Thanks for posting your list. I'm interested in knowing more about the applesauce ornaments you mentioned - can you post more details, please?
I'm always looking for crafts and stuff to do with the kids. We did potato stamping today and it was huge hit. I have a gingerbread house kit I got at a fabric store for $3.99 that we might decorate today.... I think it will be fun but doubt the frosting will make it to the house to stick it together, if you know what I mean...
If you have an animal shelter in your area you might check to see if they have Christmas dinner for the animals sometimes a company will donate hamburger and tuna for the cats and dogs. They always need extra hands that day and the pay is great, lots of kisses and love. Sometmes seeing how little they have and how thankful they are for it is a good lesson in tough times. Here they do it the weekend before the holiday and if you bring a toy, an old towel,or a item from their wish list you get a burger meal as well. It is a huge fundraising day and a special day for all the animals.
If you have an animal shelter in your area you might check to see if they have Christmas dinner for the animals sometimes a company will donate hamburger and tuna for the cats and dogs. They always need extra hands that day and the pay is great, lots of kisses and love. Sometmes seeing how little they have and how thankful they are for it is a good lesson in tough times. Here they do it the weekend before the holiday and if you bring a toy, an old towel,or a item from their wish list you get a burger meal as well. It is a huge fundraising day and a special day for all the animals.
My kids are grown but we always were tight on money and we always made ornaments for other family members.One of the nice things is they are inexpensive and the kids love making them.. We also did the cookies and candy gifts.
Of late we have stopped giving gifts .. as I said all the kids are grown and really we all just want to spend the day together.
A friend of mine and her family volunteers at the home less shelter they dish up food. IT has been a growing experience for them and their kids ages 10-17 now but they started when the little one was 5
Years ago I had a recipe for making ornaments out of corn starch. Mix it with a one other ingredient, a little water, roll out dough, cut out with cutters and bake. Then paint or use glitter.....decorate how ever you want. My sister and I still have most of these ornaments from 20 or more years ago. I am sure the recipe can be found on line somewhere. You can even use that mixture (plaster of paris?) the schools have the children make their handprints out of. Hey, there's an idea!!!
About 10 years ago we were really broke due to hubby's illness. I went to Goodwill store and bought a couple of toys for our 5 year old. I cleaned them up and he thought he had new toys. Last week I was in there and bought a Little Tikes baby stroller WITH the baby doll and two sets of doll clothes for $4.00. I swear all must have just been taken out of the box and never played with. They are perfect!! This along with a couple of other gifts will be given to our little Abigail from Angel Tree Ministries.
Nursing homes.....the residents love when children visit. It is amazing how sensitive and intuitive children are with the seniors. Call ahead and make an appointment to just go in and talk to the seniors. The children could draw/paint pictures for them or just simply read to them. They love it when you bring family pictures. My youngest plays piano. He goes several times a year and plays for them. Many nursing homes have an adopt a senior program. Not just for Christmas but all year long. It is heartbreaking how many of them are forgotten by their families or do not have families.
This is what I am doing for my grown sons.....I am cooking for them. I am making Italian sauce, vegetable soup, chicken noodle soup, tomato florentine soup, chicken/broccoli/rice casserole, macaroni/cheese pie, squash casserole, and chicken-n-dumplins for gifts. I cook two of everything, wrap, label, and date. I have done this the last two years and they love it!!! And so does daughter-in-law! Expensive? NO! I have a deep freezer so I start stocking up on certain items in June or July. I garden and do a lot of canning and freezing of the vegetables. Dumplins and pasta are homemade, so pshew, flour and water with an egg or two cost next to nothing.
Like the Grinch said tonight....."maybe....Christmas doesn't come from a store." Bramble you are making memories for your children. They will always treasure that.
In-rez WC gifts at this time of year might include a voucher book (or "vouchers") entitling the recipient to something nice that they couldn't easily get, or might enjoy.
For instance: married couples had a bathroom (with bath) but single Corps just had showers. So a gift might be a candle-lit bath - simple, but some people enjoyed baths above showers.
Others might give a voucher for a massage. Or a "get out of jail free" substitute thing - to take their place on some kind of work crew.
Not having spare cash this year, I decided to give vouchers (eg):
- For a back massage
- For a week's worth of ironing of shirts
- For a roast dinner complete with dessert of apple crumble
You might consider vouchers for: washing someone's car, walking the dog, babysitting, window washing, digging the garden, mowing the lawn, trip to the beach/lake/forest/anywhere within xx miles. You choose what you feel able to give.
Also, don't overlook Freecycle. I posted elsewhere about that. Amazing, some of the things you can get there. I got a "Survival" book (humorous) for a friend who is imagining disasters and loves wargames.
Go to a Dollar Store, get a goofy looking mug for $1 or so, and fill it with candy kisses or stick a packet or two of hot chocolate mix inside.
Look around, see what you have. Our first Christmas as a couple we had a little antique table we got for $1 at an auction and Mr. Garden refinished it and we gave it to my parents for Christmas. Little magic glue with walnut plaques and seashells and we had something for my aunt (hanging in the sunroom as she has gone to heaven).
I make jam every summer and give with a bow and some homemade biscuits or cookies.
The wise men may have had gold, frankincense and myrrh, but the shepherds gave their hearts.
Watered, you brought back some memories I hadn't had for years.
I was in Neu Ulm Germany, 579th Ordnance company, US Army, Christmas '72. I got a package of homemade peanut brittle and peanut butter cookies from my mom. Better than any ham and mashed potatoes Christmas dinner.
This year gifts for children only....plus 1 adult gift. Genderless worth about $20. Wrapped.
Around the dinner table we will pass a bucket and each one will take a number out. After dinner - - the children get their gifts...... The genderless boxes are pooled on the floor....then.....we start with # 1.
#1 picks a gift - opens it. #2 can pick a gift OR take #1's gift....and then #1 gets to pick again. So it continues. Anyone can either pick a present OR take a gift. Methinks this should be fun. We may be as many as 22 - 26!
Thanks for posting your list. I'm interested in knowing more about the applesauce ornaments you mentioned - can you post more details, please?
I'm always looking for crafts and stuff to do with the kids. We did potato stamping today and it was huge hit. I have a gingerbread house kit I got at a fabric store for $3.99 that we might decorate today.... I think it will be fun but doubt the frosting will make it to the house to stick it together, if you know what I mean...
Most recipes involve equal parts of applesauce and cinnamon... (enough to make a sort of dough that you can flatten out on wax paper. Then you use cookie cutters to make the shapes and a straw to poke a hanging-hole at the top. Then you simply let them set out for a few days (turning them over every few hours or they will curl at the edges) until they dry. -- I've seen some recipes that also add some white school glue to the mix, and some say to lay your ornaments out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 200 degrees for a few hours.
But that seems like an awful lot of cinnamon, which isn't cheap these days! I wonder if you could cut that with some flour and add a drop of cinnamon oil or fragrance instead? Anyone tried something like that? Of course, it might make them look more tan than dark brown, so that's something to consider.
Last year son and daughter-in-law (well, last Christmas she wasn't daughter-in-law, yet) gave me a a large frame of different pictures they had taken of all of us at different family gatherings. One photograph I had repeatedly asked for a copy. I finally quit asking.
When I unwrapped the gift low and behold right smack dab in the middle of the frame was that picture blown up. I sobbed. That was the most beautiful and thoughtful gift. The frame could have been made of gold and it would still be far less precious to me than the photos of my children throughtout the year and the love and thought that was put into it. It still brings me to tears.
We decided to start a tradition with that.....taking pictures during the year and putting them together for a gift at the end of the year.
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ChasUFarley
Thanks for posting your list. I'm interested in knowing more about the applesauce ornaments you mentioned - can you post more details, please?
I'm always looking for crafts and stuff to do with the kids. We did potato stamping today and it was huge hit. I have a gingerbread house kit I got at a fabric store for $3.99 that we might decorate today.... I think it will be fun but doubt the frosting will make it to the house to stick it together, if you know what I mean...
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WhiteDove
If you have an animal shelter in your area you might check to see if they have Christmas dinner for the animals sometimes a company will donate hamburger and tuna for the cats and dogs. They always need extra hands that day and the pay is great, lots of kisses and love. Sometmes seeing how little they have and how thankful they are for it is a good lesson in tough times. Here they do it the weekend before the holiday and if you bring a toy, an old towel,or a item from their wish list you get a burger meal as well. It is a huge fundraising day and a special day for all the animals.
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leafytwiglet
My kids are grown but we always were tight on money and we always made ornaments for other family members.One of the nice things is they are inexpensive and the kids love making them.. We also did the cookies and candy gifts.
Of late we have stopped giving gifts .. as I said all the kids are grown and really we all just want to spend the day together.
A friend of mine and her family volunteers at the home less shelter they dish up food. IT has been a growing experience for them and their kids ages 10-17 now but they started when the little one was 5
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polar bear
It's the quality time with them that they will remember.
Have a great holiday season.
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kimberly
Years ago I had a recipe for making ornaments out of corn starch. Mix it with a one other ingredient, a little water, roll out dough, cut out with cutters and bake. Then paint or use glitter.....decorate how ever you want. My sister and I still have most of these ornaments from 20 or more years ago. I am sure the recipe can be found on line somewhere. You can even use that mixture (plaster of paris?) the schools have the children make their handprints out of. Hey, there's an idea!!!
About 10 years ago we were really broke due to hubby's illness. I went to Goodwill store and bought a couple of toys for our 5 year old. I cleaned them up and he thought he had new toys. Last week I was in there and bought a Little Tikes baby stroller WITH the baby doll and two sets of doll clothes for $4.00. I swear all must have just been taken out of the box and never played with. They are perfect!! This along with a couple of other gifts will be given to our little Abigail from Angel Tree Ministries.
Nursing homes.....the residents love when children visit. It is amazing how sensitive and intuitive children are with the seniors. Call ahead and make an appointment to just go in and talk to the seniors. The children could draw/paint pictures for them or just simply read to them. They love it when you bring family pictures. My youngest plays piano. He goes several times a year and plays for them. Many nursing homes have an adopt a senior program. Not just for Christmas but all year long. It is heartbreaking how many of them are forgotten by their families or do not have families.
This is what I am doing for my grown sons.....I am cooking for them. I am making Italian sauce, vegetable soup, chicken noodle soup, tomato florentine soup, chicken/broccoli/rice casserole, macaroni/cheese pie, squash casserole, and chicken-n-dumplins for gifts. I cook two of everything, wrap, label, and date. I have done this the last two years and they love it!!! And so does daughter-in-law! Expensive? NO! I have a deep freezer so I start stocking up on certain items in June or July. I garden and do a lot of canning and freezing of the vegetables. Dumplins and pasta are homemade, so pshew, flour and water with an egg or two cost next to nothing.
Like the Grinch said tonight....."maybe....Christmas doesn't come from a store." Bramble you are making memories for your children. They will always treasure that.
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cheranne
i like gettting old books,and handmade cards.
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Twinky
In-rez WC gifts at this time of year might include a voucher book (or "vouchers") entitling the recipient to something nice that they couldn't easily get, or might enjoy.
For instance: married couples had a bathroom (with bath) but single Corps just had showers. So a gift might be a candle-lit bath - simple, but some people enjoyed baths above showers.
Others might give a voucher for a massage. Or a "get out of jail free" substitute thing - to take their place on some kind of work crew.
Not having spare cash this year, I decided to give vouchers (eg):
- For a back massage
- For a week's worth of ironing of shirts
- For a roast dinner complete with dessert of apple crumble
You might consider vouchers for: washing someone's car, walking the dog, babysitting, window washing, digging the garden, mowing the lawn, trip to the beach/lake/forest/anywhere within xx miles. You choose what you feel able to give.
Also, don't overlook Freecycle. I posted elsewhere about that. Amazing, some of the things you can get there. I got a "Survival" book (humorous) for a friend who is imagining disasters and loves wargames.
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Watered Garden
Go to a Dollar Store, get a goofy looking mug for $1 or so, and fill it with candy kisses or stick a packet or two of hot chocolate mix inside.
Look around, see what you have. Our first Christmas as a couple we had a little antique table we got for $1 at an auction and Mr. Garden refinished it and we gave it to my parents for Christmas. Little magic glue with walnut plaques and seashells and we had something for my aunt (hanging in the sunroom as she has gone to heaven).
I make jam every summer and give with a bow and some homemade biscuits or cookies.
The wise men may have had gold, frankincense and myrrh, but the shepherds gave their hearts.
WG
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Jim
Watered, you brought back some memories I hadn't had for years.
I was in Neu Ulm Germany, 579th Ordnance company, US Army, Christmas '72. I got a package of homemade peanut brittle and peanut butter cookies from my mom. Better than any ham and mashed potatoes Christmas dinner.
Thanks for the reminder of simple things...
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krys
This year gifts for children only....plus 1 adult gift. Genderless worth about $20. Wrapped.
Around the dinner table we will pass a bucket and each one will take a number out. After dinner - - the children get their gifts...... The genderless boxes are pooled on the floor....then.....we start with # 1.
#1 picks a gift - opens it. #2 can pick a gift OR take #1's gift....and then #1 gets to pick again. So it continues. Anyone can either pick a present OR take a gift. Methinks this should be fun. We may be as many as 22 - 26!
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waysider
Last year, another GSC'er introduced me to a game called DIRTY SANTA. (not what it sounds like!)
It's a lot of fun.
Here's a link that shows how to play it.
http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/chi...t-exchange.html
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mstar1
In my neck of the woods thats called a Yankee Swap. My family did one of those last year, Ive been to a few company parties that have done them too--
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TheHighWay
Most recipes involve equal parts of applesauce and cinnamon... (enough to make a sort of dough that you can flatten out on wax paper. Then you use cookie cutters to make the shapes and a straw to poke a hanging-hole at the top. Then you simply let them set out for a few days (turning them over every few hours or they will curl at the edges) until they dry. -- I've seen some recipes that also add some white school glue to the mix, and some say to lay your ornaments out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 200 degrees for a few hours.
But that seems like an awful lot of cinnamon, which isn't cheap these days! I wonder if you could cut that with some flour and add a drop of cinnamon oil or fragrance instead? Anyone tried something like that? Of course, it might make them look more tan than dark brown, so that's something to consider.
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kimberly
Last year son and daughter-in-law (well, last Christmas she wasn't daughter-in-law, yet) gave me a a large frame of different pictures they had taken of all of us at different family gatherings. One photograph I had repeatedly asked for a copy. I finally quit asking.
When I unwrapped the gift low and behold right smack dab in the middle of the frame was that picture blown up. I sobbed. That was the most beautiful and thoughtful gift. The frame could have been made of gold and it would still be far less precious to me than the photos of my children throughtout the year and the love and thought that was put into it. It still brings me to tears.
We decided to start a tradition with that.....taking pictures during the year and putting them together for a gift at the end of the year.
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waysider
Cool idea!
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