Simple Christmas crafts are a great way to exercise your inner artist. Not only are they a fun way to get involved in the holidays, they sometimes offer you a chance to be more environmentally friendly, save money, and add a personal touch to the holidays. How can you go wrong?

One of the biggest offenders during the Christmas season is gift wrap. Most of it can't even be recycled, so you wind up with piles and piles in landfills the day after Christmas.

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Not all kids crafts for Christmas are simple and easy. Sometimes, it's worth asking kids to put in some effort to make something really astonishing -- something they will treasure for years to come. These incredible eggshell Christmas crafts do require some adult assistance and work, but they are inexpensive, not overly difficult to make, and look more impressive than anything you would buy in a store.

There are many different options for these crafts depending on the age and ability of the kids you're working with. I've listed a few adaptations below, but feel free to use your imagination: there are no wrong answers when it comes to crafting.

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Homemade Christmas decorations make the holidays special. Sure, storebought decorations have a certain charm, and they're often beautiful centerpieces. But if you really want your holiday to have that old fashioned family feel, you need to do some decorating all by yourself.

Homemade Christmas decorations aren't just fun and impressive looking, they can be very easy. You don't have to be Martha Stewart or have a few weeks of free time to turn out beautiful, easy decorations like these homemade Christmas baubles.

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I love Christmas crafts for kids. They are what Christmas is all about: kids having fun, being creative, and getting into the spirit of the season. That's why there are so many crafts for little hands kicking around. Doing crafts with children really puts me in the spirit, and I can tell that most of you feel the same way.

When it comes to a craft like this cute, fun mitten wreath, there are dozens of different ways to do it depending on the age and abilities of the children you're working with. For example, a kindergarten class could have each child make one mitten and (with the help of adults or older children) glue them onto a communal wreath to create a class decoration.

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It's tricky to find easy, inexpensive Christmas craft gift ideas. That's why I love these personalized mousepads. It's true that for some people, mousepads are a thing of the past: with all the new technology that has come out, you often don't even need a mousepad. Many people still like them, however, and you can't go wrong with a personalized Christmas craft designed specifically to someone's tastes.

In my case, I have a sister who loves butterflies, so my example involves a butterfly mousepad. The cool thing with this craft, though, is that you could really do just about any theme you like. There are no limits to your imagination.

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I'm always on the lookout for free Christmas crafts. I'm particularly excited when I find ones I can do with slightly older kids. In my experience, it's not hard to find preschool Christmas crafts. Let's be honest: for kids that young, anything involving scissors, glue, and crayons will be a blast. But for slightly older kids, it's hard to find crafts that hold their attention and don't cost anything.

You can make some pretty amazing 3D snowflakes out of nothing but paper, tape, and staples, though. OK -- you need scissors, too, but that shouldn't be a problem. The instructions are a bit complicated, but once you get the hang of it, these make fantastic decorations and very versatile free Christmas crafts.

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Nothing says Christmas like a pinecone wreath. I've bought many at craft fairs and I've loved every one of them -- until, that is, I realized how easy they were to make myself. There are so many variations of pinecone wreaths that you won't believe how easy it is to make one that's totally unique and original to your own family.

Don't worry if you don't have pinecones handy -- you can easily buy them at a local craft store. Better yet, you can get wonderfully yummy cinnamon scented pine cones at most department stores as Christmas draws near. That gives you best of both worlds -- Christmas crafts with Christmas smell!

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When you're looking for kids Christmas crafts, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. They need to be easy, they need to use inexpensive materials, and they need to result in something the kids can enjoy and be proud of. These fun candy trains fulfill all three requirements. They also make good gifts, and they provide a great opportunity for schoolteachers to talk about recycling.

Depending on the age of the children, you may want to set up some parts of this craft ahead of time. Otherwise, recruit older children to help -- little ones and bigger ones alike love helping with kids Christmas crafts, especially if it gets them out of school or homework.

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It can be hard to find Christmas crafts for everyone on your list. Either they're too hard for the little ones or too easy for the big ones, or the grown ups aren't really interested... but in the spirit of holiday togetherness, it's a good idea to find at least a few crafts the family can do together.

Christmas crackers are perfect crafts for everyone. They're fun, and you can do them in a variety of styles so everyone from the very young to the very old can participate and make them as intricate as they like. Furthermore, Christmas crackers are a fun tradition, and the commercial ones are expensive and unimpressive. These are more interesting. They also make great holiday gifts.

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At this time of year, we're all looking for Christmas card ideas. This is especially true if you like to do crafts with younger children. There's nothing quite like a homemade Christmas card to give to Mom or Dad, or to send off to Grandma and Grandpa, or your favorite aunts and uncles.

Unfortunately, while still cute, our very youngest kids tend to make indecipherable cards with scrawls of crayons we have to label as trees and presents. Of course, this type of card has its place. But sometimes you want Christmas card ideas that double as crafts for children of various ages, or you may want something that looks a bit more impressive.

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Kids of all ages love the traditional Advent calendar. Counting down the days to Christmas is something we all love to do. Adults and kids alike can have a great time making this easy Christmas craft.

There are dozens of options with a simple craft like this. One thing I love to do is have the kids work together to make Advent calendars for one another. In my family, each child takes a special trip to the discount store to buy candies, treats, and tiny toys they think their sibling might like. Then we work together to create calendars for one another and hide the toys inside. It's a tiny gift from brother or sister every day of December.

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Preschool Christmas crafts can be difficult to find. Sometimes the people who write so-called easy Christmas crafts forget that small children have limited hand-eye coordination. Tasks that are long, drawn out, or overly complicated not only frustrate preschoolers, but -- if they are using scissors, for example -- create the possibility of them getting hurt.

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There are tons of easy Christmas crafts that look, if not professional, at least pretty impressive. If you're a busy person with a family and a job -- and most of us are these days -- you probably don't have hours to sit around baking and crafting for the holiday season. But you still want to have that memory-making pleasure of creating something and enjoying the holidays.

Fortunately, not all easy Christmas crafts involve simple popscicle sticks and glitter (although on a side note, you'd be amazed what you can make from the simplest materials). You can make something fun and exciting that doesn't take longer than half an hour while you listen to your favorite Christmas carols. And if you decide to make these holiday soaps I'm about to tell you about, you'll have the perfect easy Christmas craft to use as gifts, decorations, and so much more.

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Christmas ornament crafts can sometimes get complicated. These beaded trees are actually very easy to make once you get the hang of them. I can do a whole batch sitting in front of the TV, and they're great for so much more than just hanging on a mini Christmas tree. They work well as gift adornments, Christmas jewelry, charms, and so much more... these really are my go-to craft of the season.

The instructions are a little bit complicated, but again, the craft itself couldn't be easier. Just string your beads and feed the line back through each section -- after practicing the first few times, you'll barely have to look anymore. Your hands will know what to do.

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I love giving thoughtful homemade Christmas gifts to friends and neighbors. Every Christmas, I make plates of cookies and chocolates to give out to send some holiday cheer. This year, these two simple treats will make their way onto the trays. Sometimes when you are in a rush and you need something quick, chocolate mint truffles and chocolate covered pretzels are easy to make and delicious treats.

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Why I launched this website about Christmas crafts...

I just love to spend every free minute I get working on craft projects -- and Christmas crafts are my favorites. If you're a crafty person, I'm sure you can relate.

Around Christmas time, I'm always making Christmas crafts to use for decorations and Christmas gifts. I love to invite people to my house for Christmas craft parties and craft clubs so we can swap ideas and materials and of course, eat loads of yummy junk food while we socialize.

If what all my friends, family, in-laws (and just about everyone else!) says about me is right, you'll find really interesting and easy to make Christmas crafts and great money saving ideas right here on this website.

Here's what you'll find at About Christmas Crafts...

You'll discover lots of Christmas craft projects -- including photos, instructions and patterns. You'll also find some great Christmas craft ideas that you can use to come up with your own unique Christmas crafts, as well as shopping tips that will save you loads of money on your Christmas gifts and Christmas craft supplies.

Throughout About Christmas Crafts you'll find Fun Facts, Did You Know?, Factoids, and other interesting and enlightening trivia and tips that will make your Christmas crafting even more fun.

Plus, I've also invited my friend, Noel Jameson, to stop by occasionally to share her love of Christmas with you. Noel's pretty busy with her own blog called Christmas Rants -- I recommend you check it out.