Tiny Playbill Ornaments

& nature book recommendations

Do you keep your Playbills? Those little books that get handed out at plays and musicals? Maybe you haven’t been to a play or a musical in a long time, but you have a stack of programs from memorable shows in a drawer somewhere?

Until recently, my favorite live production was a 2009 production of God of Carnage, with James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis, and Jeff Daniels. It was a favorite because I saw it on Broadway with Sky, Mamie, and Grampa, and of course because of the performance by the great Gandolfini (RIP). That show was followed very closely by a January 2022 production of Porgy and Bess, starring the magnificent Rhiannon Giddens, that I got to see with Mamie. But lately my favorite shows have happened on a smaller stage—the ones Bea has participated in at Pittsboro Youth Theater, our beloved community space where kids and adults get a chance to act, sing, and dance in fun shows. This summer, Bea performed in Annie (see the curtain call above), and she’s been in rehearsals this fall for a December production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. There’s nothing like seeing your own kid on stage!

We had the idea to capture those memories in Christmas ornaments—for our tree and some members of the cast we’ve been carpooling with. If we get really ambitious, we might make them for the whole cast, or at least for the directors and stage managers.

These ornaments are easy to make, and you can create them for anyone in your family who loves the theatre or would like to remember a special production this year. Even though the programs Pittsboro Youth Theater uses aren’t technically “Playbills” (which is actually a magazine with an almost 140-year history), the iconic yellow logo looks great on a Christmas tree. Here’s how we made ours:

Supplies you’ll need:

A stapler, glue, scissors, tape, paintbrushes

Plain white paper

Embroidery floss or ribbon

Watercolors, colored pencils, or markers

No-bleed black ink pens

How to:

1. First, stack your paper into three or four sheets. Then use scissors or a paper cutter to slice the paper into thin strips.

2. Cut the strips into wide pieces, and fold in half to make books.

3. Insert a loop of embroidery floss or ribbon between the papers, and secure with tape.

4. Staple your books down the middle, and make the cover: Paint or color a yellow strip on top, then create a design for your play. You can leave the book plain or add some Mod Podge to make it shine (just be careful not to bleed the ink).

That’s about it! You could use watercolor paper for the covers to make them thicker. You can also use some of the inside pages to celebrate a cast member with a tiny photo, drawing, and funny bio (we plan to do this for our carpool buddies).

Old jewelry boxes make GREAT tiny ornament gift boxes:

You can read more about Pittsboro Youth Theater’s plans to build a community arts center next year here—and even make a tax-deductible contribution to their cause, if you’re able. We feel lucky to have them in our community.

Are there nature enthusiasts on your gift list this year? We think nature books make especially great gifts in this, the darkest time of the year—who couldn’t use some encouragement to get outside and connect with nature, or a “trip” to see faraway animals or landscapes?

The Animal Adventurer’s Guide by Susie Spikol: We really love this book, a gift from our friend Cat—it’s packed with information about wild animals and unique activities (like how to lure an aquatic snail out of her shell by humming a tune!).

The Witchy Homestead by Nikki Van De Car: A sweet guide to spells, potions, and natural home remedies that anyone can make using simple, around-the-house-and-backyard ingredients.

Owling by Mark Wilson: A beautiful picture book with lots of information about those “mysterious birds of the night.” (For a younger reader, would be good to pair with Jane Yolen’s classic Owl Moon.)

Fun with Nature Tale-Along Guide: This was a gift from our cousins that has been so useful for identifying plants, tracking animals, and exploring the woods.

Trees: A Rooted History by Piotr Socha & Wojciech Grajkowski is a big, gorgeously-illustrated book about the meaning, history, and biology of trees around the world. We picked up our copy at McIntyre’s in the summer and love to keep it on the coffee table so we can flip through it.

For adult/older readers, maybe An Immense World by Ed Yong or World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil.

Speaking of trees, this article about “The Beautiful, Brutal World of Bonsai” was really fun to read this week (combining my love of stories about obsessive work with Bea’s love of all things Japan.)

Also, I loved this eerie Louise Erdrich short story about a terrifying school bus ride in a blizzard.

Finally, a bonus recommendation: If you’re doing any shopping at malls this year and have teens, tweens (or even beauty enthusiasts like Harriet) on your list, stop by Lush. We shopped at their store at Southpoint recently and were impressed by their handmade/vegetarian soaps, their no-plastic “naked” packaging (just paper bags for gathering bath bombs and soap cakes), and the fun, colorful products. Their bubble bath cakes smell so good and last a long time! Plus, they even have voting information in their stores which is awesome (and too rare)!

Frog Troublers, we’re curious: do you keep Playbills and programs? What’s a memorable play or musical you’d like to memorialize with an ornament or decoration?

P.S. If you have time, consider phone banking for Raphael Warnock sometime tomorrow. We need him to stay in the Senate, and the runoff election day is Tuesday!

Happy Sunday, Frog Troublers! Back soon with novel recommendations!