Mimi Tecson reconstructs childhood memories through her art. She uses small toys and pieces to create mixed media wonders that evoke nostalgia and playfulness. Her works are best viewed up close on mimitecson.com.

The pandemic affected her creativity. She was not inspired to create new art. This is why she poured all her energy on her craft page on Facebook, NanayDIY.

“I hope to create crafts that will help parents and their children to bond. These kits were meant to be an alternative to gadgets,” she said.

Tecson is active in her Shopee page with the same name. This is where she sells her kits and posts craft videos. Her tester is her son Leon, 8.

She offers painting and sewing kits in her shop. She sells DIY key chains of animals and donuts. Another popular product is a solar system sewing kit. The item encourages crafting and allows kids to learn about the planets.

“Then I thought it would be nice to create DIY Christmas ornaments. It will serve as a time stamp of the moment since we reuse decorations,” she said.

Her kit contains five wooden ornaments in the shape of Christmas balls with a diameter of 3 inches. It has five kinds of acrylic paints and a paint brush. She sells them on Shopee for P150 each.

“One of the realizations I had during the lockdown in Manila is how important the activities we do at home are,” she said. She encourages families to work on the kits together. “The best thing about memories is making them.”

Sip (hot choco) and paint

Togetherness is also the theme of Articrafts’ Christmas bundle. They came up with a family Christmas bundle catering to children and adults.

“Our Christmas Articrafts kits were curated with the intention of starting Christmas family traditions in every Articrafter’s home. The kits will make a personalized (decor) and hold a special value for the family,” said Jacqueline Tan.

The bundle has three kits inside it. The first is a paint set of Christmas tree ornaments. It comes with six poster paints, two paintbrushes and a paint pot for mixing colors.

The second part of the bundle is a 10-inch Christmas wreath made of rattan wicks. Older kids and adults can work on the macramé ropes to make knots. Macramé is one of Home Buddies’ favorite projects this year. The younger family members can decorate the wreath with leaves, ribbons, pinecones and berries.

The kits also reflect Tan’s love affair with essential oils. She included a Christmas oil blend for diffusing. The blend contains citrus, evergreen, spruce, orange, cinnamon and eucalyptus. She recommends dropping a few on the pine cone to enjoy its scent.

Finally, the bundle has a hot chocolate kit. Each kit contains marshmallows, cocoa, muscovado and buttermilk. It comes in a sealed jar and can make 3-4 servings.

“You can sip on your own hot choco with the whole family while creating your craft. This, I think, seals the whole experience,” she said.

The family bundle sells at P600.

There are also plenty of cookies, gingerbread houses, and cupcake kits available for decorating online. You can find the nearest one near you and save up on delivery fees if you check the Facebook Marketplace. We still believe in Santa Claus in our household. On Christmas Eve, we leave cookies and milk on our dinner table to thank Santa for stopping by. We have it on good authority that Santa’s favorite is chocolate chip. Store-bought cookies are fine.

However, Maya Kitchen’s recipe for Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies is one of the best cookies we’ve ever had. Sometimes, we remove half of the suggested chocolate chips from the recipe to lessen the sweetness. We add macadamia nuts for crunch.

What we discovered about cookie making is that we can use the cheapest butter as long as we cream it properly. The best cocoa also pays for itself. Here is the recipe for it.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie

¾ c butter

½ c sugar

⅓ cu firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

¼ c + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 c milk chocolate chips

1 c white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease and line 2 baking sheets. Set aside.

Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until smooth and lighter in color.

Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips. Using a medium-size ice cream scooper, scoop cookie dough and put it on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.