“Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words.”
-Harlan Miller
Mama and I were discussing the value of craft gifts yesterday. Each year she gave us a handmade gift from her, not from Santa. Terry cloth robes with bunny ears, new purses, smocked pjs, and corduroy coats. She’s good at craft gifts.
As much as I love crafts and crafting, I recently came to the conclusion that crafts are difficult for me to give as presents—the style has to fit the recipient, the object has to fit the recipient, and the recipient has to be ok with imperfections. And, men... what do you make for men?
A couple of years ago I went the DIY route, and I have a feeling that few of the gifts were ever used—skirts were too big, cute hats were too cute, bags just weren’t their style. Then last year, we went store bought—we were thoroughly taking advantage of our DINKs status (dual income, no kids). We spent a lot, visited a lot of malls, but I didn't worry my little head about whether they would appreciate my craft.
However, this year we’re DINKS with a mortgage, so it’s back to DIY (and raiding the gift drawer). But I’m trying hard to only do handmade where I know I will succeed. I know it’s the thought that counts, but my thought should be if the recipient would be pleased about it or not.
There are a couple of handmade gifts that can’t be shown due to my readership (thanks for reading!). But, I think my favorite gifts for this holiday season are for my niece and nephew.
The t-shirts with my iron-on designs for my 4.5-year old nephew:
Of course, he will probably like the light-up shirt that we bought at a Halloween clearance sale much more than these ones that were crafted with love :)
And, my absolute favorite, the onesies with my iron-on designs for my 2-month old niece (I think actually she’s my first cousin-in-law, once removed, if you want to get specific!). Match these up with some pink and white leg warmers, and she'll be the cutest baby on the block.
One note to remember if you attempt such a project… most printable iron-on transfers don’t work well on dark colors, as you can see below. (Picture is even with the flash)
So, instead I ironed them on to white fabric and then used the magic Steam-a-Seam II Lite to attach the design to the shirt. Of course, I did it the wrong way first and then had to affix the remedied design on top. Live and learn…
“Christmas is a spirit that flows from one heart to another. It is more precious than rubies and better than gold.”
-Agnes M. Pharo
The Christmas cards have been sent. The Christmas ornaments have been swapped. They are traveling at full speed around the country. Expect photos soon!
“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”
-Agnes M. Pharo
Flipping back through my biography, Christmas has every right to be a sad, depressing, disgusting, bah-humbug time of year. Twice, in my teenage years, Christmas time became a time of loss, instead of joy and hope like it’s touted to be.
In 1997 when I was 13 years old and in 8th grade, my father ended his battle with bipolar disorder just days before Christmas. Instead of baking cookies and attending Christmas parties, that season was filled with braving funerals and wiping away tears. Needless to say, the Christmas celebrations were low-key—I missed the annual youth group Christmas party, we distracted ourselves at my grandparents’ house with my cousin T.R. instead of attending the Christmas Eve service, and Christmas morning was a quiet affair. That year it felt we were just going through the motions. But, looking back, I take great pride in the fact that we even attempted that much.
A few years later, in my senior year of high school, we celebrated Christmas morning as usual, but our annual Christmas dinner was cancelled because Momo was ill. She had fought several recurrences of ovarian cancer, but this time the disease was too strong. We were never able to reschedule that dinner because Momo was in the hospital and hospice care until she died in April 2002. The historically joyous occasion became the beginning of her end.
Currently, my Monday night Bible study group is discussing the Advent lectionary in the context of four words: Anticipation, Hope, Patience, and Obedience. As we discuss our memories of Advent and the Christmas season, I’m in awe about how I look forward to Christmas with just as much excitement as everyone else. These tragedies don’t cloud my view of the holiday much at all. Christmas is so much more than all of that.
There are enough wonderful memories from years before and years after that those sad memories don’t poison my Christmas season. They become jumbled up with all of the merry ones, making Christmastime that much more special to me. The Christmas spirit—the goodness, the love, the wishes, the peace, the promise—that’s what it’s all about.
“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”
-W. T. Ellis
Photo from Flickr by David Zellaby
I’ve even got almost all of the gifts wrapped. And about half were delivered when we traveled to Shreveport this past week.
But the house… when am I going to get around to decorating the house? I won’t officially move in until the 18th, and we leave for Florida on the 23rd. Somehow I get the feeling that Rob won’t be too thrilled when we need to unpack boxes and hang blinds this weekend, but all I want to do is decorate the Christmas tree.
“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.”
-Brother David Steindl-Rast
- Being able to “work from home” Tuesday morning, so I could run some last minute errands and finish packing before we left for Louisiana.
- Playing the “baby name game” (for imaginary babies!) all the way through Alabama and Mississippi. We could settle on several boys’ names, but girls’ names are another story.
- Giggling with my youngest cousin, Laura, as she played with the puppy, as she snuck chocolates, as she played Mad Gabs with us… as she did basically anything.
- Eating at all of my favorite dining establishments in town: TacoMania, Strawn’s, Raisin’ Canes, and Gatti’s Pizza.
- Celebrating Thanksgiving dinner at the country club—not the best meal I’ve ever had, mostly because the mashed potatoes lacked my special touch and because there was no pecan pie. But there were also no dirty dishes, so I can’t complain too much.
- Running (or jogging!) the whole Turkey Trot with Rob, with only one sub-one-minute stop right at the end.
- Convincing my teenage cousin to emerge from the text-messaging world she lives in to watch a movie.
- I was able to get 4 new pairs of “school” pants at New York and Company on Black Friday. Pants that fit, are comfortable, look professional, and could be hemmed by my mom before we left to go home.
- Raiding my old bedroom for cute decorations and books that I had forgotten about.
- Chatting and catching up with my dad’s side of the family.
- Georgia Tech beat Georgia. Hasn’t happened in 7 years. Enough said.
- There’s no better way to learn “why I am the way I am” (or for Rob to learn it) than attempting a big project with my family. This year for her birthday, we offered to help my mom paint her bedroom (and hallway). A big task, but we were able to get much of it complete. The best part… pushing all of the furniture back into place and bringing Mama in to view the final product.
- Waking up from my road-nap to find that Rob had stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch because he knew it would be a special treat.
Of course, he will probably like the light-up shirt that we bought at a Halloween clearance sale much more than these ones that were crafted with love :)
One note to remember if you attempt such a project… most printable iron-on transfers don’t work well on dark colors, as you can see below. (Picture is even with the flash)
So, instead I ironed them on to white fabric and then used the magic Steam-a-Seam II Lite to attach the design to the shirt. Of course, I did it the wrong way first and then had to affix the remedied design on top. Live and learn…
