My kids love playing “I SPY.” It never gets old in the doctor’s office or wherever we go. So, last year I thought it would be fun to turn our Christmas card into an “I SPY” game. At first glance it looks like a simple holiday wreath card, but look more closely and there is much to find!

Materials needed:

• Wreath (I used a real wreath, but an artificial one will work, too.)
• “I SPY” items

1. Collecting the “I SPY” items was a fun adventure for me and my kids. We started by invading the kids’ rooms and looking around the house for little trinkets that summed up our year, such as:

• Sports medals
• Hobbies
• Fads
• Vacation mementos

I thought this would be difficult, but it was actually quite easy. Don’t forget to include a current photo of your kids or your family. I opted for wallet-size photos of my kids and a fun family photo strip from vacation.

2. Once you have collected a variety of memorabilia from the year, place the items on the wreath. Make sure you can see each item clearly and that they are not hidden inside the wreath.

3. After the pieces are assembled, take an aerial shot of the wreath. I had to stand on my garbage can to get high enough!

The Card
Using the wreath as the “I SPY” holder can become an annual tradition. My kids adored the game and were disappointed when I took the wreath down. That is until I made it into a holiday card. The card allowed them to play over and over again, as well as highlight the year’s events for our family and friends.

The Greeting and “I SPY” Game
The message inside the card went like this:

“The kids love to play “I SPY”, it’s true,
So we decided to play “I SPY” with you.

We found some toys and things from our travels,
Some Silly Bandz, LEGOs and even sport medals.

Some personal favorites we treasured in 2010,
even some pictures to see how time went.”

Then I listed in the card what needed to be found. It’s so much fun when the quantities are more than one. For example, I listed:

• Nine Silly Bandz
• Five Chuck E. Cheese’s tokens from my son’s 5th birthday party
• Six LEGO pieces
• Three “left, right, center” dice, the kids’ new favorite game

The more personalized the better. I even included our puppy’s collar and dog tags.

The holiday card was a hit! People of all ages enjoyed “spying” the tokens that summed up our family’s year.

So whether this activity becomes your holiday card or simply a fun game for your family and friends to enjoy, I would love to hear your families’ “I SPY” 2011 adventures!

“Thanks for playing our game, we hope you had fun!
Happy Holidays we wish to everyone!”