A highlight of the Philippine holiday season is the annual Giant Lantern Festival or Parade of the Stars (December 23 and 24), when marchers carry enormous bamboo-and-paper stars adorned with strings of electric lights. These star lanterns, called "parols," have become such a popular holiday symbol that crafters begin making them in July, so they will be ready to sell by mid-November. Even then, they're not always easy to come by--the shops generally sell out within a month.

Although we couldn't build an authentic parol (they measure up to 12 feet in diameter), we decided to light up our holiday decor with a hand-colored lamp shade that sports the Philippine star.

DIRECTIONS:

With crayons or colored pencils, decorate a plain white lamp shade (available at most department stores). You can draw on a five-pointed Philippine star or come up with a unique design of your own. Next, use a craft knife (a parent's job) to cut narrow slits around portions of the colored shape for light to filter through. For an added festive touch, use a hole punch to make holes along the lower edge of the shade and attach strings of beads or charms.

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