Comments on: Christmas Is Coming… RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

By: Nikki

Nikki — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:28:18 +0000

Canning! That’s what I’m doing again this year for Christmas gifts for friends and adult family members. Last year I canned a homemade cranberry sauce in port wine (thank you Mr. Guy at the Byerly’s wine store for the recipe). This year, it’s canned salsa with varying degrees of heat. People lovvvve home-canned gifts! It truly comes from the heart and is inexpensive to do. I live in a townhouse, so I don’t have a yard for a garden (nor the time for one, hello) so I can things that I can get from the grocery store. And instead of buying Christmas cards, I make them with supplies I bought on clearance, like rubber stamps and glitter markers.

By: The StuntGirl

The StuntGirl — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:17:52 +0000

If you do still want to do cards, you can get them on the cheap. I LOVE Michael’s carft stores. Their dollar bins are the epitome of awesome. I get cute Christmas cards there every year (just got some the other day!), as well as blank-inside cards for other occassions, and thank you cards (even if you nix Christmas cards, I encourage sending thank-yous, it’s just good manners). I also find all sorts of adorable little things, like magnets, note pads, tins, and other bits and bobs that make for great little care packages to the twin nieces.

I am also big on the handmade gifts idea. One year, when I was at the peak of my ceramics fanatacism, I poured, fired, and painted over 200 Christmas ornaments and mailed them off to my relatives and friends all over the country. Another year, everyone thought I was weird for asking what color their winter coats were in July… until they got scarves in complimentary shades for Christmas. Since I basically hoard craft supplies, I am planning to bust out all sorts of hand made goodies this year, which also makes room for… ahem… more craft supplies when they go on clearance at the end of the year.

By: Larue

Larue — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:34:30 +0000

I stopped sending cards years ago when the kids were little and I was spending my precious spare time on A)Sleep, B)Sleep, C) Time alone in the bathroom, D)Sleep, or E)Time completely alone without anyone touching me.

I am highly in favor of the cheap gifts idea, and I also like the idea of a completely Thrifted Holiday – how fun would that be? However, some members of my family are not cool with that, and so there will be the traditional “Shop Till You Drop” shopping trip the day after Thanksgiving, during which I will help everyone else this year, and not buy anything myself. Because all of our spare cash is going to The Great Puppy Surgery currently.

So everyone is getting something homemade this year, and possibly with a puppy print on it. And they will LIKE IT.

By: Jen Pierce

Jen Pierce — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:31:26 +0000

I am nearly done Christmas shopping. I know, I have a problem. But I buy things when I see them on sale, usually really cheaply, or at a garage sale/thrift store and hold on to them til the holidays. This also helps the budget, spreading the money out over months.

I love the gift of time/activity BTW. I also encourage my relatives to give the gift of lessons for my kids. They don’t need more crap, but they do want ice skating lessons (which are expensive). The rels are usually open to the idea and happy to get something they know the kids will love.

By: Tashi

Tashi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:22:40 +0000

I don’t hate Christmas cards. But I doa gree that they take a LOT of time, not to mention, can add up to a few pretty pennies (I refuse to buy the really, really cheap and ugly cards — WHEN I choose to even send them for the holiday, thereby, incurring costs greater than I’d care to spend.). I have gradually moved more towards the e-mail cards, or at least, a nice e-mail to folks. Technology rocks.

By: DK (AKA Probie)

DK (AKA Probie) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:42:26 +0000

I’m pretty sure I dreamt that my mom got really mad at me because of my hatred of greeting cards. She told me she wasn’t going to send me her Christmas letter if I didn’t make up one of my own. I told her that wasn’t a very good threat. And that no one gives a crap about the letters other people send. They just want to make themselves look good. Or get attention. Probably both.

Thanks for reminding me.