Our Christmas

Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream are the tradition at our house. We clean up, regroup in the living room, read Scripture and reflect. This is the first year that both girls participated in purchasing gifts. They each have a job and took the responsibility on themselves without being told or asked. They purchased a gift for each other and a gift for their dad and I. But they put thought into what was purchased and it showed! Hannah even purchased a gift for the dog! I found it interesting that they wanted to give before they opened the gifts we had for them. It was fun! They had each picked up some overheard verbal cues and followed through on what was really wanted. Impressive!

Hannah was particularly curious this year. She asked me on Christmas Eve if they would each have three gifts to open - another Christmas tradition, symbolizing the gifts the three wise men took to Jesus. When she asked, I barely had one gift for them! I did have the idea for a second gift and knew how it could be taken care of though. A third gift...what could it be? I had some candy on hand. I put that in a small (and by small, I mean SMALL...think wedding favor size) bag.

A fancy lunch bag is the gift they chose first...the bag of candy... Not one complaint! Just appreciation for the smallest of small gifts. Second, they both received a tank top and shorts set that "magically grows" in water. I was worried they would think it was a lame gift. I had found it on a trip that I took this summer. It was meant to be a "filler" type gift. But they were a hit! Becca "grew" her clothes in a flash! Their final gift was a card, filled with a personal message and concluded with a coupon for a massage - a gift I knew they would both like to have.

We had a great time together and it really felt like we were able to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas. God has given us the ultimate gift of His Son, but we feel like we have been richly blessed by the lack of tangible items. It's a different concept than that of the all too common view of bigger is better and the more the merrier! Our true reward will be in heaven, but it feels like we have already received reward. Praise be to God!

I pray your holiday season has been as blessed as we feel ours has been. Happy holidays, everyone!

It's Time to Have Fun!

I have somehow evolved from someone who used to love to get out on Black Friday to a person who would much rather stay home or go really late. I discovered cyber shopping last year. (Not that I didn't know about it or had never purchased anything online before; I had simply not joined the masses in these "special" sale days.) Entering into cyber space was wonderful! No lines, just the quiet peace of my home. I find free shipping and don't have to lug all of the packages around. About the only thing I miss is the "exercise" - if you could even call it that!

I have found that shopping online is a fantastic and easy way to comparison shop. This year, I had just a few items that I knew I wanted. Following the advice of more experienced cyber shoppers, I dutifully typed in search queries for coupon codes to enter at checkout. I was successful each time!

One of the stores that had a good price on an item was Macy's. I was surprised to see that of several coupon codes listed, one of them was an in-store coupon for $15. Given the fact that I needed to drive to Appleton anyway and knew exactly what I wanted, I decided to check to see if this coupon could save me even more money than the approximate $10 value of the other coupon code good for my online purchase. To make my long story short, I will simply tell you that I was able to purchase the product in the store for one third of the original retail price! I was even more thrilled when I got the item home and realized that it had even more bells and whistles to it than I had originally thought! My online experience had saved me time and money even though I did end up purchasing the item at the store any way.

Another of my shopping outings today was to a website called www.discountmags.com. I'd seen this website a couple of times via group postings on Facebook. I could not have been happier. I was able to gift a subscription for a quarter of the newsstand price which for this particular publication was substantial! (Fair warning: Be alert! I had another subscription I was going to purchase for myself. It was by far cheaper for direct from the publisher.)

The bottom line is - You don't have to spend a lot of money to find that perfect gift for someone.  Whether you decide to invest time into shopping around or create a gift, just be sure to put some time and thought into it and your gift will be well received. Listed below are some ideas that I have found to be creative, yet inexpensive gifts that are well received. I hope you enjoy the list and have fun with all of your shopping! As you do, remember the truth behind this crazy time of year - Jesus is the reason for the season! Be sure to find time to focus on the most amazing gift that was given to us. For without Him, life would be meaningless.

 

1. A coffee/tea cup filled with gourmet coffees,  teas, candies or a gift certificate to their favorite coffee shop

2. Homemade cocoa  or mocha mix in a pretty jar - sometimes all it takes to decorate a jar is a simple piece of fabric on the top and a pretty ribbon

3. Holiday serving bowl or platter filled with goodies fresh from your kitchen - the container is a part of the gift
4. Homemade mixes with instructions for baking
5. Locally made or homemade items - barbeque sauce, maple syrup, jams, jerky, etc
6. Muffin mixes with muffin pan

7. Set of dish towels and dish cloths
8. Handwritten copies of your favorite recipes
9. Specialty cookbook
10. Journal with personalized inscription inside and a special pen

11. Books or a gift certificate to Amazon so they can purchase an e-book

12. Cards and book of stamps - my friends and I enjoy making cards. We all smile when we receive a card from one another in the mail - it is always blank with a note inserted on a piece of paper so we can reuse and re-gift our handiwork!
13. Collage of special photos - you could even order a photo book or other item with a special picture imprinted on it.
14. Picture frames
15. Movie theater gift certificates
16. Create coupons - good for a night out, a meal made and delivered by you, yard work, snow shoveling, possibilities are endless!
17. Certificate for a personal treat - pedicure, manicure, massage, etc.
18. Nice shirt
19. Fun socks
20. Special soaps, lotions, or candles - be careful on this one. Know the person you are buying for. a.) You don't want to offend them b.) You don't want to purchase a scent they don't like and c.) Some people are allergic to fragrance.

I look forward to reading your comments, ideas and suggestions. The more ideas we pool, the more fun we can have thinking about how to share the love!