Yes, I know it's July, but we're trying to plan way ahead this year for Christmas gifts for both sides of our family. We have a large group on both sides (adults and children) and each side has decided to continue to get something for everyone. We feel bad getting something small since everyone is normally so generous, but our budget is tight and we don't want to go into debt getting gifts. Everyone also seems to have "everything" already, especially when it comes to toys for the children. I hate to just get them another toy when toys are in such excess already.
We're trying to brainstorm of something not too expensive, but heartfelt. Any ideas??
tying fleece blankets . Joann's or Hancock fabrics can carry fleece material. Runs about $20 per blanket. You can personalize them to the team they like or the colors of the home. You get two patterns ( 1 and a half yard each and tie them together. )
Directions are online.
My SIL in Pittsburgh always comes up with the neatest gifts and she is one who buys in advance.
Things we have received that were well received:
Gift basket with movies popcorn, candy, etc
Holiday hand towels
huge tin of popcorn with variety of flavors
a large Christmas poinsettia delivered
a nice wreath delivered
Things I have sent to family:
Kansas City or Omaha steaks
grapefruit from the rio valley in TX
Harrington Hams
breakfast gift basket with pancake mix and maple syrup
TX pecan cakes from Neiman Marcus
Godiva chocolates
That is all I can think of right now. Our chiildren are all about the same age and love $$ so I send gift cards for ITunes, Abercrombie, Best Buy, GameStop, etc.
My other SIL is very crafty and they are not as financially sound as we or the other SIL aree so she makes doiles (sp). I love these because she made them from the heart and they are so pretty. She has made blankets, she made a purse for my daughter out of Capri Sun packages.
Hope that helps a little.
Hello,
If you are willing, try cross stitching a special something. I did a family tree for my (now X) mother & father in-law & had it framed. Believe it or not, it is still hanging in their living room. You could also do a memory book for some. Put together pictures you have & see if someone has some from years past.
Any type of craft thing that you do yourself, will mean more to them then any store bought item. One of my sisters made me a painting & a decoupage jewelry box when I was like 10 & I am way older then that now & I still use my jewelry box & have the painting in our guest bedroom. Another one of my sisters made me a folded star, I have it hanging in my room.
If you are not into doing craft items, you could go to craft bazaars & find somethings that can be personalized for that individual that you are buying for. These items you can't find at any walmart, therefore it will still mean alot even though you didn't do it yourself. If you live where there are flea markets, alot of them have crafters selling goods. If you are in Texas or planning a trip to Texas before Christmas, you need to go to 1st Monday located in Canton, TX.. It is a HUGE flea market that occurs every month on the weekend before the 1st monday of the month. For example this month (July) it went on Sat. the 2nd & Sun. the 3rd. For August it will be the weekend of July 30 & 31st since the following monday is the 1st of Aug..
Good luck & have a Merry Christmas
C.
A great thing to get for older kids (10 and over) are iTunes gift cards (assuming they have an apple product). Then they have their own cash to spend on their music, video's etc. Those cards are great for adults, too!
I've been browsing ABC Distributors website and some other cheap mail order sites. There are some really cool gifts for any hobby, interest, or favorite team. I also cruise the clearance aisles at Target, WalMart, Khols. Too many toys? I would go for Movies or Treasured Books. Shel Silverstein Where the Sidewalk Ends. The Giving Tree. There are some others that Aunt T. has given. The kids seem to dig it.
Do you bake or can? We've given jellies, which you'd make from about now through the fall. You may even be able to get the fruit for free - there are often folks living in town whose backyard production outstrips their needs and who are willing to give it away to anyone who will come and pick it.
If you bake, you could start baking now and freeze whatever you make until it's time to give it at Christmas. Cookies freeze well, as do quickbreads such as banana or zucchini or pumpkin. Now is about the right time for zucchini bread and cookies. Again, since anyone who plants zucchini is going to have more than they need, you may be able to score some of your ingredients for free.
The advantage to gifts like these is that you can give one or two items per family instead of needing something for every person on the extended family list. Homemade gifts are gifts from the heart, and are usually appreciated. They are also things that you know will be used instead of getting shoved in a closet somewhere.
This year, for relatives who can't have sugar (diabetes unfortunately runs in my husband's family), I'm trying something new. I have a lovely selection of herbs and flowers in my yard that I'm drying for tea and for cooking. I'll be giving these to those family members who can't have sweet goodies.
I love that you're thinking about it NOW... I am too ;)
Make a rule that says 'no gifts above $x', and stick to it. This way, NO ONE feels like they've spent more or less than someone else.
I love that my aunt makes personalized calendars for EVERYONE in the family, with birthdays, anniversaries, etc. She makes them on the computer... me personally, I'd like to hand write in stuff like that, just to make it more personal.
A gift I never get tired of receiving: those desk calendars with witty sayings or cartoons. I know, I'm lame, but those things ROCK!
Food is always nice too... whether it's home made or a gift card to some place.
Pictures! Everyone loves family pictures!
I try to make "batch presents" for people I don't get a regular gift for or for someone I forgot.
One year I make cookie's in a jar, I layered all the dry ingredients in a ball jar, added a square piece of material on the top, included directions on a pretty ribbon and a wooden spoon.
The first year after I got divorced and moved out on my own, my daughter and I made cinnamon/applesauce ornaments for everyone. I think you mix like 1/2 C applesauce and 1 C cinnamon, I'm not sure the exact measurements but I will look for the exact ratio. You mix the two together and it forms a dough (like play-dough) and you just roll it out and cut our shapes w/ cookie cutters and we added some glitter glue dots to the trees, etc. They were a big hit, we used raffia to for the ties.
Your kids can also make play-dough ornaments, just make a shape, either 3-D or cookie cutter type and let dry and paint.
This past year, we got my husband's mother, father, sister and uncle each a chicken, rabbit and pig through the Gospel for Asia. You purchase the animal and they give it to a needy family in Asia and they use them to make money for their family and for food.
For the kids, what about a small gift card to Chick-fil-a or another kid-friendly restaurant? I am not a fan of McDonalds but you could do that too.
I there a berry farm near you?
Get some berries and make jam, we did this last year, huge hit. I made little baskets with jam and a new dish cloth, very inexpensive, and slotted spoons, spatulas, from the kitchen store in the mall, again very inexpensive.
For the kids I usually get books, my SIL's kiddos got a Skittles Counting book with Skittles and a Tangrams Book with Tangrams last year.
If you have teen/preteen nephews go into the hunting/fishing section of Walmart, flashlites, firestarters, a fishing lures, slingshots.
Walmart has some cool tshirts right now for $6. One say "the tools of the trade" and is all fishing tools, one says GET LOST and is a picture of a campsite in the mountains. Good for men and boys.
Yankee candles with a Christmas hand towel
My sister got me a picture frame clock. It is really cool. She bought me a trivet one year that I fill with beans or candies from the season.
We have made pillows with fleece for all the women.
Sew buttons on felt in Chrostmas tree, star, wreath, stocking patterns and frame them.
Decorate pillow cases with buttons, paint, crossstitch
How about a gift certificate to each person's local pizza joint to order dinner in after the chaos of the holidays? You could also do a "family gift card" for a movie theater (Fandango). That way it doesn't look "chintzy" and each family could enjoy a movie "on you"!
It is to late this year, but next year around March stores have huge discounts on toys. I bought a rocket for a kids birthday that was originally sold for 100.00 and I paid 5 for it. Crafts make great presents I do a lot of crochet, quilting, etc. Instead of doing a present for each person, do a family basket gift. Pick a theme and do something like Game night.... buy a game or two (on sale) then pick up some snack items to go along with it. The dollar store does work as well. If you really look for expensive looking stuff at the dollar store you can find it and people think you paid lots of money for it, but you didn't, and they still get a nice gift. My cousin would always make her famous sticky popcorn and give it as a gift....this will be our first year without it cause she died of cancer.
