Get crafty with...chestnuts. Really.

Every Monday I go for a walk with a certain friend of mine. (Walks with friends are like free therapy!)

This is the time of year when my friend likes to pick up chestnuts from the only chestnut tree around here that I know of. The owner of the tree hates them littering the ground, so she is happy to see them go.

Last couple of weeks were chestnut weeks. This year I thought, why not? And picked up some of my own. If anything, I figured I'd use them for decoration at Thanksgiving.

But I wondered. Are these chestnuts you can roast? Can you eat them? I had no idea, so I Googled it.

Turns out these particular chestnuts are Horse Chestnuts. NOT edible. I admit I'm a little disappointed that I can't be extra cool at Christmas and sing "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." while actually roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

At least the original plan of putting them on my Thanksgiving table is a go. And look at these cute ideas I found for chestnut crafts:


Cute animal pencil toppers from Fun Family Crafts.



Dang cute little Chestnut Bugs from The Crafty Crow.

Photo by Emma Bradshaw

You can even make a game with chestnuts. Check it out at Bradshaw & Sons.