Word of the week: ACCOMPLISH
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
~Lao Tzu
Definition: fulfillment; realization; attainment; achievement
We’re at that time of year again when everything is hurried and people get frazzled. Thoughts race in our heads about how holidays should be fairytale like… what to do, how to decorate, what to sing, say, cook, etc. The truth is that the holidays, like any other time of the year, are what we make of them. Trying to live up to decorating your home like Martha Stewart will undoubtedly make you crazy and flustered… especially if your crafting ability is anything like mine!
The last couple of years have been stress free for me. The decorations come and go; sometimes we put a lot out, sometimes not. As with most people during this economy, we’ve made major cutbacks in gift giving and general holiday spending. It doesn’t make it any less of a holiday… in fact, I think it might makes it better! Not overspending is wonderful to reduce your stress. There are so many beautiful and creative gifts you can give that do not cost much. Plus, it comes from your heart and that is what is most important.
Inexpensive gifts you can put together:
Movie Night! (pick up a classic flick on DVD (usually you can find these around $5), combine it with a package of microwave popcorn and a box or two of theater candy (found at most Walgreens for just $1). Put together in an inexpensive bowl and walla!
Family Photos! Get some inexpensive frames at your local $1 store and put the kids school pics in it, or take a quirky family shot and wrap this up for relatives! A gift that lasts forever! (Consider using iron-on paper and creating pillows, wall hangings, t-shirts or a whole host of easy crafts!)
Recycled Candles! This is a fun one! In a pot that you don’t mind ruining… take all your old, half-used candles, remove the wicks, and throw them into the pot. Heat them slowly until they melt, stirring occasionally.
Get used jelly jars and place a wick and wick holder in it. Make sure the wick comes up above the pour line of your wax. (tip: you can always trim the wick, so leave an inch or so and trim it when the wax hardens) I’ve actually used old china teacups that I purchased at yard sales (non matching saucers are a great combo!).
Pour the hot wax into your glass container and let it set up. Walla! A recycled handmade treasure!
Journal! Make a journal for someone! It’s a great gift! You really don’t have to be crafty to do this either! Get a kit from the craft store or start from scratch with a notebook (but make sure the cover is sturdy!) Decorate the cover to fit the personality of the recipient. (i.e., if the person sews; use ribbon, pieces of fabric and button; if they love gardening; use empty seed packets or photos of flowers (or cut your own flowers out of paper and use those!) Combine with an inexpensive pen and walla!
Book Nook! This is fun because you can use a new or gently used book! A great gift for any age depending on what you add to the book nook. For instance:
Adults and teens: Make or buy a bookmark. Add a box of tea and an inexpensive pair of socks or slippers.
Children: Make or buy a bookmark. Add an inexpensive stuffed animal (that might “go with” the story.)
Infants/Babies: A book, pacifier, and a light baby blanket.
*of course, I do have (lol) a book for sale in the sidebar! Great for adults and older teens too!
I’d love for you to share your money saving gift giving ideas in the comments!
These are wonderful ideas! The last two christmases have been stressful for us. Me with my postpartum depression and my husband was laid off last year. We learned that the simpler our holidays are, the more we appreciate them.
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Sheila,
I love this post….right up my alley! I love the quote too….so true!
Your ideas are awesome and practical! Here are a few more that I like too:
*use shredded paper for packaging.
*old mason jars, recycled and cleaned make perfect cookie mix and soup mix gifts for very little money
*Old steel cans, painted by children, and filled with candy
*Giving coupons for time: like walking a neighbors dog, cleaning a friends house, a special day with the kids.
Thanks for such an important reminder about the true gifts of the season, which seldom come from breaking our bank account!!!
Love,
Jen
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Sheila
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November 28th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Awesome additions!!!!
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Great ideas Sheila! It’s horrible when you don’t enjoy the Christmas season because you’re spending too much money and have too much stress in your life. I’ve done the movie night for teachers except with a $5 gift certificate at Blockbusters. Another idea is a meal (like spaghetti) with a bottle of wine. All busy mothers love to have a meal ready to go!
By the way, I just finished reading your book (for the second time) and it was just great and very insightful. I’m giving it to my sister who is very ready for your wonderful lessons.
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Sheila
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November 28th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
More great ideas from Betsy! Thanks! And thanks for your wonderful comments on my book.
)
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I’m growing my own veggies to save a little money. seeing the little buds growing is giving me a great feeling of accomplishment too.
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Sheila
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November 29th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Awesome, KB, I too grow my own veggies. I could live off zucchini!
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We sell small glass bottles where I work and you can get these at most craft stores. We also sell essential oils like Lavender, Patchouli, Rosewood, Sweet Orange, Cedar, etc. I have learned to mix my own oils for people as gifts, present them in the glass bottles.
I mix various scents together and then add them to an inexpensive base carrier oil such as Sesame or Almond, 5-1 ratio (depending on scents used) . This extends them and makes them last a whole lot longer.
It takes a bit of practice to learn which oils mix well together… woodsy/citrus is one example of a “scent axis”–and Lavender can usually mix well with Eucalyptus, Rosemary or Frankincense. (Spruce/Eucalyptus is also good!) After you get more experienced you can sometimes mix three or more together.
My own favorite mix was admired by so many people (Patchouli, Frankincense, Cypress, Sandalwood in a sesame-base oil ), that I started mixing this for other people who liked it … and then branched out.
Helpful hints: Peppermint and Spearmint are overwhelming, so leave them to the more experienced until you know your scents better. Ylang-ylang and Geranium can similarly be very STRONG, so be careful.
Good luck and have fun!
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Sheila
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November 29th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Awesome reply Daisy! True on the mints! Just a drop or two is more than enough for most applications. I love your scent combos! Lavender and Rosemary! Hmmmm sounds wonderful! I’ve tried Rosemary Mint, but the lavender sounds heavenly. GREAT gift idea!
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DaisyDeadhead
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December 21st, 2010 at 2:48 am
Spruce, fir or pine oil is a great substitute for a Christmas tree, if you are too busy and don’t want the aggravation… or you have animals that will eat/climb the tree, etc. The scents are so Christmassy and fresh; people will come in your house and ask, “Where’s the tree?”
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What a fantastic blog you have! This post and its comments are well inspired. I’ve spent this last month thinking about how not to spoil my girl and yet give her a great Christmas she’ll appreciate. I’m taking down notes! lol
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Love these ideas–especially the candles. I’m going to try that! . . . Thanks for visiting my blog. I do have the same theme as you. If you go to your dashboard under the heading Appearance, click on the word Background. You can use a solid color provided by the theme to change your background or you can download something. I downloaded a “wallpaper” from a free site. I just kept trying different ones until I found one I liked!
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Awesome tips
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Of course I’m always a fan of giving kids books for presents and my niece asked for books this year so books she is going to get.
However, when asking my Brother In Law for ideas for his girls he said, “hand sanitizer”. What? Apparently the new thing to swap at school are those mini hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works along with the little holders for the sanitizer. So I filled a stocking for each of the girls with mini hand sanitizers in all kinds of scents. At least they will be germ free.
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There are some great ideas here.
We like to put together game baskets for people. Game stores like the Bookery, or Krystal Keep have games for all ages and some of them fall in between $10-$20. We also look in toy departments for mini versions or travel versions of games too. Or we might give a deck of cards with instructions printed out for several different versions of games you can play with it. Games like golf, war, speed, etc.
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Great post! I have 4 birthdays to plan in addition to the holidasy so I try and make all of it as stress free as possible. It is a time to be Merry and Bright, after all.
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Gifts of the heart are always much better, to give and to receive. They are priceless.
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