Holiday Rambler
Hi everyone!
Oh, my poor, neglected blog. I am amazed it's still here, waiting so patiently for me to resurface!
The holiday season is upon us here at Chez Christine. The halls are decked, and it's looking VERY Christmassy around here. For some reason, I got the urge to go all out this year with the decorating, something I don't always do.
I have put up my regular (big!) green tree, my much adored vintage tinsel tree (Thanks, Nana!) and a bunch of other decorations. Indoors of course. Hubby and Stepson are in charge of the outdoor lights, which are a subject for another post altogether!
I got an early start this year and I had a few weeks of the annual, semi-crazed "Making Of The Gifts".
To hell with all those people who say that a handmade gift is in bad taste. Those are the people who are trying to convince us that credit card debt is GOOD! I just cringe at the commercials I've seen recently, implying that paying with cash makes the world screech to a halt and urging people to use their Visa cards, oh I hate those commercials with a passion!
Uh, anyhow, back to the homemade gifts... yeah.
I am in the home stretch as far as those things go, with only one pillowcase to finish embroidering/crocheting, and two pairs of flannel pajama pants to sew for the children. I have made a few handbags, crocheted some scarves. My handmade gifts are mostly small things tailored to the recipients, and I do think they will be appreciated.
I haven't wrapped a single gift yet, nor have I managed to get my Christmas cards in the mail. Overall, I am strangely calm about things. Let's hope it lasts.
Hubby and I have agreed to have a low key sort of holiday as far as the gift-giving between us goes. We'll do fun stocking stuffers for one another (which I love!) and we'll lay low on other gift giving.
Recent financial bumps in the road (my ability to kill vehicles at an alarming rate being foremost among those!) have made that a necessity, but I have to confess that it is sort of a relief as well. Does that make me a grinch??
I love giving gifts, but sometimes the pressure of finding the PERFECT thing, on a deadline, is something that fills me with trepidation! Especially when it comes to my husband, who is notoriously difficult to buy for, and not forthcoming with many helpful ideas! :)
Some years it just seems like the gift giving ideas come so easily and naturally, and some years it's like pulling teeth to think of something to give! We give gifts to the children, of course. I did pretty well with those. We definitely don't go overboard on the kid gifts. They also have Christmas celebrations at the homes of their dad and grandparents, which makes for plenty of holiday joy and overload for them!
It has been nice to focus on other seasonal joyous things. Watching favorite holiday movies with the children, until we all know the dialogue by heart. Going a little nuts with the decorating, a lot of using what we have, (eight zillion cookie cutters, anyone?!) and reminding ourselves that we truly DO have a lot.
Back soon! XOXO
12.13.07 @ 08:27 AM PST [link] |
