My family has spread out over the years and we really don’t see each other as often as we’d like so one year I decided to make a gift that I hoped would help keep us closer. I knew that everyone decorated their house so I made some little ornaments for each of the big holidays.
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| Valentine’s Day hanging pocket, Easter banner, 4th of July wreath and door knob hanger and a Christmas goodie bag. |
I put one decoration for each holiday in a box and I wrote a little note to go with them:
Well I’ll bet you didn’t know it
but I’m really not a poet
and I never learned to do
that other thing called Haiku
so this year let’s just say
these little guys come your way
with love from us to you!
 |
| A ghost ornament, star wind chime, snowman notepad and Christmas banner |
Cornucopia for Thanksgiving.
I explained to the family that each time they changed the decorations in their homes, they would have some small thing to put up that was made by us and that way they would think of us all year long.
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| This was a set one year, Valentine heart hanger, 4th of July star, ghost ornament, Thanksgiving magnet and a Santa pail. |
They really liked the idea and I know that I’ve seen the decorations up when I’ve gone to visit. They were not expensive to make but I think it turned out pretty nice. It was also a fun thing to do with my kids as they helped me make the decorations.
After a couple of years I decided to try something different so I made up a “Surprise of the Month Club” along the lines of the wine basket club and fruit of the month club. I sent this letter with the first gift:
This was the first gift, a gingerbread house. You can see that it cracked a bit in the mail.
For February I made individual heart brownies and put their initials on them.
March was brownies in the shape of a shamrock.
April was Oreos covered in chocolate and icing.
May was a cupcake flower basket.
I don’t remember what I made for the rest of the year (assuming I didn’t flake out and stop doing it!) and I don’t have any pictures to remind me. I’m a bit bummed about that.
We have since stopped exchanging gifts at all, as things tend to go sometimes. I don’t even put up many decorations myself anymore. It is fun to see the pictures and remember these things though.
How about you? Give handmade gifts? Decorate for the holidays? Love to hear about it.
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Janet's Smiles 
Awww… how thoughtful and creative. I bet your family looks forward to receiving your gifts.
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Thanks, Laurie. My older sister was into ceramics and gave us some different pieces for Christmas a few times. She has passed and seeing those things really makes me smile for sure.
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Oh, I am so sorry for the loss of your sister. What a beautiful way to remember her.
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What great ideas!
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Thanks Dawn. It was fun to make the little decorations and an inexpensive gift to give to a few people.
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We do some decorating but not very ornate, just enough stuff to get into the spirit!
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Yeah, that’s us now too. I just don’t feel like dragging everything out for a month and putting it all away again.
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I get that!
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Very festive! I do some things some years, but not consistently. Just depends. I bet your family enjoys knowing there will always be something homemade and happy around 🙂
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I’m like you, Joey. Some years it is more colorful around here and some not. When the kids were little, every room had some Christmas spirit. Now, just the living room with the tree 🙂
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