Holiday Gift Ideas

[spegs]

Pinkie -- I agree with Crissy. Anything homemade, and I mean ANYTHING, is way better than store-bought. If you put some love and thought into a gift for sometome, it's always extra special and will be remembered.

Oh, and if you're short of cash, you can always give of yoursself; perhaps babysitting, cooking dinner, raking leaves, etc. I don't know -- but YOU do.

Gifts from the heart, rather from the store, are ALWAYS better...

You obviously don't know my mother-in-law!

I love to make presents too, but some years I'm shorter on time than I am on money--this year particularly.

For the above mentioned M.I.L., I once did some scrapbook pages for her, so that she just had to put the pictures in, and she liked that pretty well. I've done some portraits of people's kids, always very appreciated--parents are suckers for that kind of thing, heh heh heh. And I've done the hot chocolate mix in a big mug or mason jar. My recipe for hot chocolate: 1 box of Quick, one box of dry milk, one jar of creamer, and two cups of powdered sugar. Makes enough to give to quite a few people. And it looks adorable in a mason jar, with peppermints on top. I like to decorate it with a snowman's head made from a styrofoam ball, with a felt hat and nose...etc.

Now I wish I had time to go be creative! *big sigh*

[Paulie]

I sense that we all would appreciate some good spegs-in-law stories.

[spegs]

If I tried to chronicle even a fraction of the tales...it would crash the site and no one would sleep tonight.

[Rab]

:santawave Hey everyone! With the holidays coming up, I am in need of some ideas for small gifts. I'm a little tights on cash, so I was thinking about maybe baking all of my friends something and putting it in a festive box or something like that.

Do you guys have any ideas for inexpensive gifts or good recipes I might try? Thanks ! :santawink

A person I know wanted to bake me a cookie as a gift but I wouldn't trust his baking skills as they kind of suck lol.

I'd use google to search up for quick and easy recipes for the holidays.

[Stargazer]

Back when I was in school, one of my friends gave me a pretty little frame with a picture of our little circle of friends. I treasured it more than many 'nicer' presents she got me over the years. I still have it up in my house, 12 years later

[pinkieparrot]

Thanks guys! You're all super! The thing about me baking something is that a lot of my friends kind of watch their weight (though they dont need to!!) So I'm still debating whether or not I should make cookies/candy/whatever. I would not mind in the least making a ton of candy/cookies for my friends and I am very much looking forward to doing this. I suppose they could always give it to their families. All of my friends know that I love to bake, but I think they're a little doubtful of my skills and think its just a phase or something.

And Rab, no worries about my baking skills sucking! I'm a pretty good pastry chef :chef if I do say so myself. So much so that I am thinking about it as a career. Whenever I mention this to my friends however, they're all "Oh that would be cool! But seriously though..." Ha! I'll show them.

Stargazer, I was also thinking of getting picture frames, but the problem is I don't have a single picture of all of my friends. I have maybe a few school pictures, but we never get out a camera when we have sleepovers or whatnot. Perhaps I should get everyone together and get a picture.

[Miss Filangi]

I'm really screwed with gift ideas this year. If things keep going the way they are going, my mother and my boyfriend aren't going to get much.

My mother - well, she has no real hobbies. She's a very busy person and is always on the go. She's currently retired, but she works about 4 days a week supply teaching. She is the woman that has everything.

My boyfriend already has cologne and I'm planning on getting him some clothes - even though I'd like to get him something fun and thoughtful. (No video games though, sweet Lord, no video games!)

If anyone has any ideas it would be much appreciated.

[Duxxy]

Miss F we have given up on buying my grandparents gifts. For the past 3 years we have given them gift certificates to a restaurant that they go to every friday night. They got enough last year to keep them well into the summer months
I should add they are getting older and a little hard to please.. I was so darned happy when they got excited about the certificates... in some circumstances gift certificates are impersonal.. in others they are downright thoughtful

[firegirl]

Miss F, I got my surrogate mom who has everything a "wine club" membership and once a month a new kind of wine comes to the house. If she doesn't drink how about the flowers or fruit?? Red Envelope is a good source for the unique gifts or how about just making her do something like getting tickets to a great show that is coming to town or nearby and include dinner w/you. A girls night? You could wrap an advertisment about the show or print it out from the net. A photo album you have made or a start of a great one. Exposures.com has amazing and different ways to do things w/photos and a great gift section.

My bf is a private pilot in his spare time and I found a reproduction of a wwII wooden propeller so I got that for him he can mount it in his "man room" or some cool place. I also got him some big boy toys well they are actually toys but he likes to play w/that too. He gets cold sometimes too when watching TV (can you say marathoner no body fat) so I got him a really cool manly couch blanket!

[Miss Filangi]

I'm have considered gift certificates for my mother, but I have a problem with it. My mother is SOOOOO thoughtful and goes so overboard with Christmas that I feel compelled to match her. I may actually get her a gift certificate for a spa day or something like that, though.