Materials
Plastic bin
Christmas items that can withstand mouthing, such as plastic ornaments, 
ribbon, bows, evergreen sprigs, Christmas cookie cutters, jingle bells, etc.
Directions
Collect the Christmas items and put them in the plastic bin. We opted to put a handful of shredded mylar/tinsel on top of the items to encourage the children to search for what was in the tub. Make sure none of the items you choose is a choke hazard. You can thread a couple of jingle bells on a piece of yarn and tie the ends together, bracelet style, to make them harder to mouth. And of course, you would carefully supervise your child’s exploration. Feel free to pick an item out of the tub and hand it to your child. Tell them what it’s called (a “bow”) Let your child explore the item—squish it, put it in their mouth, throw it. Choose another item. Again, tell your child what it is ( an “ornament”.) let him explore it, roll it, try to eat it, etc. Such an activity will keep your child engaged for quite a while, and serves as an introduction to the familiar signs of the season!