Crafty ideas
Here are some suggestions for easy, homemade gifts from Hamilton resident Kelly Hansel.
1. Get chalk board paint. It comes in a spray can and you can get it at Michael’s. You can turn anything with a glass surface into a chalk board. My favorite is to get an old wooden window and paint the glass with this and then you have a chalk board.
2. Heatable/freezable corn bags. You must to be able to do some simple sewing. Get some dried corn from a feed store and buy cute fabric. Create a pouch full of corn, any size. Small ones are great for kids’ pockets or for your face when your sinuses are bothering you. Big ones work for an aching back or to take to bed when it is cold. You can keep them in the freezer to help with boo boos.
3. Feather headbands are my latest thing for adults. Visit Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, they sell feathers already on a backing. Get a jewel or some type of embellishment and then a pack of simple elastic headbands that can be purchased at Walmart. I found some that are in a pack of three for less than $1. Using a hot glue gun, glue the head band down the center of the backing of the feathers and then glue an embellishment at the bottom of the feathers.
Gift giving is tricky. And when the economy is as rough as it has been, it’s even more essential to be clever to stay on budget.
On Christmas Eve, my family conducts a $20 grab bag exchange to avoid buying gifts for a large number of people. We play a game — everyone buys a gift generic enough for a group of adults, but also something he might want if he gets his own gift.
We put our gifts in a pile, and then we draw numbers. When it’s your number, you may either grab the gift the person before you just opened, or select an unopened gift from the pile.
The last person gets to see all the gifts and may either select the final unopened gift, or one that was already opened. In the end, the person who went first may then take the unopened gift.
We still buy gifts for the younger children. But once you’re 18, you become part of the grab bag — something I disliked when I turned 18! I missed having more than one item to open.
The grab bag exchange is sometimes tougher than buying for an individual, because the gift must be generic enough for both genders and a large age range. Even harder these days is finding something of quality that is less than $20.
The good thing is that it is possible.
Here are some ideas for giving meaningful gifts that everyone in a group may enjoy, and to help you not break the bank.
1. Photo books
Did your family have a special event this year? Maybe you inherited your grandmother’s photo collection. If you have photos others do not get to enjoy regularly as you do, scan them to your personal computer and upload them to a site that publishes photo books. I suggest Shutterfly.com and Walgreens.com. I have used both. (I am more impressed with Shutterfly’s designs, but Walgreens’ site is easier to use.) Also, be creative with your captions.
2. Rare collections, limited editions, gift sets
Buying something that’s hard to come by will impress the others. Perhaps there’s something your family values. Sports memorabilia is always popular. Two years ago, my sister Molly went to Jungle Jim’s International Market and filled a box with individual bottles of beer no one had ever tried, and she kept it to our $20 limit. She packaged it with a funny photo of our aunt who lives far away from the rest of us. In the grab bag, this gift was traded a lot. It was quite popular. And I still remember it, which proves it was good. Gift sets are also good to give because it is like getting more than one gift. Visit www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com to purchase food gifts by selecting the price range you prefer.
3. Make it, or buy from a local crafter
There’s a reason craft shows are often crowded: People like homemade and handmade goods. If you can prove to be crafty and please both genders with your craft, go for it. Make something you like in case you want to steal it in a grab bag. Again, items could be sports-themed, include family personalization or be something no one else has. If you make or purchase something for a specific gender, mark it as such before putting it in a grab bag pile.
4. White elephant gifts
We all have stuff in our homes we don’t want. As the saying goes, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Find something that doesn’t belong in the trash, but that you can live without. At a work party one year, I received an old set of Bengals drinking glasses. The person who gave them to me is a Browns fan who wanted her husband’s dishes out of the kitchen cabinets. I love those glasses. I am glad I wasn’t the recipient of the stone peacock statue.
5. Pay the bills
Everyone has a cell phone. If it’s possible to buy your loved one some phone minutes, do it. Oil change gift certificates, savings bonds, AAA memberships, Netflix rentals ... there are plenty of everyday-use items out there you can contribute. When all else fails, give cash.
6. Newspaper subscriptions
I may be a little attached to the daily newspaper for obvious reasons (it pays my salary), but sometimes those who aren’t reading it simply aren’t because it costs money. Cox Media Group Ohio offers some awesome deals now, including an iPad app and the e-dition — which is the entire newspaper online. There are ways to pay less than the price of a full subscription, for example, purchasing the Thursday/Sunday only package. Visit https://customerservice.coxohio.com for all the options.
7. Support a cause
There is an extra personal reward for buying things that benefit a charity. At http://donate.worldvision.org, a $25 donation that you make in someone’s honor buys clean water for less fortunate communities. For $30, you can buy ducks for families who will benefit from their eggs. A business loan for women is $100.
Gift-giving don’ts
Last year in the gift-giving exchange with my family, there was a perfectly wrapped box about the size of a board game.
My uncle, Gregg, marketed the gift throughout the evening. “Mandy, you will LOVE that gift,” he teased. Everyone was curious, and I began telling the others to avoid it; I wanted it. When it was my turn, I snatched it up, and opened the game “Mouse Trap.” I ended up giving the game to my young niece.
I went home disappointed, but laughing that my uncle thought it was so fantastic. I am 30-something ... Did he think I would play that game with my friends?
Some tips:
1. Don’t buy gifts that won’t cater to the ages of those in your exchange.
2. Wrap a gift, do not leave it bare and obvious. Unwrapping is part of the fun.
3. If it’s disliked on a TV show or in a movie, chances are it’s widely disliked. We all know fruitcake is unpopular. So are ugly sweaters.
4. Try not to buy gifts specific to a gender. If you do, be sure it’s marked on the outside of the package.
5. Don’t give a pet or something live. You don’t really know if someone else wants to take care of a living thing. Even plants.
We asked our facebook readers
How does your family celebrate and do Christmas gift exchanges?
“We buy the gifts, unfortunately my kids are 9 and already had friends tell them Santa isn’t real, although we all know he is... We buy gifts and exchange them throughout the family.. after Christmas dinner of course.” — Heather Oliver
“Our family rule is three gifts for each child (one need, 2 wants) and a gift from Santa. We chose this route because it makes our kids really think about what they want for Christmas instead of a getting caught up in the latest fad or whatnot. We also do this because we want our kids to know the real reason for the season isn’t the gifts, it’s celebrating The Birth and being with family.” — Kandi Barnes
“We all celebrate Christmas at our own homes, and head to my parents house to open presents and do Christmas dinner! I’m really looking forward to my mom’s chicken and dumplings. Everyone buys a gift for about $20-$25 ... This Christmas we have one more thing to celebrate — a new baby in the family!” – Amanda Jackson
“On Christmas Eve, my whole family heads to my aunt an uncle’s house to celebrate. We all bring a covered dish and have dinner together. Everyone buys gifts for the rest of the family, and after dinner we start with kids first and then adults can open gifts! Then we all go home and get ready for Santa Claus to come. I love my family!” — Ashley Allen
“... We bake lots of cookies ... and then go to nursing homes in the area and bring them the cookies, and visit with them.. there are so many that have no one... And it puts a smile on their face! Can’t wait to do it again this year.” — Ricki Robinson
“If finances are on point, I try to buy for everyone in my immediate family (daughter, dad, mom, sister). But the extended families ... we make a limit (this year $15) and draw names from a hat. So we only buy for one person, and rather than just hand them out we try making a game out of it.” — Stephanie Ann Burnside
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