Create a meaningful ornament, seal your hopes for the year ahead, and start a beautiful seasonal tradition.
During the final weeks of the year, when twinkle lights glow and evergreen branches fill our spaces with their scent, many people feel a quiet pull toward reflection.
Winter holidays have always held that quality, whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, observe the Winter Solstice, or honestly, do nothing at all.
It’s a natural time to look back…and then look forward.
This project, the Holiday Wish Star, is a simple ornament designed to capture that moment.
Whether hung on a Christmas tree, placed on a mantle, tucked into a stocking, or saved as a keepsake, your Wish Star may become a reminder of what you hope to cultivate in the year ahead.
All you need is paper or cinnamon dough (easy instructions below), a little time, and a heartfelt intention.
So, What Is a Holiday Wish Star?
A Wish Star is a homemade ornament that holds a written wish, affirmation, hope, or intention. It may become:
- A moment of reflection before the year turns
- A keepsake for the future
- A gentle way to mark personal growth
- A festive decoration
Many families enjoy adding them to their tree, gifting them to loved ones, or saving them to revisit next December.
Across cultures and traditions, the star shape has long represented:
- Guidance
- Hope in darker seasons
- A point of direction
- Light appearing in the night sky
And of course, for many, the star is directly associated with the story of Christmas.
Why the Star Symbol Matters
Stars tend to hold universal meaning. For example:
In Christmas traditions
The guiding star represents direction, purpose, and clarity.
In seasonal symbolism
Stars shine brightest in winter’s darkness,offering reassurance that warmth returns.
In modern interpretation
Stars remind us that even in the quietest phase of the year, something bright is waiting.
Whether you celebrate the Nativity, the returning of the sun, or simply enjoy the holidays as a season of gratitude and new beginnings, the star may become a fitting symbol.
Craft #1: Paper Wish Stars
You can make simple 5-pointed stars, or get super fancy with them. It’s up to you.
What You’ll Need
- Cardstock, decorative paper, scrapbook pages, or recycled craft paper
- A pen
- Scissors
- Ribbon, twine, or ornament hooks
- Optional: glue, glitter, pressed greenery or cinnamon for scent
What You Do
- Cut two identical star shapes. Again, make them as simple or fancy as you like.
- Write your wish, affirmation, or hope for the upcoming year on one star
- Add a meaningful word, date, or symbol (optional).
- Place the other paper star on top of it, so your wish is hidden inside.
- Glue edges so the star is sealed, like a time capsule.
- Add ribbon and hang.
Ideas for what to write inside may include:
- “Peace in my home.”
- “Courage to begin new things.”
- “Patience with myself.”
- “More laughter and connection.”
- “Confidence in the year ahead.”
This works beautifully for groups or families.
You can get as fancy or keep it as simple as you like. There’s really no wrong way to do this.
Craft #2: Cinnamon Clay Stars
This variation smells amazing and looks like something you might find at a holiday market.
Ingredients
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 cup cinnamon
- 1–2 tbsp white glue (optional, it may add strength)
Mix the applesauce and cinnamon together until you have a fairly stiff dough. Roll it flat. Cut with a star-shaped cookie cutter.
Before drying, gently carve or press your wish into the back using a butter knife, toothpick, or nail. For example, you could carve:
- Initials
- One word
- A date
- A small symbol
Poke a hole before drying so you can hang it. (A drinking straw works great for this.)
Let them dry overnight, or bake at 200 degrees F for a few hours until dry and hard. Just keep an eye on them.
They become sturdy, fragrant, and nostalgic.
Different Ways to Use Your Wish Stars
This project may become even more meaningful depending on what you do with the finished ornament.
Hang on the tree
And then pack them up carefully when you take the tree down. When you decorate again next December:
Look back. Think about what unfolded. Make a new wish.
This can easily become a tradition.
Keep through New Year’s Day
Place your Wish Star:
- On the dinner table
- Above the mantle
- Safely next to candles or lights
Then wrap it and store it with your holiday decorations.
Give them to loved ones
These make thoughtful holiday tokens. They may be perfect for:
- Dinner guests
- Stocking stuffers
- Classroom exchanges
- Book club gift bags
- Hostess gifts
Place them on outdoor evergreens
This may be especially meaningful if you have:
- A spruce
- A fir
- A pine near your home
The star becomes something of a winter blessing ornament.
A Few Wording Ideas for Wishes
So, these aren’t goals. They’re not resolutions.
There’s no pressure. Just pick a loose direction. For example, you might consider writing:
“Toward more joy.”
“A calmer pace next year.”
“Confidence in new beginnings.”
“A renewed sense of health.”
“Kindness toward myself.”
This also isn’t fortune-telling. Think of it more like you’re leaving yourself a little note of encouragement.
Ideas for Families or Groups
At gatherings:
- Give every person blank stars
- Have them write or draw their wish
- Hang them together on a tree or wreath
You can also:
- Save everyone’s in a keepsake box
- Open them next year
- Celebrate or contemplate what changed
This can be especially beautiful with children, because their wishes map their growth year-to-year.
Why This Tradition May Work Emotionally
From a psychological standpoint, this small act may help:
- Encourage clarity
- Make intentions tangible
- Mark seasonal transition
- Create a keepsake
- Bridge this holiday to the next
Craft becomes memory. Memory becomes meaning. Meaning becomes tradition.
And traditions help anchor us…especially during winter.
Holiday Meaning, Without Being Overtly Religious
Whether you celebrate:
- The Nativity
- The Winter Solstice
- Hanukkah overlapping the season
- Christmas
- Simply “wintertime”
…the Wish Star is universal.
It says: I acknowledge this season of turning. I honor what’s ending. And I welcome what is coming.
No matter where you fall with personal beliefs, that’s deeply human.
Make It a Tradition
Many people like to fold making their Wish Stars into their existing holiday traditions, including:
Tree decorating day
Christmas Eve
Winter Solstice night
New Year’s Eve
You can even make them when you’re putting decorations away. So next year’s unpacking begins with a little discovery:
“Who was I this time last year?”
“What was I hoping for?”
“What changed?”
“What stayed sacred?”
It may become a mirror between past and present selves.
Something Small That Becomes Something Meaningful
There’s something quiet and beautiful about writing down a hope and sealing it into a simple star shape.
Not to force an outcome. Not to make a promise. But to say: “This is something worth tending.”
When you place that star in your home (on your tree, into a keepsake box, or into next year’s storage), you’re helping to create continuity.
It’s a soft thread from now to next December. A note from your present self to your future self.
And in a season focused on light, giving, warmth, gathering, and reflection, that may feel like just enough.
Disclaimer
This post offers creative and reflective practices and is not meant to diagnose, promise results, or replace any professional or therapeutic support. Crafting, intention-setting, and symbolic keepsakes are personal, expressive activities and should not be interpreted as guarantees of outcomes, predictions of future events, or substitutes for professional advice. Always use your own judgment and consult appropriate professionals where needed.
