Christmas presents: Take the handmade pledge!

[carter]

I have to find that transfer paper. This is a wondrful use for all those old family photos I have!

For tea lovers, a basket of select teas is a nice gift. I know at least one Lounger who really likes a good cup of tea.

I've also made jars of instant Orange Spiced Tea for gifts.

Cookie Mix in a jar is a wonderfulgift.

One year I made Cranberry/Orange Bread for gifts at Christmas parties.

I'm working on a genealogy chart for my family this year.

I also bought a bunch of custom picture frames from a frame shop that went out of business. They are all different and in different sizes. I'm framing a number of different pictures, photos, and sentimental items for gifts.

I also like to give Christmas Ornaments as gifts. Every year when they come out for the tree, there's a memory attached.

 

[Edward]

Alas, I will knock myself out buying stuff as usual. I do try to keep the overall cost down, though somehow I seem to be buying for more and more friends every year as well as family. Not having a relationship makes Christmas much cheaper than it used to be, though! I'm not adept enough at anything much really to be able to make my own Christmas gifts (unless I were to regress to childhood and make them all calendars with some sprayed-gold pasta shapes stuck to some painted card...), but I do go to quite a lot of effort to make sure I buy something that suits each individual's taste personally (easier for some than others) because I know how nice it is when you open a present and it's something that you really like, maybe didn't know about or had seen and didn't remembe3r commenting on, but the friend went back and bought it for you.

This thread just reminded me of the "space set" I made for little brother one year. Card from a cereal box, with a big flat piece and a folded up side to it with a moon-surface drawn on it, and a whole bunch of other peices from the rest of the box with spacemen drawn on them. I think I must have been about six at the time and it probably seemed really cool then. Kinda cringey now. Him being the way he is, he probably appreciated it as much as ever he would have a proper present.

 

[Josephine]

Maybe we could start a thread where people could post their favorite recipes?

Yes, definitely a "Christmas Cookie Recipe" thread of its own. I suppose we could start it now for those who want to start thinking about it. If people start baking soon after TGiving, they might want more time to consider new recipes and what they would entail.

 

[Twitch]

If I don't buy goodies from China this year I'm going to do what kids do when they are broke. They make an IOU like for raking the yard, washing Dad's car, babysitting their sibling free and stuff like that.

 

[texasgirl]

I made 3 quilts for Christmas gifts this year!!! The other gifts I plan purchasing, you can only make so much!

 

[rebelgtp]

a large portion of what i'm going to be giving out this year will be hand made items, lots of leather work and the like also going to be blocking a hat for my grandpa, he is the one that really got me into wearing a brimmed hat.

of course i am also preparing items to go in a store front display window on main street in a small town near me.

 

[TheKitschGoth]

How does one digitize slides? We have all my wife's dad's slides... that would solve Christmas for me if I could transfer them!

I like to make gifts. Last year I did everyone's that way. I made a painted candle box for each of the ladies in my office also. This thread is great for ideas!!

You can get slide scanners, either flatbed scanners with slide attachments (eg. Flatbed) or a dedicated slide scanner (eg. standalone)

I picked those two at random, so can't say if they are any good, but it gives you an idea.

 

[PolkaDotMeggie]

I have made aprons for the last few X-mases - usually from vintage patterns. Plus this year I am painting. I started by painting my pets. I think I will do work for my folks when they start their farm. Maybe do pet/ livestock portraits for them to sell with their organics?

 

[Paisley]

I have mixed feelings about handmade gifts. On the one hand, people love the spiced apple rings I make--and they're inexpensive to make. On the other hand, I'd rather have a machine-made thing I can use than a handmade thing I that I can't.

 

[Ms. McGraw]

Speaking of, does anyone want to do a Christmas cookie recipe exchange?

I'm in! What a great idea!

 

[Samsa]

This might finally be the year that I tell people that I will neither be receiving nor giving gifts - not out of malice, but because I have become so disgusted with what this holiday has become. I went out to do some errands the weekend before last, and was absolutely appalled to find that the Hallmark store had all of their Christmas ornaments and cards out - AND THEY WERE PLAYING CHRISTMAS MUSIC.

 

[Lady Day]

I usually hand make all my presents. Im poor and Im an artist.

Last year I made about 13 quilted pot holders and sent them out to people all over the world. Im big on presentation so they were wrapped nice as well.

I also do a Christmas card (about 30) via printmaking every year. I sign and edition them. Gee, makes me wonder how many of those cards ended up in the post Christmas paper recycling...

LD

 

[sweetfrancaise]

Oh, Samsa, Hallmark has been putting out their Christmas ornaments in July for many years now--I'm still not sure why lol . And the store I work in started putting out Christmas merch early last month--that's just the way things are now. It's unfortunate, but I think the trend will only reverse itself when people stop shopping so darn early.

I don't think I'll give the tradition up, though. I'll continue giving cookies and loaves of pumpkin bread for presents, and small, thoughtful gifts for my family. Why give the holiday up altogether when we can just change our own pattern of consumption?

 

[BeBopBaby]

I have mixed feelings about handmade gifts. On the one hand, people love the spiced apple rings I make--and they're inexpensive to make. On the other hand, I'd rather have a machine-made thing I can use than a handmade thing I that I can't.

Can you post the recipe for your spiced apple rings? Pretty please?

 

[BeBopBaby]

Samsa - Not being a religious sort, for me Christmas is all about remembering family members that are no longer with us and spending time with and appreciating family members that are here. Personally, I won't let marketers and stores ruin that for me.

My favorite part of the Christmas season is unpacking and hanging up all the handmade ornaments given to me from family members who are no longer with us. Each ornament has a memory linked to it that I take time to think about - especially now because 99% of the golden era generation in my family is gone. No store can ruin that for me. I also take the time to bake Christmas cookies from my grandmother's recipes, I like keeping the tradition alive.

 

[deelovely]

Can you post the recipe for your spiced apple rings? Pretty please?

OOOOOHHH.... yes please post!!:eusa_clap

 

[Edward]

My favorite part of the Christmas season is unpacking and hanging up all the handmade ornaments given to me from family members who are no longer with us. Each ornament has a memory linked to it that I take time to think about - especially now because 99% of the golden era generation in my family is gone. No store can ruin that for me.

Every year my mother still puts out the toliet-roll insert Santas little brother and I made at primary school. The earliest one dates to December 1979, and I can remember very clearly sitting and drawing the face on it. The most recent one, lb's last, must be 1983. At a time there were even paper chains I made in pre-school...

 

[Paisley]

Can you post the recipe for your spiced apple rings? Pretty please?

I don't have the book at work, and I don't have Internet access at home. You can probably find the recipe in a canning/pickling book or website.

Now that I think about it, the apple rings aren't entirely handmade. I use a machine to peel, core and cut the apples.