sticks (3 x 4), three foil frames need three cardboard squares, and two dough ornaments need two finished bases. That makes 8 ornaments. Add practice pieces and spares on top.

Make a craft-stick, foil or salt-dough frame

Show guests a finished sample and demonstrate the first step. Keep the photo opening clear, and leave the prints out of the way while frames are being built.

Craft-stick frame: lay four jumbo sticks in a square with the corners overlapping by about an inch. Before gluing, put a spare print behind the frame and adjust the overlaps until the picture covers the opening and the subject still shows. Stick sizes vary, so a 2.5-inch cardboard spacer is only a starting aid, not a guaranteed fit. Glue the corners, leave the frame flat, then decorate it with markers or add decorations using an adhesive suited to the materials. When the joints are ready to handle, tape the photo to the back. Tape the ribbon loop to the back of the top stick, and check this fastening on your sample first.

Foil-wrapped cardboard frame: cut a 2-by-3-inch window in the center of a 4-inch cardboard square and check it against a spare print. For younger guests, including children under eight who need help, cut the window before the party. Wrap the square in foil like a present, open the foil over the window, then fold the edges to the back and tape them down. Guests press patterns into the foil with their fingers or tape on paper decorations. Tape the photo behind the opening, then punch a ribbon hole near a top corner, leaving enough cardboard around it to hold the loop. This frame uses tape instead of wet glue, but guests can still add their photos in round two so everyone follows the same order.

Salt-dough base: the recipe is 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt and 1.5 cups warm water. Roll the dough half an inch thick, cut 3.5-inch circles, and press a straw through near the top to make a ribbon hole. At the party, guests decorate the base and stick the photo to the front with a suitable adhesive. Leave the ornament flat for as long as the adhesive needs to dry. Count only the finished bases you can actually use, rather than assuming a batch yield or breakage rate.

An example 50-minute ornament session

This example schedule has 15 minutes to build and decorate, a 20-minute break, and 15 minutes to add photos and finish, which makes 50 minutes in total. It assumes the photos, cardboard windows and baked bases are ready beforehand. Allow more time if guests need it or if your adhesive needs a longer wait.

Place the two craft rounds and the drying break inside the whole party schedule, then add up the minutes and compare the total with your invitation. If the break needs to stretch, take time from elsewhere rather than from drying or pickup. The party-day timeline shows how to adjust.

• 0:00 to 0:15: Show the sample, hand out the materials and help guests build their frames. Keep the photos off the table. Put each guest's name beside their frame.
• 0:15 to 0:35: Leave the frames flat and play a game. Start the 20 minutes once the last frame is set down. If building runs late, push the next round back rather than cutting the last guest's drying time.
• 0:35 to 0:50: Check the joints before moving any frames. Tape the photos behind the stick and foil frames, or stick them to the dough bases. Add the ribbons and tags. Pack only the pieces that are ready.

Set up the table and plan for different guests

Cover the table and give each material its own tray. Keep the photo basket separate until round two. Put the ribbons, hole punch, tags, markers and labeled envelopes at one end of the table. Leave a flat drying area, with each guest's name beside their work. A helper can handle the ribbons and packing while you explain each step.

Decide who covers each part of the table before guests arrive: one adult explaining the steps, a helper at the ribbon and packing end, and named spots in the drying area. Leave the final part of the party for cleanup, packing and pickup. Our guide to organizing a craft station for a children's party has a full checklist.

If a guest doesn't want a photo ornament, they can frame a drawing instead or do a different craft.

You can track each guest's photo, frame choice, gift recipient and any drying notes on a simple list.

Add ribbon and tags, then pack the ornaments

Start with an 8-inch length of ribbon for each loop. Thread it through the hole in the cardboard or dough and tie the ends, or use the fastening you tested for the stick frame. Check the loop and frame hold before handing the ornament over.

Ask each guest to write their name, the year and who the gift is for on the back or on a paper tag. An example is 'Made by Sam, 2026, For Grandma.' Write that example on a spare tag so guests can copy the layout.

If families would like a picture of the finished ornament, photograph it once you've checked their sharing preferences.

Your preparation checklist

• Ask each family for one photo about a week ahead, and explain how it will be used.
• Prepare a non-photo option for any guest who prefers one.
• Make a sample of each frame, including the ribbon fastening and the packing step.
• Check the photo size and fit before ordering prints.
• Count the frame choices and buy supplies for them, plus spares.
• Cut the cardboard windows and build any frames younger guests will need.
• Bake and dry the dough bases, then count the usable ones.
• Print or collect one photo per guest plus two spares, and test any printer you'll use at the party.
• Cut the ribbons, prepare the tags and label the envelopes.
• Set out the trays, the photo basket and a named drying area.
• Prepare the break game, and agree who will help with finishing and pickup.

One non-photo option is a hanging paper-bag star. It needs its own supplies and preparation, so make and test a sample before the party, including checking that your scissors cut a full stack and preparing cuts for anyone who needs them. See how to make paper-bag stars at a party.

Sources and further reading

• Make photo ornaments at a Christmas party

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