Re-purpose an old Christmas light into this adorable CHRISTMAS BULB REINDEER ORNAMENT. Hang your reindeer on your Christmas tree or use as a gift-topper!
See all of our easy reindeer ornaments here.
As my kids get older, the homemade Christmas tree ornaments they made when they were little become more and more special to me. Take for example this quirky little reindeer ornament made from a Christmas tree light.
My younger son (now 20) made one of these light bulb Rudolph ornaments when he was in Kindergarten. The ornament is as simple as can be, but it’s one of my favourite Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree every year.
You may also like our wine cork reindeer ornaments .
I’ve had it in my head to make some of these light bulb reindeer with my daycare hooligans, but I couldn’t find any coloured bulbs to make them with. I decided to just pick up some clear Christmas tree bulbs at the dollar store the other day, and experiment with painting them to see if that would work for this craft.
Good news: painting the bulbs worked really well. I actually think painting the bulbs is the way to go for this reindeer ornament. The two you see in this post are my experimental ornaments. We’ll definitely be making these ornaments as a group here in my daycare.
P.S. This is a terrific craft for kids to make after watching a classic Christmas movie like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Christmas Bulb Reindeer Ornament
Supplies:
- Christmas light bulb
- brown acrylic craft paint
- paint brush
- pipe cleaner
- googly eyes
- red pom pom (a red button, bead or craft gem would work too)
- glue/glue gun
- metallic thread, ribbon or cord for hanging
You may also like our Mason Lid Reindeer Ornaments.
To make your light bulb reindeer:
Paint the Christmas bulb with the brown paint. You can paint the metal cap of the bulb as well, or you can leave it as it is. I left ours as-is.
When the paint has dried, wrap a pipe cleaner around the metal cap and give it a twist to hold it in place. Then curl the ends of the pipe cleaner around your finger to make your reindeer’s antlers.
Glue a couple of googly eyes on the front of the bulb, and a red pom pom nose near the bottom of the bulb.
Finish by gluing a piece of thread or cord to the back of the metal cap. A glue gun will work best for this.
That’s all there is to it! And now you have a quirky little lightbulb Rudolph to hang on your tree or to give as a gift-topper.
Just for fun, here’s a photo of the original ornament my son made all those years ago.
More Reindeer Crafts for Kids
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
