It happens every year. The stores start promoting all things Christmas earlier and earlier. This year it was mid-October when I first started to see the tinsel and lights appearing. Christmas as many of you will know and understand has become nothing more than a marketing event on the commercial calendar.
We have all been there right? Christmas on credit cards is a huge issue for many people around the world. We are lulled by the commercial marketing gurus to provide something more lavish and spectacular every year.
It needs to stop! We need to take back Christmas. So here it is folks. My Christmas Wish! Let’s get back to handmade, crafted or created gifts. Let’s get out of the shopping malls and really think about what you can do to make someones Christmas not only wonderful but show them you care. Show them that you have taken the time out of your busy lives to make something especially for them.
My Christmas wish is that we become unconsumers and start to really appreciate the love we have in our lives by showing them we care enough to make them something personal.
You don’t have to be arty, or crafty, or even very talented. Gifts from the heart are always more special. Below are some fun and simple ideas for gift making. Have a Homemade Xmas!
- Make a personalized seed tape – wrap it around a hand-painted terracotta pot.
- Hand-Painted Terracotta Flower Pot
Bird Feeder – Glue together some old crockery teacups and saucers. Add some nice chain or rope to hang it with. Make sure you give some birdseed to go with it.- Handmade Bird Snacks – grab a bag of wild bird seed and make some unusually shaped bird snacks with a little tie wire or string to hang it from. Any small plant pot or cookie cutters are perfect molds for this.
- Make Beeswax wraps from op shop pillowcases or tablecloths.
- Make homemade preserves, bottles of vinegar, cordials, and jams. Gift them on in a box or cutting board with a box of biscuits or other items suited to a snack.
Grow a plant for your family member.- If you can sew – make a hooded beach towel or drawstring bags for veggie shopping. Op shops are a great source of materials for these.
- Handmade cards and drawings/collages/paintings. Frame them with items from around the home.
Make a selection of teas from herbs in the garden. Gift them in reusable drawstring bags or tins- Build a garden trellis from sticks or unused items. Gift with a climbing plant like pole beans or even tomatoes
- Build a pollinator’s hotel from sticks and some pieces of wood.
- Paint some small smooth rocks to make a tic tac toe game. Draw or paint the board on a small cloth bag ready for gameplay.
- Get a real living tree to use as your decoration holder and plant it in the garden after Christmas.
Grab some used pepper grinders and fill them with interesting combinations of herbs and spices for use in the kitchen or BBQ.- Use natural items such as pine cones to make your own decorations.
- Glue interesting items onto a wooden frame to create picture frames.
- Create a book of IOU Gift Certificates. Make a meal, pull some weeds, mow the lawn the list of things you can do for someone is endless.
- Make a flower arrangement from scratch.
- Bake some Christmas treats.
- Write a story and present it as a book.
I am sure if you really think about it you can come up with something special for every person on your gift list. These are just a few ideas to get you started. Have fun and a Very Merry Christmas.
