I have an arrangement with Santa. I fill the stockings, and he takes care of the rest. Because I love tiny gifts, and I love filling stockings. Elise was so taken with the surprise balls I made for Etta’s first birthday party, and talked about them for months afterward. It will totally blow her mind when she finds one in her stocking.

I took all the things I would normally put into their stockings and added them to the ball one at a time. I got the brilliant idea to use only white so they resembled snowballs. I mean, I already had the white crepe paper; why not just embrace full-on cutesy mom?

I started in the middle with those spherical lip balms, and wrapped and wrapped and added prizes along the way. Doing all one color made things a bit simpler than the last time I made them. They ended up being kind of large. (Maybe the size of a grapefruit?) I’m still amazed how much you can fit in one of these things. The volume of the objects on their own seems greater than the ball itself, but somehow it all works. It’s a mystery of physics.

Making two took me the better part of an evening, but watching the kids unravel them is going to be so worth it.

Tips for making a surprise ball

• Cut your crepe paper streamers in half lengthwise. It takes some extra time, but wraps much cleaner.
• Start with the smallest prizes and add the larger ones as the ball gets bigger.
• If your ball looks lopsided, stagger the next prize to even out the shape.
• Secure the end of the crepe paper with a glue stick, a sticker, or colorful washi tape.

Get detailed instructions on how to make surprise balls and more prize ideas >>