Christmas Wish Ornament

A wish ornament is a small glass or clear plastic ball ornament filled with a written wish — a hope for the coming year, an intention for the winter, or simply one wish for Christmas. Children dictate their wish, it is written on a tiny rolled slip of paper and placed inside the ornament, and the ornament hangs on the tree holding something invisible and precious inside. Opening the ornament after Christmas to read the wish is a yearly ritual worth creating.

What You'll Need

• Clear glass or plastic fillable ornaments — available at craft stores; the ones with a removable top work best
• Small paper slips — narrow enough to roll and fit through the ornament opening
• A fine pen — for writing the wish in small letters
• Crayons — for the child to decorate the outside of the slip before inserting
• Optional: tiny items to add inside — glitter, a small sequin, a dried flower petal
• Ribbon — for hanging

How to Do It

Step 1: Discuss wishes. Ask: "If you could have one wish for Christmas or for next year, what would it be?" Accept all answers without evaluation.

Step 2: Write the wish. On a small paper slip, write the child's wish in their exact words — or let older children write their own.

Step 3: Decorate the slip. Children draw small illustrations on the wish slip: stars, hearts, a self-portrait. This makes the paper a complete small artwork.

Step 4: Add glitter inside the ornament. Drop a pinch of glitter into the empty ornament — it catches light beautifully when the ornament is illuminated.

Step 5: Roll and insert. Roll the wish slip into a tight scroll and carefully insert through the ornament opening. It should fit with gentle coaxing.

Step 6: Close and hang. Replace the ornament cap and hang on the Christmas tree with ribbon.

Step 7: The ritual. On a day after Christmas, open the ornament together and read the wish.

Skills Your Child Will Develop

Wish articulation — Identifying and expressing a genuine hope or desire is a reflective and language-building activity.

Symbolic object creation — Making an object that holds meaning rather than just appearance develops symbolic thinking.

Holiday ritual participation — Contributing to a family tradition builds belonging and seasonal anticipation.

Tips & Variations

• Make one per year and keep them together as a collection — reading years of wishes is extraordinary.
• Let the child also choose one item to place inside (a tiny charm, a pressed flower).
• Give a wish ornament kit as a Christmas gift to grandparents, with a filled ornament from the child included.

My Two Cents

The wish does not need to be profound — "I wish for a puppy" and "I wish for snow on Christmas" are equally genuine and equally worth recording. The wish articulation process is more developmentally important than the content of the wish itself.