50
days till Christmas! 57 days till New Year's Day. I updated my holiday card & gift lists today. I say holiday, because only some of the cards and gifts are for Christmas; the rest are for New Year's, because I have family and friends who, like me, are not Christian. I've just over 30 recipients on the card list, of which approximately half are overseas and the rest domestic; and just under 40 recipients on the
gift list. And a budget of $120 for everything from cards and postage
to gifts and bows.
Time to start making those gifts I've been planning to make! I make most of the gifts I give, rather than buy them. I will leave the discussion about how commercial all the holiday preparations have become, to others. For me, the holiday season is a time of celebration and gift-giving is very much a part of it. My gifts tend to be homemade with love and it gives me great pleasure to make them and to present them to others. I allocate $10 per month in my budget for holiday gifts and that is an amount that is reasonable for me.
Time to start making those gifts I've been planning to make! I make most of the gifts I give, rather than buy them. I will leave the discussion about how commercial all the holiday preparations have become, to others. For me, the holiday season is a time of celebration and gift-giving is very much a part of it. My gifts tend to be homemade with love and it gives me great pleasure to make them and to present them to others. I allocate $10 per month in my budget for holiday gifts and that is an amount that is reasonable for me.
Every year, I make jam to give as gifts. Making jam with fruit from the garden keeps the costs down, since all I need to buy are sugar, pectin, and the jars. The canning jars tend to be the most expensive item for me.
This year, I'm also planning to make quite a few items from fabric I have in my stash. My challenge is to avoid duplicating gifts that I have crafted. I try not to give the same type of gifts two years in a row. The jam, however, is the exception to that rule. I've friends who look forward to my jams every year.
Now that I've updated my gift list, it is time to decide what I'll be making for each recipient and start making them.
Anyone else started planning holiday gifts?
It's lovely to be able to give gifts that one has made, isn't it? A few years ago, I set myself a goal to give someone a homemade gift. I learned to crochet in order to achieve that goal, and since then I have given quite a lot of things I've made - not always crocheted. It feels great!
ReplyDeleteUntil this Christmas I hadn't given my preserves as gifts, but this year I made marmalade with whisky which I gave to two people and I was really surprised how pleased they were to receive them. I do often give jars of preserves to friends and family, but not for particular occasions. This year, a friend bought several jars of chutney from me (she insisted!) to give as gifts, and apparently they were very well received!
I like to make homemade gifts and love it when I receive homemade gifts in return. I'm sure your homemade preserves and chutneys were much appreciated. Sounds like you might have the beginnings of a small business! :)
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