Trying to understand this....

[Freddy03]

Here's a tip that I found helpful if you have little ones

Kids love seeing big presents under the tree. Well last year we just our daughter a few gifts. The gifts she wanted were small (ds game and some other small things) When I wrapped them they were so tiny so I went to the storage company and they gave me a few large boxes. So I wrapped the ds game in a small box then put it into a larger box and then another larger box.

She loved the game (because she wanted it) but she had so much fun opening the different size boxes. It took her a good 1/2 hour to open one present

[Freddy03]

Oh and I have also warned the co-workers to NOT get me any gifts this year. I suggested we all buy $5.00 worth of non parishable food that we will donate to our local food bank

[mrskal]

Oh and I have also warned the co-workers to NOT get me any gifts this year. I suggested we all buy $5.00 worth of non parishable food that we will donate to our local food bank

This is a great idea. One year, my cousin had the big family Christmas, he is totally loaded, so he did not want anyone to bring any food or drink, he had it all brought in. Instead of bringing dishes or bottles of wine to share with everyone, he asked that everyone bring bags or cans of pet food. He took it the following day to the local shelter and donated it. I loved that one too.

[mrskal]

One tradition I have with my friend is to make Pizzelle with her. She has two of the Pizzelle makers and we literally make them all day long. We split the cost of ingredients and make batch after batch. We split up all the pizzelle we make to give to friends, family and coworkers. It is really great because we get to spend a day together and the recipients of the cookies are in absolute heaven!

[Dee]

This is a great idea. One year, my cousin had the big family Christmas, he is totally loaded, so he did not want anyone to bring any food or drink, he had it all brought in. Instead of bringing dishes or bottles of wine to share with everyone, he asked that everyone bring bags or cans of pet food. He took it the following day to the local shelter and donated it. I loved that one too.

I used to work with a local shelter and I can't tell you how much that is appreciated! Many people will donate to food banks or provide food for needy families at the holidays, but the animal shelters are often overlooked. Kudos to your cousin!

[LadyInTheRed]

I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle this year!


I've already warned my daughter (who has a B-day coming up also), that the "well" is dry. I will do my best at trying to make it a special time, but the gifts we not be there. Being a teen, its tough on her to see our previous life come to a stop, but she's seen a few "positives" also. I'm around more. Since the overtime stopped, I'm available for her to talk, and as all teens want...to be her chauffeur! I actually am able to "parent" now. The house is more calm, more disciplined, and I no longer here "You just don't care Mom". OOOOH! I cared, just didn't have the time to deal with it.

I'm hoping our Christmas gift is the gift of life! The gift of a fresh start financially, mentally, and emotionally. My gift will be seeing my daughter grow up, and being able to participate in it, not just the occasional "Great job!" or quick jump to a conclusion because I've got to work. I'm hoping her gift will be a Mom who can take time to listen and digest what she's saying, help when I can, back off when I should, and be the shoulder she can cry on when she needs. I want us both to be able to look back at this Christmas and realize that what seemed to be the most difficult time in our lives, was actually the biggest blessing and gift we could've asked for.

Thats all...

Write that or something like it down and frame it as her gift. Maybe make it into a poem.

My husband and I took a sausage making class a couple of months ago that a friend won in a raffle for him and 8 friends. We're going to make sausages and can a homemade sauce, add a bag of pasta and put it all in a basket from a thrift shop. One basket per couple. There are a couple of young kids in his family who we will get books for.

[Jacey]

That made me laugh...I was eyeing my scissors today and wondering if I could possibly do worse than the lady at Wal-Mart did a few months ago.

[BKDebby]

I actually had to give up two pets & it totally broke my heart. I still cry over that and it's been two years. We have also gone through periods of eating very very very cheap. That was harder on my husband. No cable. My cellphone is 10 years old and my plan is too. When the cable stops working, I have to dig around ebay for one. But my monthly bill is only $25. I cut the front of my hair and my husband cuts the back. It doesn't look that good. I guess we have all had to make really hard choices. I'm glad this thread is about trying to accept differences.

Debee, I'm so sorry to read you had to give up your pets. I can't imagine the heartbreak. I have 2 cats currently and last year had to send my other 2 kitties to the Bridge (one to cancer & my oldest - 18 years old - due to kidney failure).

[debee]

Thanks, Debby. It's hard to lose a pet however it happens. I'm sorry for your loss too.

[debee]

I know what you mean, Jacey. If it's going to look off anyway why not just save the money. We do everyone's hair here at home. We have a lot of hats.

[dumpinmydebt]

Personally I think it's a shame that we raise our kids to think that Christmas is all about gifts. What have we become? People waiting in lines for days for a d*** TV, instead of spending time with their family on Thanksgiving. Ridiculous. I was raised by a single mom, we were very poor, and I was lucky to get a few gifts. I didn't really care. I loved having the day with her. My favorite thing was my stocking that we decorated together and playing games with her. We had the same meal every year and spent the day in our pjs. I couldn't tell you one thing she bought me, because that is not important. I remember the fun times I had with her.

My husband and I have already decide that we will not be spoiling our kids on Christmas. They will get a few small gifts, and they will be giving back each year with us as well, even spending the day at the soup kitchen.

[tobee43]

Write that or something like it down and frame it as her gift. Maybe make it into a poem.

My husband and I took a sausage making class a couple of months ago that a friend won in a raffle for him and 8 friends. We're going to make sausages and can a homemade sauce, add a bag of pasta and put it all in a basket from a thrift shop. One basket per couple. There are a couple of young kids in his family who we will get books for.

I LOVE that!!! we were just in a thrift store the other day...it was soooooooooo full of the most lovely baskets for like 10 cents to 50 cents a piece...i was wishing i could do something with them...I LOVE the homemade sauce idea!! cookies are so expensive to make now....BUT homemade sauce and sausage is brilliant!!! (being married to an Italian family...i MEAN the entire FAMILY, country and it's red stuff...... it was a pre-reck to our marriage...)

pandora...GREAT and sweet ideas...

last year i had a nephew who just married into the family and wanted one of my "family" recipes..(he wanted it when they were dating)...i said NO the ONLY way to GET that wondrous recipe was when he was a "family" member...their first christmas (last year)...i wrote out the recipe in the format of "twas the night before xmas".....and had them read it out loud...that had to be the only gift we could afford...and it was a really special time..

it's always the "thought" that counts...i just want a pair of garden gloves PLEASE!!!

[dumpinmydebt]

Love the basket idea.

[BKlooker]

The homemade goodies brings up a good point...unique things tend to really shine. I have a coworker that always makes delicate types of confections rather than cookies that you can't even easily find at the store. It's amazing how easy it is to make homemade caramels. Last year, me and a bunch of my friends got together and hand a holiday cookie bake-off exchange. The only rule was absolutely NO chocolate chip cookies, and everything else was on the table. Here are a few of my newly discovered favorites from last year:

Pretzel sticks hand-dipped in caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, and m&ms or Reese's pieces
Homemade Carmel Apples covered in peanut butter fudge and crunched-up peanut butter cups
Sugar cookie drops covered in powdered sugar (tastes surprisingly like a powder-sugared donut)
Cheesecake cups - mini-cupcake wrappers layered with graham cracker, Philly cream cheese mixed with sugar n egg, baked, then topped w/cherry preserves) - my favorite!
Homemade Glazed Cake Donuts (very easy, no yeast required, and i like them even better than the fluffy type of donut)

Most of these are so simple to make and take less time and cost less than traditional cookies, especially if your family sticks to grocery store off-label supplies for the peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, etc. I think this year I will be trying the covered pretzels!

I hope this inspires some of our 'resident' bakers on here to get creative with this year! The young kids in my life are getting family-dollar gift sets (they sell flavored chapsticks bundled with Dora Explorer winter gloves for just $2 each!) and the parents are getting baked goods. I estimate i can keep my holiday spending under $100 with this plan, including cards, gift wrap, etc.

[tobee43]

The homemade goodies brings up a good point...unique things tend to really shine. I have a coworker that always makes delicate types of confections rather than cookies that you can't even easily find at the store. It's amazing how easy it is to make homemade caramels. Last year, me and a bunch of my friends got together and hand a holiday cookie bake-off exchange. The only rule was absolutely NO chocolate chip cookies, and everything else was on the table. Here are a few of my newly discovered favorites from last year:

Pretzel sticks hand-dipped in caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, and m&ms or Reese's pieces
Homemade Carmel Apples covered in peanut butter fudge and crunched-up peanut butter cups
Sugar cookie drops covered in powdered sugar (tastes surprisingly like a powder-sugared donut)
Cheesecake cups - mini-cupcake wrappers layered with graham cracker, Philly cream cheese mixed with sugar n egg, baked, then topped w/cherry preserves) - my favorite!
Homemade Glazed Cake Donuts (very easy, no yeast required, and i like them even better than the fluffy type of donut)

Most of these are so simple to make and take less time and cost less than traditional cookies, especially if your family sticks to grocery store off-label supplies for the peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, etc. I think this year I will be trying the covered pretzels!

I hope this inspires some of our 'resident' bakers on here to get creative with this year! The young kids in my life are getting family-dollar gift sets (they sell flavored chapsticks bundled with Dora Explorer winter gloves for just $2 each!) and the parents are getting baked goods. I estimate i can keep my holiday spending under $100 with this plan, including cards, gift wrap, etc.

sounds YUMMY...and so reasonable!! i'm bringing FOOD to my daughter and sending some to my son that's IT for gift giving this year...everyone else i'm stealing lir's idea about the baskets... lucky for us the grand kids are still too young for christmas!