Folding Moravian Stars

These are also called "German Stars," "Swiss Stars," etc. When I was little my cousins turned these out by the dozens and they kept the prettiest ones from each year to use the next year.

In our family, these were often "finished" by dunking them in paraffin, a kind of wax folks used to keep on hand to seal preserves. But today most folks don't keep a pan of paraffin onhand, and, frankly, it's not very safe to have kids around hot sticky liquids that can cause second-degree burns. If you feel the need to give your finished stars a more "permanent" look, consider using a clear acrylic spray. Just get adequate ventilation and don't use it around your water softener or furnace pilot light.

That said, when I started trying to document this, I realized that it's one of those things that's easy to do but hard to explain, like tying your shoes. So here are two good web sites with useful illustrations that will show you how to do the job.

• High Hopes directions
• How to Make Stars directions

If you've been reading our pages, you know that we have big things planned, and a lot on our plate, so keep checking back. And contact us with any questions or suggestions you have in the meantime.

Paul and Shelia Race

www.familychristmasonline.com