How to Make Christmas Reindeer Candy Canes

Few Christmas characters are as popular as Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. With just a few common supplies, you can create adorable reindeer candy canes. Ready to hang on the tree, decorate gifts, or add to a centerpiece, these whimsical reindeer have a character of their own and are sure to bring a smile.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Candy canes wrapped in cellophane
• Package of 12" red chenille stems
• Package of 1/4" or 3/8" googly eyes
• Red ribbon, 1/8" or 1/4" width
• Package of small red pom-poms
• Sheet of aluminum foil
• Hot glue gun
• Tweezers or needle-nose craft pliers

1. 

   Cut chenille stem in half to make two 6-inch stems.

2. 

   Cut one of the 6-inch stems in half to make two 3-inch stems.

3. 

   Twist each 3" stem around the 6" piece, about one inch from each end, to create the antlers.

4. 

   Fold the 6" stem with antlers into a U or V shape.

5. 

   Hot-glue the antlers to the underside of the crook of the cane.

6. 

   Using tweezers or needle-nost craft pliers, glue two googly eyes about halfway up the crook of the cane.

7. 

   Using tweezers or needle-nose craft pliers, glue a red pom-pom (the nose) toward the tip of the crook of the cane.

8. 

   Tie a 6" piece of red ribbon into a bow, and hot-glue the bow to the neck of the reindeer.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not remove the cellophane from the candy canes.
• Keep the hot-glue gun on a sheet of aluminum to avoid damaging the table top.
• Use tweezers or needle-nose pliers when hot-gluing items to reindeer for better control.
• Use the finished candy cane reindeer to decorate the Christmas tree, as party favors, as decoration on wrapped gifts or in a holiday centerpiece, or as a gift to a friend or special teacher.
• This project should be supervised by adults to avoid potential burns from the hot glue and the hot-glue gun.
• Make sure to keep the hot-glue gun on a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Keep track of tiny pieces (especially the googly eyes and pom-poms) and put them safely away when you are finished with the project to prevent little ones from putting them in their mouths.