My special gift.

I know it is more blessed to give than to receive, but this year I feel so blessed by what was given to me. Yes, I had a lot of fun with my giving, I made gift baskets up of mixes in jars and had a lot of fun doing it. It was not cheap, but it sure was fun! The hunting for the grand kids was fun too.

The little ones were such a delight to see as they tried to open their presents and everyone else's as well. I sure love family gatherings!

Now, what did I receive? A trip to NC and Maine to see the kids and grand kids in those places. I am so excited!! As near as I can tell my husband was the instigator, but all the kids put in the money and made it possible. I will spend a few days in NC with one daughter and her family and then fly to Maine to see the rest of them and 13 grand kids there.

Thanks gang! I am so looking forward to the trip.

Merry Christmas!

Friday I finally put up a Christmas tree. Here in the part of Texas we are in Christmas trees (real ones) are a bit hard to come by. I went one place and the cheapest was a small tree starting at $60. Another place had Charlie Brown trees from 69 to who knows what. Places that sell trees are few and far between so I was running all over. I finally gave up. I was upset, but did not have the money to spend such a fortune to get a tree (nice ones were over 100.)

I came home rather discouraged and yet decided it was not going to ruin my Christmas. A tree was not what it was all about. It was a symbol. Up in the north and Midwest you can find trees everywhere. The boy scouts sell them, all kinds of people sell them and the choices are great, and then there is the tree farms where you can get a really fresh tree and cut it yourself.

That night, when my step daughter came to get her baby, she told me they were not putting up a tree this year and I could borrow theirs if I would like. I was thrilled! I was so desperate this year I even will use an artificial tree!

Friday I put the tree up and did a bit of decorating. My granddaughter watched in awe. I put unbreakable ornaments and then candy canes. Why does every baby and dog know what is candy and what is fake?

She went to the tree and began removing the candy canes. She pulled on the long end but it would not come off the tree, she then pulled on the short end, same thing. Then she grabbed the branch and pulled it down and took the candy cane off by the hook part. Pretty smart for a 1 year old!

She and Makita then shared the candy cane(s) Scout ate them to the hook and Makita got the hook part while Scout went to hunt out another candy cane.

What fun to watch!

I hope you enjoy your kids discoveries with the tree and with all of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!

Holiday or Christmas?

What does Christmas mean to you? Is it just another day for family? Do you get lost in the stress of the day? or the commercialism?

As we go shopping there is little mention of Christmas, let alone the Christ of Christmas. It is "holiday" this and "holiday" that. A holiday tree? Holiday ornaments?

This is Christmas. Celebration of Christ's birth. We are the reason He came to earth. The reason He limited himself by coming as a human, and yet we are now denying Him in our country and around the world.

As I watch even Christian families prepare for Christmas, they are caught up in the materialism, the business and the commercialism of it all.

Why don't we all rest and have the Peace HE brought to us and celebrate what He has done. He came to die for us, let's proclaim Him this Christmas. When faced with a "Happy Holiday" reply with a "Merry Christmas"!

Christmas Order

Today at Rocks in my Dryer it is a Christmas works for me Wednesday.

Christmas comes faster every year I think. I keep wondering what is happening to the days of the year and who is stealing them. There has to be fewer days each year with as fast as they are coming and going!

For my Christmas planning I care for my presents in order. First, I get all the ones that have to be sent in the mail. I wrap them and then categorize them by families. When I have one for everyone in the family I then seal the box and mail it out. I expect them to wait until Christmas to open them, but I know that is just too hard for some and they open them early. (Jessica!)

After I have all them done and mailed I then get the ones that are local ready. If I have purchased them along the way, they are set in a different place so as not to get mixed up with the ones that get mailed.

Right now, I have all my mailing out, but I have not even wrapped or put together the ones that are local. I think I will make it though!

My Christmas dinner is going to be simple, I hope. I have the meat and much of the food, and the kids will bring the rest. Should be a nice relaxing day!

The Pink Elephant and other ideas

I just realized I messed up on todays topic. Please forgive me, this is not a quick fix for supper.

Christmas is almost here and some that are really on the ball have presents wrapped already. For those that don't I would like to make a few suggestions for wrapping and having some fun with the presents.

When my five kids were growing up we never had much money for Christmas. It was always a difficult time for us yet God always worked things out.

The kids, like most kids, would be all excited and want to know what they were getting, since we had little money we did not want to give hints.

Another thing I hate is spending money on wrapping paper and such, that just goes in the garbage immediately upon opening the present.

Here was some of the things we did to save and have fun with presents.

• Wrap things in an unusual way, using parts of the present. My one daughter wanted a sewing machine. We could not afford new, but did find a nice, overhauled one, in a table, at a used store. We brought it home and had no idea how to wrap it. For weeks before Christmas, when she would ask or beg, we told her she was getting a pink elephant. So, I decided to give her pink fabric and I made the sewing machine look like a big pink elephant.
• We saved our Sunday funny section and used those to wrap gifts in, saved a lot of money.
  
• There is the usual towel, blanket etc for a set, used as the wrap, grab a pretty ribbon and it works looks great.
• Trash bags will work with some gifts. White ones the kids can decorate with markers for grandparents, siblings etc.
  
• One year my husband worked out a treasure hunt for one of their gifts, usually the one they wanted most.
  

This worked for me, but I am also interested in other ways you wrap gifts.