tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post8189565978363390421..comments2024-01-06T00:53:27.425-08:00Comments on Susie Homemaker (or so I think): Christmas ideasMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16357944348284103102noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-65707069614487015432010-01-09T11:58:59.174-08:002010-01-09T11:58:59.174-08:00I love the gift ideas at Sew Mama Sew as well. Goo...I love the gift ideas at Sew Mama Sew as well. Good luck and enjoy your holidays.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.workfromhomeindia.biz" rel="nofollow"> Work from home India </a>Nishanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12461392896444120934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-38693062310195675732009-12-18T12:00:45.701-08:002009-12-18T12:00:45.701-08:00Hi Melissa. I try to make something for all the k...Hi Melissa. I try to make something for all the kids in my family and friends circle. This year, I just had no time so I ended up buying. Just PJs and I will be making them CDs like I did last year. My girls get 3 gifts each. Clothes from me, a wish list item from me and a wish list item from Santa. I don't have a price limit but buy within what I feel is reasonable for the time and child. For me, it's more about them not expecting A LOT of gifts and being satisfied with what they do get. We talk about kids who don't have and go without and participate in a toy drive. Try explaining THAT to Santa believers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-29457852750096015172009-12-11T07:02:50.294-08:002009-12-11T07:02:50.294-08:00My family is too large to exchange gifts. Those w...My family is too large to exchange gifts. Those who are together have a holiday meal which is nice. And we do exchange home-made items like jelly, jam, cookies. We draw names for 1 child (I have many nieces & nephews) and buy 1 $25 gift for that child. My husbands family - they exchange gifts, big time! My son is 6 and he knows I always buy him some clothes - it isn't all about gifts. And we like to make cookies. But, yes - Legos are on the list this year. He gets his new snow suit usually after Christmas when they go on sale, and he knows that. Good luck with your new plan. Cheers! EvelynEvelyn aka Starfishyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12025353776081066815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-1070124526244457052009-12-09T07:14:24.992-08:002009-12-09T07:14:24.992-08:00Katherine H, that sounds a bit similar to what my ...Katherine H, that sounds a bit similar to what my extended family does for Christmas. We used to exchange names, but there's so many of us, that that became impractical. Now, those of us who want to, make a homemade gift. Those gifts are wrapped and thrown in the center of the room. We draw to see who "picks" first. Swapping ensues from there. It's a game, and a lot of fun.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07934570624459048979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-88015891371474824012009-12-09T06:50:46.761-08:002009-12-09T06:50:46.761-08:00Every year we give to the Shoe Box ministries. Th...Every year we give to the Shoe Box ministries. They collect the boxes the week before thanksgiving so that's when our christmas holiday seems to start. I take the boys to the store and we go through out list trying to find the right toy, shirt, personal items, and candy to pack into a shoebox. <br /><br />Every year we also make hundreds of dozens of cookies, package them up nicely in tins or christmas bags, don our santa hats and bells, and we go from house to house on our street ringing the bells and wishing our neighbors merry christmas as we hand them a small cookie tin gift. We also deliver to the post office. My boys are 12 and 14 and will still do this even though it's "oh moooom!!" when it's time for the hats.<br /><br />This year we decided to forego some of our christmas gifts so that we could give money to some families that are really struggling this year.<br /><br />We feel that doing for others during the holiday season makes us think of others.<br /><br />For ourselves, we don't decorate elaborately...just a few of our favorites. We also have favorite stories that we read at this time of year. One of the books is entitled something like "If You're Missing Baby Jesus". I always get the title wrong. And Treasures of the Snow.<br /><br />For gifts, it's the newest Jonathan Park cd and a large (but not too large, or rather expensive) lego set.krhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718948655340114667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-8558040884672116562009-12-09T05:04:30.633-08:002009-12-09T05:04:30.633-08:00We just had our bookclub Christmas meeting. This ...We just had our bookclub Christmas meeting. This year we decided to re-gift a present or item or book that we no longer had a need for, rather than purchase a new present. Then we play a game where we haggle over which gift everyone ends up with. It is a lot of fun and we found that people ended up with presents that they liked better than the years we rush to the shops to get something at the last minute. We donated the money we saved on presents to a charity. Handmade is good, but sometimes the time factor involved to make all the presents can become stressful. Obviously you can't regift a horrible vase back to a favourite Aunt that gave it to you...but it is something your children could do for each other, especially if it is turned into a game.katherine hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314030133556269765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-35136094228075190972009-12-08T13:30:28.015-08:002009-12-08T13:30:28.015-08:00My kids are still young (3 and 2) and I was just h...My kids are still young (3 and 2) and I was just having a similar conversation with myself, trying to decide if I'd gotten them "enough". I did make them several of their gifts, and was wondering to myself if the homemade gifts "counted". <br /><br />I finally decided that now is the time to keep things small. Not that I'm saying I'm a Scrooge or anything, but rather, I shouldn't out-do myself now, b/c I'm setting the standard for future years. I can always go bigger in future years, but it would be much more difficult to scale back after the precident was set. <br /><br />But I'm still trying to decide if my homemade gifts "count", lol.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07934570624459048979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543003.post-68466730080415729042009-12-08T13:08:01.837-08:002009-12-08T13:08:01.837-08:00I love it! I plan to make my kids some items too....I love it! I plan to make my kids some items too. How much plastic items do they really need. I plan to get them one or two "special" store bought gifts and beyond that handmade. I love the gift ideas at Sew Mama Sew as well. Good luck and enjoy your holidays.Edrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09043920678182337639noreply@blogger.com