What We’re Doing: Making Clothespin Reindeer

This is nothing new – I know that kids have been making reindeer out of clothespins since I was in preschool (and probably longer). That said, they’re still cute, and they’re still very age-appropriate. Here is our version:

They are so easy to put together that Gibbs and I made a whole herd of reindeer until we had gone through our entire bag of clothespins. It was a good way to spend some quiet time early in the morning while Casey and Daddy were still sleeping!

Since we have a fleet of reindeer in our house, these fun little guys will adorn many of our packages for family and friends and will perch on the branches of our tree.

Here’s what you need to make one reindeer:

• • 3 clothespins (the flat kind without the metal spring)
  • 1 small red pom-pom (Rudolph’s nose)
  • 2 small googly eyes
  • 1 small white pom-pom (Rudolph’s tail)
  • a hot glue gun (adult supervision required!)

1. Start by gluing together two clothespins in the same direction. This will be your reindeer’s body and legs. Make sure that you glue them evenly so that the reindeer will stand on his own.

2. Glue an additional clothespin on top of the body, upside down. This is your reindeer’s head and antlers.

3. Once the clothespins are set, put a dab of glue on the face for the nose, another large dab for the eyes, and one on the back for the tail. Stick the pom-poms and the eyes in the appropriate spots and set aside to dry.

We definitely sang “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” while assembling these decorations!