I'm Dreaming of a Sane Christmas

[Leta]

I'd like for this to be a support thread for all of us trying to spend less money, do less shopping, and have a more fulfilling, happier holiday season.

I'd like to include things like traditions that are cheap or free, fun and easy, inexpensive and homemade gift ideas, recipes, rules, and schedules.

Any takers?

Here's my tips:

Read "Unplug the Christmas Machine".

Take everything out of it's packaging before wrapping it to minimize Christmas morning cleanup.

Use reusable holiday boxes for wrapping whenever possible, to minimize cutting and taping.

[LilMama23]

Our tradition is that Santa gives three gifts, just like the wise men gave baby Jesus. So DD doesn't come to expect a lot of gifts on Christmas morning.

We always give each other pajamas on Christmas Eve, so that everyone looks decent for pictures the next morning. They are rarely Christmas-themed, so that they can be worn all throughout the winter.

Go wrapping paper-less! No more trash bags full of wrapping paper on Christmas morning. Our gifts from Santa aren't wrapped, and the gifts that we give each other are usually in gift bags or some kind of creative wrapping.

[chinaKat]

This is probably a no-brainer, but we started drawing names a few years ago with extended family (both sides) and it has made things so much easier and more relaxed.

I love cooking and making things by hand and I've tried hard to make the holidays about those things at our house.

I'm guilty of sometimes going a tad overbudget for the kids but I'm going to fight that impulse as much as possible this year. I think the key is starting EARLY and (equally important) also DOCUMENTING everything I buy so that I don't forget I bought something and then overspend on somebody thinking I still need to shop for them, lol.

[thtr4me]

We do lots of wrapping bags - fabric bags with Christmas themes for wrapping. Makes wrapping so much easier too! Just put item in bag and tie closed. And I can whip up a new bag almost faster than I can cut, wrap and tape a gift, so if I need a new bag for an odd shaped, or bigger or smaller item, I would rather make a new bag than get out wrapping paper. I bought most of my fabrics on clearance, so in the long run, the fabric bags are much cheaper than wrapping paper.

We give grandparents very specific lists to try and avoid getting tons of noisy batterey operated plastic toys.

For those without nut allergies, I grew up with the tradition of a handful of nuts (in shell) in my stocking, along with one or two small items, instead of lots of gifts in the stocking.

For my side of the family, the adults all ususally exchange names since there are so many of us, although I am thinking we should do the same for the little kids, as there are now 7 grandkids! Shopping (or crafting) for that many little kids is a lot of work!

[miss_sonja]

I love a quiet, small thoughtful Christmas! We've been making ours smaller each year. One favorite new tradition is that Santa brings new jammies for everyone while we're at Christmas eve mass. We'd done the jammies for ages, but adding that little twist just made it even more special.

I wish I could do homemade gifts for DH's family, but they just don't appreciate them. I've tried and gotten odd looks and a lack of gratitude (when buying some thing, like a DVD, gets a big thank you).

[vm9799]

our christmas is always very family centered (and religion centered).....which is warm, cozy, and doesn't have stress or drama attached!

the one homemade item that i make every year, and get RAVE reviews are these gorgeous snowflake cookies. not these exact cookies, but this exact idea. i do up varieties in sugar and gingerbread, and do about 4 or 5 color schemes (pearl white, champagne, oyster, robins egg blue, and plain gingerbread with white piping) and package them up in gourmet bakery boxes (read: cheap!) wrap them up in wide sparkly silver or champagne ribbons and give. they are a hit every year and now i get requests! i give these to everyone from the kids' teachers and school administrators to the adult family members that we don't exchange gifts with.....we only buy for the kids. i also serve them at our christmas celebration (we host with my family on christmas eve-eve....or dec. 23rd) and take them to my in-laws celebration as well.

they cost no more money (after you've acquired the cutters, frosting tints and decor, and a pastry bag.....i got mine at a pastry kitchen supply shop, but all of which can be picked up just about anywhere) they just take a bit more time.

i find the process of baking with holiday music on in the background and then frosting and decorating the cookies to be a wonderful therapy.....so it's like a gift to myself as well!

one other thing we've started doing is to not go anywhere on christmas day. now we just wake up when we wake up, make a fire in the fireplace, have a great breakfast and open gifts in a leisurely fashion. it's taken a TON of stress out of the rushing around we used to do. in fact we don't even get out of our pjs that day at all! we sit around the fire all day long watching movies, play with new gifts, play board games, and just enjoy each other.

[SuzyLee]

I love the idea of taking everything out of the packaging! We wrap gifts in fabric bags. I have a sewing business so whenever I have bits of scrap fabric I save them to make bags out of.

We are going on a trip with my side of the family for xmas. The travel part will be crazy but no one in my fam is exchanging gifts- the trip together is our present ot each other.

I am just knitting a hat for DH and we will get something small for DS + xmas eve pj's which I got on clearance last year. I am knitting and sewing a few things for other people, and gifting some home-canned food, and that is about all.

Let me tell you, it took 5 years to get to this point, but it is glorious now that we are here!

[gillibean]

I'm trying to do homemade gifts for everyone this year. DH has requested a pair of moosehide mitts so that's my major project. I'll be making moccasins for DS and DD2. DD1 received moccasins last year so I need to think of something else for her this year. I have so much craft stuff collected so I really want to use it instead of just letting it sit in boxes.

We draw names for extended family so that cuts down on the amount of gifts. Again, the aim will be to make homemade ones. I'm just sick of spending money on junk.

[ChetMC]

We're Staying Home

We've always hauled-ass around visiting everybody. We've never even put up a tree. There was no point, we weren't at home at all.

This year we're having Christmas in our house. Anyone who wants to visit us on Christmas Day is welcome to come to our house. This probably won't go over well. At one point, DH's parents actually asked if we'd be flying internationally with four kids ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years at a cost of about $6,500 for Christmas... like it was a completely reasonable question.

Anyway, this visiting Christmas started out not bad, but it's become so ungainly that Christmas isn't any fun at all, so we're done. Last year we traveled and visited and it was so horrible DH and I agreed that getting stranded in Chicago was the most fun part of the whole holiday.

[1growingsprout]

I'm doing more handmade items for xmas....

Right now I'm working on cross-stitched pillowcases for each child (thats 8 pillowcases) So I'm busy at night.

I'm also planning on more crocheted food to add to our stash.

I just want to announce this is going to be YEAR #2 of no presents being exchanged outside of this house....: Nothing to ship across the country, nothing to hear compaints about, no excess spending... I LOVE IT...

[1growingsprout]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

At one point, DH's parents actually asked if we'd be flying internationally with four kids ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years at a cost of about $6,500 for Christmas... like it was a completely reasonable question.

You've GOT to be kidding me....but then again.... you should hear some the questions my mother asks...

[Leta]

Wow, Chet. If that was my family, I would've asked if they were paying for the airfare... but that's just me.

You know, miss sonja, I was thinking about this the other day, how there are some people that don't appreciate homemade gifts and it's just not worth the time to bother. So I was thinking of inexpensive gifts to buy for adults, and here's what I came up with:

A Framed Photo- decent quality 5x7 and smaller frames can be had for $3-$5. A snapshot can be cropped and generally made to look better and/or bigger on a photostation and printed off for less than $0.50. I've given these for a few years now, and they've been a big hit, especially when I made copies of my great grandparents wedding photo.

A Gamma Seal Lid- these cost around $8. If anyone you know camps, hunts, fishes, boats, has pets, or stockpiles food, these make a great gift.

A Pashmina- I buy these off of eBay for less than $10 each, including shipping. I bought 6 for myself as birthday present, and spent $30. They are lovely. Even if they are fake, I don't care. They are ohsosoft, lightweight, wash well, super warm, gorgeous color, and have held up great for me.

An Antique Magazine- These are usually about $5 at antique stores. I bought my dad a model railroading magazine from the year of his birth, and he absolutely loved it. I bought a friend who's a big Shel Silverstein fan a Playboy from the 70's with a Silverstein epic poem in it, and he loved that, too.

Candlesticks- I have had really good luck making pillar style candlesticks. I go to Big Lots, and buy taper style crystal candlesticks for $1-$2 each. Then, I go to WalMart and buy pillar style candle plates for about $0.50 each. I glue the plate to the top of the candlestick with silicone glue (a big tube costs $5 and lasts forever). I started doing this for myself, since pillar candlesticks all cost at least $10/pair, and those are for the crappy ones. People liked them so much that I gave them as gifts, and so far they've been a big hit.

HTH

[hillymum]

Last year I managed to get the kids really involved in making decorations for our home and helping me cook lots of yummy treats for Christmas Day. We also managed to keep the gifts to a far more reasonable number. I'm really hoping we will have a repeat this year.

[Sailor]

We wrap in cloth - google the Japanese furoshiki method. People are quite impressed by it. Also, the cloth can be re-used again and again. I usually include a little furoshiki guideline with the gift to encourage re-using of the cloth.

I try to do all homemade gifts. I love to knit, crochet, sew. I actually start making my gifts in August so that by the time the winter holidays come around, I'm ready. This year I'm making my mom a shawl, my dp a quilt. I'm giving preserves to dp's parents, along with some baked goodies.

That's about it, really. If we see my grandparents, I'll make some additional gifts. But, they're in Europe and I'm not sure we'll be seeing them this year seeing as I'm pregnant.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to convince anyone else of a simple holiday. Both dp's family and my family go INSANELY overboard. For example, we just recently told everyone that I'm pregnant. They've already purchased and sent us baby things - that neither of us want, or can really use. I don't even want to imagine xmas with our child earth side. I see a lot of ebaying and goodwill in my future.

[Leta]

Welcome, quicinsty.

Sailor, furoshiki is fantastic! I've been looking at diagrams and tutorials on YouTube all morning.

What do you use for your furoshiki cloth? Do buy remants, look for nylon or silk scarves at the thrift store, or have a special source for them?

It occurs to me that this would be a really good way to wrap for kiddos, because you could wrap the gift in a playsilk, and that would be a second gift.

I made DD some playsilks two Christmases ago, with blanks from Dharma Trading Company, vinegar, and Kool-Aid/paste food coloring and they are some played with toys, I'll tell you what. I think homemade playdough/gak/floam in a variety of colors, wrapped in a beautiful furoshiki playsilk would be a big hit. The biggest expense would be the Gladware sort of containers to hold the playdough. Maybe I'd put each color playdough in ziptop plastic bags and then just put them in a single box? Hmm, something to think about.

[hillymum]

I've wrapped gifts for my brothers kids in play silks. They loved them! I didn't know there was a name for it lol.

[MonkeyPrincess]

I am looking forward to a simple, smooth Christmas this year. I've been experimenting over the years and it is getting better each year.

We focus more on the traditions - cutting down the tree, hot chocolate and holiday music while driving looking at Christmas lights, decorating gingerbread houses, etc.

We have five kids, so the kids draw names between each other. I'm wondering if we will try one big family gift for everyone this year...

We also do three Christmas gifts, like the Wise Men brought baby Jesus. Stockings are filled with fruit and nuts and candy and a few littler things. The kids also get a gift from us and they get us a collective gift.

This year, we will make gourmet popcorn for "extras" - like teachers, mailman, neighbors, etc. Otherwise, the only people we really exchange with are my side of the family - and we do family gifts for my siblings and then for my parents.

I'm really looking forward to the holiday season this year. :

[celestialdreamer]

We have simplified our Christmas celebration drastically over the past 2 years and I really love it. We got rid of the giant box(es) of decorations and just kept our most favorites that were either really meaningful or simple but beautiful. The following are the things we have really been happy with!

Tree/household decor- We got rid of literally all the tree decorations except for some wooden bead garlands and some special ones with our names on them that get hung on the knobs of our entertainment center. We decorate our tree with handmade ornaments that we make for a fun winter afternoon activity. The kids loved this last year! Not to mention then the ornaments aren't breakable/toxic so no worries if the kids want to rearrange them or if the cat knocks some off : Also, we pick out a pretty wreath to hang on our door which really sets the mood of the season.

Memories vs things- last year we did lots of fun holiday activities! We went to a local u-cut Christmas tree farm and spent hours finding the *perfect* tree. It felt great to support a local small business and have fun in the process. We went to look at Christmas lights a couple times, went to church, made hot apple cider and listened to Christmas music while we decorated our tree. All of these things my kids are really looking forward to again this year with very little mention of presents.

Limit amount of gifts and stick to it- We decided to have Santa bring only items in stockings. We get each child 3 gifts and that is it. Honestly it was really refreshing to watch them open things that were really special items we had picked for them and actually enjoy them rather than moving on to the next in the pile of presents. 3 presents each plus a stocking filled with fruit and a couple nice items from Santa in them felt perfect for them! Way less wrapping paper cleanup too

This year will have to be very simple as well as baby #4 is due in early December so he will be anywhere from 1-5 weeks old at Christmas. At this time we aren't planning on going anywhere or hosting for Christmas Day and that sounds great. Typically we are gone late in the evening on Christmas Eve for dh's side of the family plus church, then we host on Christmas Day. No way are we doing that this year! I still really want it to feel special so we will focus on the fun activities and plan to buy presents way ahead of time. Other suggestions from anyone that has had a baby during the holiday time of year would be much appreciated

[celestialdreamer]

Originally Posted by 1growingsprout

I'm doing more handmade items for xmas....

Right now I'm working on cross-stitched pillowcases for each child (thats 8 pillowcases) So I'm busy at night.

I'm also planning on more crocheted food to add to our stash.

I just want to announce this is going to be YEAR #2 of no presents being exchanged outside of this house....: Nothing to ship across the country, nothing to hear compaints about, no excess spending... I LOVE IT...

I forgot to mention that in my post! We just give out a Christmas card with a family photo and/or photos of the kids to anyone outside our household. The only expections to our "no gifts" rule are dh's parents, my mom and my brother. We either make or buy each one a useful small gift in addition to a framed photo. The reason we still do something for them is that they don't really get anything else besides what we give them

I try to make one of the gifts for each of my kids and one for dh each year too. This year will be hand-dyed bamboo velour blankets for the kids and knit socks for dh I might knit my mom a scarf for her gift too!

[Sailor]

Originally Posted by Leta

Welcome, quicinsty.

Sailor, furoshiki is fantastic! I've been looking at diagrams and tutorials on YouTube all morning.

What do you use for your furoshiki cloth? Do buy remants, look for nylon or silk scarves at the thrift store, or have a special source for them?

Well, I'm a sewer, so I usually have quite a bit of fabric lying around. But, I have also used shawls to wrap a book in - that way the recipient gets a book, and a nice shawl. I've done scarves too.