Monday, September 29, 2008

Christmas Progress


Saturday I finished these, the last three of my four remaining Christmas present projects. They are leather bound picture albums, with decorative paper accenting the covers and endpapers.

Every year we go back and forth on how to handle Christmas presents in the family: there are no grandchildren yet (the first, ours, is due in January), so we haven't been able to use the no presents for adults rule yet. For ourselves, we are trying to keep gifts to a miminum and be very intentional and thoughtful about what we give. This year, I'm hand-making all the gifts except one, and to me, that makes a gift very special. I hope our family recipients agree!

How do you handle gifts between the adults in your family?

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway a couple posts below!

1 comment:

DangAndBlast! said...

It's crazy in my family. One aunt, who always buys a ton of dollar store junk for everyone (I suppose on the concept of, if you give someone 8 cheap presents, they're bound to like *one* of them!), complains that she wants us to do a "secret santa" thing and give gifts to one other (assigned) person only. My kid sister, who feels for some reason obligated to buy expensive things for everyone and who is also broke, agrees. I know I'll end up drawing a grumpy uncle or something, so I'm opposed -- I spend so little money, because I LOVE giving gifts to people all the time, so I'm always on the lookout for a little thing at a thrift store, or something to make, and I dread being forbidden to give everyone fun little things because someone else doesn't want to be obligated to give big things. My mother tends to do alternate giving -- she makes charitable gifts (heifer project etc.) in everyone's name. Someone else always makes fantastic cranberry nut bread and gives everyone a small loaf. The only aunt who really spends a lot (she married into the family...) is also the only person who won't come to the family Christmas gathering (she spends it with her brothers) and doesn't acknowledge gifts given to her, so she doesn't count :)