
This weekend, join the DIY cult.
DIY, for the uninitiated, means Do It Yourself.
And what better time to drop-kick commercialism and embrace handcraftiness than the holiday season?
To inspire you, we are making holiday history. NPR is launching the first ever news-pegged menorah and ornament craft contest. Design a menorah or ornament that captures the headlines of 2006. To inspire you, we've created a Mel Gibson menorah (aka "Mel-norah") and a red-state/blue-state Christmas tree ornament.
And if you've never done it yourself before, there are a lot of Web sites that can guide you.
For Menorah Makers:
There's never a reason to go hungry if you decide to make a cupcake menorah. (Although, really, potato pancakes would be more seasonally appropriate.) If high-tech is more your thing, you could make this baby out of parts from your local Radio Shack. Or go very low-tech and cut and tape celebrity pix.
For Ornament Artisans:
A good place to start is the craft store Michael's, which has instructional videos for decorating various glass and wooden ornaments. Or experiment with different materials: felt, crystals, even cookie dough!
For News Ideas:
We know you've been following the news this year: You're an NPR listener, for goodness sake! So put your knowledge to good use. Global warming, political battles, celebrity breakups and breakdowns, Borat ... has there ever been a better year to capture in a menorah or an ornament?
Melody Joy Kramer is a Kroc Fellow at NPR. Marc Silver is an editor in Digital Media.
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