Jennifer in MI Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Anyone else starting to think about Christmas? Every year I start thinking about it in August and start my list-making and shopping (bargain hunting!). What are you thinking of getting for your kids? For your dh? Your parents? Extended family? Do you make your gifts or buy them? This year, I'm making cloth napkins for each of my siblings/in laws. As I finish each set (which, by the way, takes FOREVER!), it looks like such a sad, small gift. I need ideas to add to it. I'd like something along the theme of "dining table" or "kitchen." Ideas?? Please?? Something small or homemade would be fine! My neices and nephews are getting gifts I've found on clearance throughout the year. Border's has been wonderful for my Christmas budget!! My boys are getting fun things - a unicycle, for one. Guitar Hero for the Wii. The girl is getting a dollhouse handmade by my dad. Dh and I will add in furniture as our gift. I have no idea what to do for my parents or dh yet. I also need a small idea to give to people in our church in leadership positions (about 20). Dh is an Episcopal priest and this is something we like to do each year. Previous years I've made bread, fudge, or toffee. Ideas? Happy planning!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prudent Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Napkin rings to go with the napkins? You could make those yourself too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Anyone else starting to think about Christmas? This year, I'm making cloth napkins for each of my siblings/in laws. As I finish each set (which, by the way, takes FOREVER!), it looks like such a sad, small gift. I need ideas to add to it. I'd like something along the theme of "dining table" or "kitchen." Ideas?? Please?? Something small or homemade would be fine! QUOTE] I am compiling lists too! I love cloth naplkins and hopefully your relatives will too! How about rolling them and putting them into a lovely basket or somekind of container that suits each individuals home..basket, wood box..etc. Then add in candles or homemade snacks, jam, tea, carmel corn, maybe a CD or Family DVD..a Banagram game..wherever you are led for each family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I think Ellie beat you to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Christmas this year is coming from Amazon. Our business cc provider closed all business cc accounts this spring, and one of the ways we could redeem our points was in Amazon gift certificates. So we have a few. ;) As far as gifts for parishioners, I believe you can never go wrong with fudge. :D There's no need to rethink that one every year. (Hmm. Unless you have diabetic parishioners or those who are allergic to chocolate.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 How about those little cheese spreaders and specialty (sp?) cheeses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I've finished the shopping portion with the exception of one gift. I'll get it this weekend because my goal every year is to be finished shopping by Labor Day. I don't always make it, but I try! I'm making small memo boards for some of my family. I'm using the small sized canvas and small ribbons, with fabric I've picked up on clearance throughout the year. If I have enough time I'll make sets of them for a few special people with themed fabric I've purchased throughout the year (Valentine's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). I may even add magnets to the back corners since they are small enough to fit on a fridge. My kids will make their traditional soaps for their cousins. I've found and bookmarked some great recipes to try out this year. I just have to remember which computer I used to bookmark them, LOL. We may give family gifts of puzzles and make them this puzzle mat. I wanted to make some of these crafts last year and ran out of time. I'm planning for it this year! I love your idea of napkins! I think I may borrow it. Any special considerations or hints to make it simple and straightforward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela in GA Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I've got my list going. I ordered a couple of small things already and shoved them in my closet. I'm actually going to be doing a large portion of the shopping within the next month or so. Last year, we traveled for Christmas because we moved on Dec. 23rd. The year before, dh was in Iraq. I am sooooo looking forward to a "normal" Christmas in our own house. I want to have most of the shopping done before we even get to December. That way, we can focus on doing things together, rather than the shopping! :-) I need some ideas for a 13 year old girl. She does have an Ipod and a Nintendo DS already. Any ideas? My 15 year old boy is so much easier to shop for than her. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 To go along with the napkins, you could make a coordinating table runner to go down the center of the table. I made several of these for my mom last year--for different holidays. It was really easy and she was thrilled with them. A friend had shown me how to do it, I'll try to describe it here. I'm not the most amazing seamstress, by any means...so when I say they were easy, I'm very serious. :) You get 1/3 of a yard of fabric and 1/2 of a coordinating fabric. Sew them together so you have a big loop (hmm, can you visualize this?) Then when you 'flatten' the loop, you'll have the 1/3 of yard on top, with a small border of the 1/2 yard fabric showing down each long side. I took some ric-rac or ribbon and sewed down the seams on either side. Then you take the two top corners and fold them back to make a point...sewing it on the wrong side. And then do the bottom. Then turn them right side up and you have a table runner with a point at the top and bottom. You can add tassels to the end if you want. That description might be as clear as mud. If you're interested and it didn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to explain it further! I always start thinking about Christmas at this time of year! A few months ago I saw a fun Family Yahtzee game on a blog--where you take photos of family members and put them on the sides of 1 1/2 inch blocks to make dice. I'm toying with the idea of making these, but trying to decide if they'd be worth all of the trouble! Or if it would just get shoved in a closet. One thing I did last year for gifts that someone might be interested in is to put together a 72-hour emegency kit or a car emergency kit. A small backpack with water bottles, granola bars, flashlight, poncho, emer blanket, etc. The other gift I like to give is a first aid kit...most people can always use an addition to their home kit or in a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pajama Mama Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Since dd8 knows all about Santa, we are having a big family present this year. I am saving my paypal money to buy a big TV to put on the wall. Ds8 has so many pieces of therapy equipment and I need room. I have about 10 separate bruises on my feet from tripping on his stuff:glare: I put other gifts on layaway at Kmart. I don't buy for people unless they are immediate family. It gets too expensive. I don't buy for my brother or bil but I do buy for their kids. As they get older, gift cards seem the way to go. Not very personal but it's what they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Napkin rings to go with the napkins? You could make those yourself too. Awesome. Now, how do you make them? I'll google after this! I am compiling lists too! I love cloth naplkins and hopefully your relatives will too! How about rolling them and putting them into a lovely basket or somekind of container that suits each individuals home..basket, wood box..etc. Then add in candles or homemade snacks, jam, tea, carmel corn, maybe a CD or Family DVD..a Banagram game..wherever you are led for each family. I know my relatives will like them (well, I'm questioning one family, but tough for them! LOL). I like the ideaof a nice basket with comfy home things. Easy and personal. Thanks! I think Ellie beat you to it. Bummer. I always like to win!! Christmas this year is coming from Amazon. Our business cc provider closed all business cc accounts this spring, and one of the ways we could redeem our points was in Amazon gift certificates. So we have a few. ;) As far as gifts for parishioners, I believe you can never go wrong with fudge. :D There's no need to rethink that one every year. (Hmm. Unless you have diabetic parishioners or those who are allergic to chocolate.) I love when Christmas is all paid for with gift cards and such! Fudge is certainly popular when I make it. It just takes a lot of time! But, maybe it I get the rest of my shopping done, I can have time to make the fudge. How about those little cheese spreaders and specialty (sp?) cheeses? Fun! I know of at least two of my siblings who would really appreciate these!! I'll add them to my list for their basket! I've finished the shopping portion with the exception of one gift. I'll get it this weekend because my goal every year is to be finished shopping by Labor Day. I don't always make it, but I try! I'm making small memo boards for some of my family. I'm using the small sized canvas and small ribbons, with fabric I've picked up on clearance throughout the year. If I have enough time I'll make sets of them for a few special people with themed fabric I've purchased throughout the year (Valentine's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). I may even add magnets to the back corners since they are small enough to fit on a fridge. My kids will make their traditional soaps for their cousins. I've found and bookmarked some great recipes to try out this year. I just have to remember which computer I used to bookmark them, LOL. We may give family gifts of puzzles and make them this puzzle mat. I wanted to make some of these crafts last year and ran out of time. I'm planning for it this year! I love your idea of napkins! I think I may borrow it. Any special considerations or hints to make it simple and straightforward? I love these ideas!!! I'm bookmarking them for next year. Napkins - they're really quite straightforward. I bought sheets at our local Goodwill and used those. Made the gift REALLY cheap! I could get 12 napkins out of a single flat sheet. I made mine 18" square with a 1/4" hem doubled over. The corners are a little tricky to get right, but once I figured out exactly where to cut to take out some of the bulk, it was fine! I've got my list going. I ordered a couple of small things already and shoved them in my closet. I'm actually going to be doing a large portion of the shopping within the next month or so. Last year, we traveled for Christmas because we moved on Dec. 23rd. The year before, dh was in Iraq. I am sooooo looking forward to a "normal" Christmas in our own house. I want to have most of the shopping done before we even get to December. That way, we can focus on doing things together, rather than the shopping! :-) I need some ideas for a 13 year old girl. She does have an Ipod and a Nintendo DS already. Any ideas? My 15 year old boy is so much easier to shop for than her. :p A normal Christmas - boy do you ever deserve one!!! I don't have any ideas for a 13 yo. My boys like active toys (hence the unicycle this year), but my girl is only 3. So, we're still at the princess stage! To go along with the napkins, you could make a coordinating table runner to go down the center of the table. I made several of these for my mom last year--for different holidays. It was really easy and she was thrilled with them. A friend had shown me how to do it, I'll try to describe it here. I'm not the most amazing seamstress, by any means...so when I say they were easy, I'm very serious. :) You get 1/3 of a yard of fabric and 1/2 of a coordinating fabric. Sew them together so you have a big loop (hmm, can you visualize this?) Then when you 'flatten' the loop, you'll have the 1/3 of yard on top, with a small border of the 1/2 yard fabric showing down each long side. I took some ric-rac or ribbon and sewed down the seams on either side. Then you take the two top corners and fold them back to make a point...sewing it on the wrong side. And then do the bottom. Then turn them right side up and you have a table runner with a point at the top and bottom. You can add tassels to the end if you want. That description might be as clear as mud. If you're interested and it didn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to explain it further! I always start thinking about Christmas at this time of year! A few months ago I saw a fun Family Yahtzee game on a blog--where you take photos of family members and put them on the sides of 1 1/2 inch blocks to make dice. I'm toying with the idea of making these, but trying to decide if they'd be worth all of the trouble! Or if it would just get shoved in a closet. One thing I did last year for gifts that someone might be interested in is to put together a 72-hour emegency kit or a car emergency kit. A small backpack with water bottles, granola bars, flashlight, poncho, emer blanket, etc. The other gift I like to give is a first aid kit...most people can always use an addition to their home kit or in a car. Cool ideas! Those table runners sound easy (it took a couple of read-throughs, but I got it!). I'm just not sure I'm going to be up to sewing any more after all these napkins!! I was also thinking about making coordinating placemats. But, again, more sewing! Since dd8 knows all about Santa, we are having a big family present this year. I am saving my paypal money to buy a big TV to put on the wall. Ds8 has so many pieces of therapy equipment and I need room. I have about 10 separate bruises on my feet from tripping on his stuff:glare: I put other gifts on layaway at Kmart. I don't buy for people unless they are immediate family. It gets too expensive. I don't buy for my brother or bil but I do buy for their kids. As they get older, gift cards seem the way to go. Not very personal but it's what they want. Fun! Are you going to put the TV on the wall on Christmas Eve? How fun to have that present to wake up to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prudent Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Awesome. Now, how do you make them? http://theinspiredroom.net/2008/11/24/make-your-own-napkin-rings-easy-craft/ http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/napkinrings.html http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/napkin-rings.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I think Ellie beat you to it. Didn't I also post in June?? If not...dang. What was I thinking??? I missed a whole month! Here's something to help you Scrooges get in the mood. Enjoy.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 http://theinspiredroom.net/2008/11/24/make-your-own-napkin-rings-easy-craft/ http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/napkinrings.html http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/napkin-rings.html Thank you!!! My dss looked at the wire ones and LOVED them! I think I'll have them make them so it really is from the entire family. I liked the beaded ones. So, I'll make some of those as I'm sure they'll get tired of making them well before they're done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Didn't I also post in June?? If not...dang. What was I thinking??? I missed a whole month! Here's something to help you Scrooges get in the mood. Enjoy.:D \ Cute!!! I can't wait until the local radio station starts playing Christmas music!!! I love making the Christmas season last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I started up a Christmas list about a month ago. I love figuring out special things to get for people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I've started thinking about it too. I am not sure if I am going to make gifts this year or not. I always do gifts in a jar to have on hand for the "surprise" gift or for folks I want to remember in some way (tech who does dd's braces, secretary at dentist office, etc). But, as far as quilting, sewing, cross-stitching, crochet/knitting, no, not this year. Dd will do Nutcracker this year and that makes Nov and Dec nuts (sorry for the pun!). For local folks, we will bake bread (come on King Arthur - put your mixes on sale!). For out of town folks, we contribute to a charity in their name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 My elderly MIL moved earlier this year and she was storing the family photos in a basement that we could tell would get damp (it did). So dh and I volunteered to take all the family photos and organize them. As we are doing so, we are scanning the really fun ones of the various relatives. For Christmas, we will blow those up, put them in cute or nice frames, add in a few home made cookies and that will be our gifts this year! It will be fun--there is one of Uncle S posed like a football hero with extended arm to ward off imaginary linebackers, one of Aunt S in her 1968 finest, one of BIL C in his 70's afro, several wonderful ones of all the siblings at Christmases past, etc. I am really looking forward to sharing these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Dance shorts, dance bag and a Beta fish for my dd. Air soft and Legos for my boys. No idea for my dh yet, and his b-day is near Thanksgiving so I need to come up with two somethings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 I started up a Christmas list about a month ago. I love figuring out special things to get for people! So do I! I just love Christmas and everything surrounding it. So, I stretch it out as long as possible! I've started thinking about it too. I am not sure if I am going to make gifts this year or not. I always do gifts in a jar to have on hand for the "surprise" gift or for folks I want to remember in some way (tech who does dd's braces, secretary at dentist office, etc). But, as far as quilting, sewing, cross-stitching, crochet/knitting, no, not this year. Dd will do Nutcracker this year and that makes Nov and Dec nuts (sorry for the pun!). For local folks, we will bake bread (come on King Arthur - put your mixes on sale!). For out of town folks, we contribute to a charity in their name. What a great idea - having the gifts in a jar for the "emergency" gifts. We always have a couple of those! My elderly MIL moved earlier this year and she was storing the family photos in a basement that we could tell would get damp (it did). So dh and I volunteered to take all the family photos and organize them. As we are doing so, we are scanning the really fun ones of the various relatives. For Christmas, we will blow those up, put them in cute or nice frames, add in a few home made cookies and that will be our gifts this year! It will be fun--there is one of Uncle S posed like a football hero with extended arm to ward off imaginary linebackers, one of Aunt S in her 1968 finest, one of BIL C in his 70's afro, several wonderful ones of all the siblings at Christmases past, etc. I am really looking forward to sharing these. What a neat gift! Very meaningful. I bet you'll get a lot of laughs and tears! Those are the best gifts. I had all of our old family films put on DVD for my family last year. They were very popular! I did the picture thing this year - took a BUNCH of old family photos and scanned them. I have them in an album at Snapfish to make an album out of. BUT, I can't get them all to fit into one album. I'm not sure i want to split them into two or find a place where I can make just one. I'd really rather do just one. So, this will be a project for next year. I also need my mom's help getting all the names right! Dance shorts, dance bag and a Beta fish for my dd. Air soft and Legos for my boys. No idea for my dh yet, and his b-day is near Thanksgiving so I need to come up with two somethings. What about a joint bday/Thanksgiving gift? Does he like techie gifts? An IPod? We got dh an IPod Touch for Christmas last year and he LOVES it!!!! That thing never leaves his hands! I'm at a loss for this year though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I've got nearly all my Christmas shopping done, but have a bit of hand made stuff to do. I started earlier on that this year than last :) I'm nearly a third of the way through a hook rug for ds. I was going to make a quilt for dd, but we should be buying a house next year so I've been thinking about decorating their rooms so I've tossed the quilt idea. Maybe a different style quilt? Maybe another hook rug? Tricky. We wanted to set up a home corner for the kids, but we're still waiting on that. My aunt works at the tip and says she's found a few bits of plastic furniture, but is hanging out for the nice wooden stuff. Apparently everyone throws out that kind of stuff a few weeks before Christmas. Crazy. Anyway, we'll have it, give it a good wash and touch up the paint, and voila! My grandmother is knitting food and my other aunt is going to buy them a cash register to go with it. I want to give dh his Christmas present right now, because I don't know if he's going to like it, then get him something I know he'll like for his proper Christmas present. I like Christmas shopping! :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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