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It's that time of year again. Adults and young adults are flooding the malls and stores, spending money and buying things like it's a competition sport, and in some cases, it's become just short of that. The mentality of "I've got to get something expensive for so-and-so because..." and then they set out to break records spending their money, often distroying the budget or simply not using one at all. I hate to admit, I was part of the crowd.
I changed that a few years ago though. I took part of the spiriti from the Kwanza celebration and went to creating my own home made gifts. Last year I used my candle maker and made up 5 quarter-bushel baskets of candles of all different shapes, sizes, and fragrences, enough to supply the households they were going to for several months at least. I also included some candle holders from a local discount store so they wouldn't have to run out and get them if they didn't already have the right sizes, wrapped everything in tissue paper, and made sure I delivered them the weekend before Christmas so if there was any regifting to be done (obviously they couldn't be returned), there was plenty of time to do so. The intention was to enrich the households of people I care about rather than to run out and find "the perfect gift" again for the 10th year running, or to spend more money on the gift that year than the year before. Of course, there were a couple very busy weekends, and I think I went through more than 8 ten pound slabs of wax, which is a lot of candles. I also made enough to last my household for a little while, an added bonus to my efforts.
This year, because of some restrictions I am dealing with, I do not have quite such enthusiastic plans. I received many, many skeins of yarn from my mother's estate, and have been building a little on the idea of heirlooms. I'm using a combination of those skeins and ones I've bought myself to make cheerful holiday potholders to be displayed on the wall, and am making up 3-tiered stacks with home made cookies and candy. I am also adding votive candles to the mix, and a cookie plate. Wrapped in tissue papers and tied with bows, again put in a different style of quarter bushel baskets from a local discount store. I've added to their households without breaking my piggy bank.
There are some other things that figure in too. No plastic packaging to throw away. No lead poisoning concerns. Having something made from the yarn stash of someone greatly cared about but no longer able to create for those she cared about. No worrying about standing in line for hours to return things that just weren't right. And my biggest joy, spending all that time while I'm making things thinking about the people whom I making them for.
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Posted by happydayone1 on 2007-12-20 09:28:11 | Rating: | Views: 116
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