The Christmas holiday season should be filled with joy.  Not a time when people feel overwhelmed and disappointed, because they can not afford to give store bought gifts.  A homemade gift is often a priceless treasure that may have people remembering for decades to come.  No more wandering aimlessly through obscure stores or web pages searching for Christmas gifts as the hours before Christmas tick down to zero.

With the economy being like it is this it the year for you to make the gifts you give for Christmas.  

Below are some of the gifts that I discovered can be made with little or no money:

1. Make Personalized Hand Made Gifts:

Example #1:

I did not know my in-laws very well at that time, so I thought I had to buy something special for them.  On Christmas Eve I still had not been able to buy them anything. I thought & thought about what I could give to my in-laws, finally I came up with a few last minute ideas. I did not have a sewing machine at that time, so anything I sewed would have to be by hand. I dug thru my old fabric scrap box I came across a small piece of red organdy.  I began to think of what I could make for Morene out of it.  Then, I remembered that my mother in law always wore aprons when she cooked. 

Then I started to work on something for Harvey (father in law), I found some red and blue plaid fabric pieces, I thought he might like.

·     I worked on it almost all night, but by Christmas morning it was a very presentable vest.

Each year we had Christmas breakfast at my in laws and then they went with us to my parents for Christmas dinner. When we arrived at my in laws on Christmas morning, I put the gifts from us under the tree with the massive amount of gifts that were already there.  For a few minutes I felt bad thinking how small our gifts were in comparison.  But, I did not feel bad for long.  After the children had opened all their gifts, it was our turn to open gifts.  I handed Morene her gift and Harvey his.

When Morene opened hers she began to cry and then to hug me.  Harvey opened his and immediately went in the other room and put it on.

Harvey passed away a few weeks ago.  But, if he were here, he would have on his vest this Christmas Day.

Example #2:

My former daughter in law (Mellissa) was only about 21, she made me a baby size quilt by hand.  She embroidered a tree with branches and leaves on it.  The grown children’s Dad & I are the tree trunk.  Each of our children are branches, and each of the grandchildren are the leaves. She embroidered all of their names and birthdates on the leaves.  It is a Wonderful and Unforgettable gift.  It hangs on my wall today.  (I’ve had to add a few leaves.)  :>)

Example #3

Shortly after my Dad passed away, my daughter in law (the same one) gave my mother a gift that she treasured for the rest of her life, and I treasure it now.

•2. Treats:

Homemade treats always make the perfect free Christmas gift. I like to make gift baskets or tins for my neighbors and friends. 

People you give these gifts to will really appreciate them.  I lot of women work and do not have time for baking homemade goodies.

When you give these free Christmas treats, the receivers will be thrilled.  Whether they are family, friends, neighbors, your mailman (woman), they will love treats for a Christmas gift.  The candy and cookies are much more precious than any Christmas gifts that you could afford to buy.  PS:  If some of them are diabetic, be sure you make diabetic treats…

3.  Babysitting:

4. Run Errands for Friends, Family, or Neighbors:

5. Make Crafts:

I have a grand daughter in law (Amber) who crochets knits, sews, etc.  She is always making something for somebody.

A homemade Christmas gift that they can keep forever means so much. When you put your time into a gift, your receiver does not think of the gift as free.  That is a gift of love.

6. Get freebies from the Internet:

These are just a few gifts that you can give; all come from the heart and are filled with love.  Chances are your friends or family member doesn’t need what you could afford to buy for them anyway.  What you could buy may not fit them, maybe they already have the item, or as my Grandson said to me “We don’t have room for it!” and they may just have to exchange what you bought for them.

As the holiday season draws near, you’re sure to be busy making your list and checking it twice.  Between balancing your budget with your children’s wish lists, battling the shopping malls for the best bargains, planning family gatherings, decking the halls, preparing holiday meals, gift wrapping, and more, it’s easy to see how Christmas can come and go without the time to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy the holiday season with your family.  

If you’re looking for ways to stop and smell the gingerbread this year while creating some precious memories that can last a lifetime, here are a few simple and fun holiday activities that will ensure your entire family has a holly jolly Christmas!

“Remember that Carol” is a simple game that both kids and adults will enjoy as they go from person to person each taking turns announcing a Christmas carol that they remember and singing a verse from it.  A great game to entertain your children at home or to pass time on the road while traveling for the holidays, it will have your family making beautiful music together in no time! 

Christmas Charades is fun for the whole family!  Just have everyone write out 2 or 3 common holiday-themed items, characters, or decorations, etc. on small pieces of paper.  Fold them all up and place them in a bowl, and then take turns drawing out one at a time and acting them out for all to guess.

Holiday bedtime stories.  Dedicate 5 minutes each night throughout the month of December to read your child a bedtime Christmas story book.  Let your little ones take turns picking out which book you will read each night.  You can let your children choose one or two new Christmas books each year to add to their collection. 

Christmas Gift Hunt.  If you like to open a gift early on Christmas Eve, or hunt for presents on Christmas day, you can create a memorable fun way for your children to receive their gifts by making a simple Christmas holiday hunt.  You’ll need to prepare ahead and hide a trail of simple holiday clues that when solved will lead your child from one clue to the next until they ultimately reach and uncover where their “treasured” Christmas gift has been stashed away.  If you don’t have time to make your own clues, inexpensive pre-made print ‘n’ play Christmas hunts are available online for both children and adults at Treasure-Adventure.com.  Simply download, print, and play instantly! 

Deck the halls!  Make holiday decorating a group effort.  Take time to work with your children to make a few simple personalized holiday projects that can be displayed in your home or be given as memorable and unique gifts to friends and family such as painting ceramic angels or holiday candles, making ornaments or homemade candy canes, coloring and cutting out Christmas designs and applying them to windows, stockings, sleds, and other traditional holiday decor, or making a wreath together with everyone contributing.  There is an endless array of Christmas craft kits you might take advantage of or just grab your construction paper, glue, scissors, glitter, garland, and crayons, and make your own holiday decorations. Your kids will love this family craft time and beam with pride as they get to show off their special creations to holiday visitors.

Finally, make Christmas eve all about family time.  Turn off the TV and video games, turn on the Christmas tree lights, and play an old-fashioned family game or just come together as a family to talk and enjoy each other’s company. 

It takes only a little time and creativity to bring your loved ones together around a few special holiday activities and make your own Christmas traditions and lasting family memories of the joyous holiday season together.

Copyright (c) 2008 Mike Adams
Christmas should be a wonderful time for your family. But with the fast pace of modern life, it sometimes seems like you just run back and forth between working and Christmas shopping with little opportunity to spend any special time with your family. Often life is so busy you might feel lucky even to get Christmas day off from work!
Making time for family Christmas crafts projects is a great way to make the holidays magical. Making your own Christmas cards can be particularly fun, and it’s really quite simple.
There are basically two ways to make your own Christmas cards: the old-fashioned way and the modern way.
In the old fashioned way, you can use construction paper, crayons, paints, and glue to create hand-made Christmas cards. In the modern way, you can create the card on a computer and print it out. You can even buy paper specially designed for printing greeting cards at most office supply stores or online.
Surprisingly, both ways share a great deal in common. After all, a Christmas card is fairly simple. You just need a nice picture for the front and some short, nice text for the inside and perhaps for the cover.
I recommend picking the picture first. The colors in the picture will give you a better idea of what color of paper to use if you are not using white paper. Often the picture you choose will give you the perfect idea for the text.
You can get the pictures from old Christmas cards or from magazines and paste them onto the front of the card. Or your family can draw or paint the pictures. You can even find Christmas graphics online. Whether you are pasting a picture onto construction paper, painting or drawing it, or copying and pasting on a computer screen, a great picture goes a long way to creating a beautiful card. It sets the tone of the card. Do you want a funny card? A religious card? The picture sets the stage.
For the text, you can either write your own greeting or you can borrow a couple lines from Christmas stories like, “Twas The Night Before Christmas.” If it’s a religious card, you can even borrow a line or two from scriptures. You can have text on the cover of the card with the graphic or you can just have a picture on the front and only have text inside the card. It’s totally your choice.
Fun for young and old alike, making your own Christmas cards is easy and it doesn’t take long. But the fun in making them and the smile on the face of the person who opens the card will be remembered forever. Whether making your own cards or doing other family Christmas crafts projects, the key is that these family activities create fond memories that last a lifetime.