Christmas presents
 

I know it's a little bit early but since I'm unemployed I figured I get an early start on Christmas shopping. I've got quite a few gifts to buy but I can't think of anything to buy for a few people...

What are you guys planning on getting people for Christmas?

What do YOU really, really, really want for Christmas?

I also need an idea that is crafty. Since a ton of my friends got married this year we decided to have "Crafty Christmas". Instead of just going out and buying something we all have to make something. I want to make something for everyone to decorate their house with since everyone moved into a new place. Any ideas??

It's never too early to start thinking about winter holiday gifts. Just think, you won't have to crowd into the malls with everyone else the day after Thanksgiving ;)

I'm an avid cross stitcher. I recently found a cross stitch trivet kit at Michael's. There are a few different designs, mostly floral. The kit includes the pattern, aida cloth, and a clear plastic trivet (but not the floss) - you stitch it up then insert it into the trivet. A couple of my relatives will be getting these as one of their gifts (they will be getting "nicer" gifts too - we just haven't decided what yet).

I think that does sound like a nice gift, aephi alum! I always love receiving something crafty that someone made. One of my alum sisters is such a crafty-queen. She always makes me the coolest things, and I love them.

Me, on the other hand - I cannot make anything. Seriously. I can scrapbook, but that is about the extent of my crafty ability.

Thank goodness I am the PartyLite candle queen! I can make money off of buying Christmas gifts for other people :D LOL!

AOX81 - I say go for something crafty -- I know I've seen a lot of bead-type things that look pretty simple, but pretty. I also love going to the paint-your-own pottery stores and using their stencils and stuff to paint things. I buy the cheap things - like a tile, or a small plate or something. You can tie a nice ribbon with wire into a big bow, and hot glue the ends to the back. Then they can use the bow part to hang their piece. It is a nice finished look.

:) By "nicer" I mean something like jewelry for my mom and mother-in-law, books for my dad's library, electronic gadgets for my husband and father-in-law, etc. In my family, we SPEND for winter holiday gifts!

I need to get shopping... and stitching :)

it is never to early for Christmass shopping. I am half way through shopping, and most of my Christmass Cards are done.

I only have my brother and my dad to get.

Christia

Not crafty or anything, but just a nice idea I thought...

I saw that Pier 1 has pink candles in a pretty frosted glass holder that they are selling for 12.95. They give 1/4 of the proceeds to the Susan Komen foundation (sorry if I spelled it wrong). I thought I'd get one for each of the women in my immediate family. I mean, I'm not a big fan of pink, but given the reasons I'd burn it happily!

My family exchanges wish lists every year, so that makes it easy to buy gifts for everyone. I always try to stick to the list, because I know that what I personally like may not be what cousin Matt likes.

As for what I really, really, really want for Christmas this year... I want anything that is left on my wedding registry. :D I made it really easy for my family by just giving them a list of the stores.

I think my mom started christmas shopping on dec 26th - it's funny that she knows what i want already but i don't even know :)

Re: Christmas presents
 

HI There,

What about doing a small scrapbook photo album for each of them this year. My mom is doing that for each of us kids and looking through the pictures to choose which ones (i'm helping since I'm the only one that lives at home) go in the book has been a lot of fun. Oh the memories some of them bring back.

Or like one person suggested go to a place like Color Me Mine or another paint your own pottery place and make something for them from there. You can do anything from knickknacks to mugs to whatever you can think of. It's a lot of fun.

Carolyn

Everyone but one person is getting a collage like frame with pictures of me in it at various stages of my life. Friends are getting smaller collage frames with pictures of me and that friend in most of the pics.

My only real costs are the costs of the frames as making copies of the pictures at walmart is relatively cheap. These gifts also have more meaning than just a shirt, or a gift certificate, or candles or whatever.

Re: Christmas presents
 

Unemployed and Christmas Shopping = BAD IDEA! DON'T PUT IT ON THE CARDS! I did that the Christmas before I moved to Texas...yeah, I swear I'm still paying that one off!

What am I planning on getting people?
I'm a very different Christmas shopper in that I generally don't go off of people's Christmas Lists. I like to shop for unique things that the people I love would have never thought of asking for.
For Example The year my brother went off to college he started playing cards a lot with his buddies (they loved that movie Rounders). Anyways, I went into this luggage store, found this beautiful box set of cards and the outside box was colored wood with a deck of cards engraved in the wood (also colored). I knew instantly it was meant for him - and he loved it and best yet he didn't "outgrow" it like clothes!

What do I want for Christmas?
My health
My diploma
A digital camera
More of my Glamorous perfume by Ralph Lauren

(I'm really not a gift person - I like giving better than receiving)

And this is where it rocks to be a props girl.

Because I have to find specific things at the cheapest price and modify them pretty regularly, I know where to shop for cool stuff. It also helps when ya live in New Orleans. :) I usually pick quirky, fun things that I know the reciever will love.

Or in the case of my roomie, who loves coloring. She doesn't have any coloring books, so I'm getting her a few and a box of crayons. :)

For me, for Christmas-I really don't have a list. My mom always picks out fantastic stuff.

My mom is the Christmas shopping champ, it's ridiculous! I think she's almost done with her shopping for me - she even bought me some stuff from where I work with my employee discount, I think. ;)

Last year I had negative money at Christmas time, so I was pretty creative. I got my mom a few GCs and then a picture frame that said "Mommy and Me" with a picture of her feeding me a bottle in it. I think it was meant for three year olds, but she loved it.

This year I think I'm getting my mom and my aunt magazine subscriptions to Real Simple because I love that and I think they'd enjoy it to. My dad I'll probably get a Hawaiian shirt or something, and I have no clue for my Grandpa. I might get him a nice Marquette sweatshirt since my mom's also an alum.

This is basically aimed at GC couples.

Several years ago, Mrs. DeltAlum and I decided to give up trying to figure out gifts for each other.

So, every year we subscribe to the Broadway Series at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. These are "first run" traveling companies of current and resurrected Broadway shows. Many of the tours begin here in Denver.

Next year it includes Hairspray, Movin' Out and others.

It's a gift that brings dividends all year long.

DeltAlum- I love that idea!

My fiance and I met in college, and since we were both poor, we made up a tradition of going to the mall the day after Christmas and buying ourselves presents together. That way we saved money and got stuff we wanted. Now that we have *real* jobs, we might change it around a little, but I kinda like our tradition!