Every December, I dig out the same box of plain white paper plates from the cupboard and feel a little rush of excitement. They’re nothing fancy, but by the end of the season they’ve been turned into everything from a giggling Santa face to the shiniest gold chargers under our Christmas dinner plates. What starts as a 50-cent stack ends up stealing the show year after year.
Kid-Approved Crafts That Don’t Require a Craft Store Run
These are the projects my own children beg to make the minute the tree goes up.
Classic Cotton-Ball Santa
Flip a plate upside down so the raised edge becomes Santa’s hat brim. Glue a red paper triangle on top, then let the kids go wild sticking cotton balls everywhere for beard and trim. Two quick dots of black marker for eyes and a pink fingerprint nose finish it perfectly165. Takes ten minutes, looks adorable on the playroom wall all month.
Handprint Reindeer Keepsake
Paint the plate tan or light brown. Trace both hands on brown paper, cut them out for antlers, and glue them pointing upward. A shiny red sticker or painted circle becomes the nose—add googly eyes if you’re feeling extra. I date the back every year; we now have a whole herd growing on the staircase.
Quick Wreath Hack
Cut the center out, paint the ring green (or leave white and call it snowy), then dot on red fingerprint “berries.” Punch a hole, thread ribbon, done. My four-year-old made six in one afternoon and insisted on giving them to every neighbor.
Grown-Up Tricks That Make Guests Think You Hired a Stylist
Two-Minute Metallic Chargers
Buy the biggest uncoated plates you can find. One light coat of gold spray paint outside, ten minutes to dry, second coat. That’s it. Stack your real china or even nicer disposables on top and suddenly the table looks straight out of a magazine. Zero one notices they started life as paper.
Permanent Santa Cookie Plates
Grab oil-based sharpie paint pens in red and green. Let everyone write their name or draw tiny trees around the rim. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes and the design stays put through milk dunking and dishwasher cycles. We’ve used the same set for six years now.
The Easiest Place Setting Upgrade Ever
Roll fork, knife, and spoon in a napkin, tie with baker’s twine and a sprig of rosemary, then rest the bundle on a small dessert plate you’ve lightly painted with metallic edges. Costs almost nothing, looks intentional.
Plain paper plates have become my secret weapon for surviving—and actually enjoying—the holiday madness.
Running a coffee shop, event space, hotel, or retail shop? Hydenature supplies heavy-duty paper plates perfect for crafting or elegant table use. We offer bulk orders, custom sizes, private-label printing, and fully biodegradable options. Need samples or a quote? Drop us a message—we ship worldwide.
