Christmas

It looms on the horizon like a cloud - for some people it's a big fluffy white cloud filled with streaks of sunshine.

They love love love the idea of finding and buying the perfect gift for all the people on their list.  Hopefully at 40% off.

For others it's a time of anxiety and stress.  More like a storm cloud on the edge of their vision.

Sometimes it's because of past holidays that didn't work out as planned and other times it's caused by something as simple as lack of money or time to find that "perfect" gift.

Have we thought of what we can do ourselves to make Christmas more meaningful?  How about the things we can make or do ourselves that our family and friends would really love to have.

Back in the day when money was incredibly tight I used to fall back on the things I learned in 4-H of all places!  I could make an apron (yeah, ok, no one wears them any more but this was a long time ago) out of a piece of leftover material, I could make a pomander out of an orange and some clove buds.

 In a pinch I could always make jam or jelly or cranberry relish.

Or pickles from things out of my garden (or even vegetables bought at the local farmer's market).

I still make the jam, jellies, relishes and pickles and there is truly rejoicing from the favored ones on that list!

If we can't do all of this sort of thing, there is always the gift of time.  This is not an original idea I admit - but an IOU for a few hours of babysitting, or one for "I will help you clean up your house cause I know you've been sick and sore" would almost without doubt bring a smile (and a sense of relief) to the person who opens that card!

How about a pledge to take a friend who can no longer drive to the store on a regular basis - it's not as if you're not going anyhow, right?  Or even a promise to go DO that dreaded shopping (especially if they can give you pictures of exactly what they need).

Personally at my stage in life I avoid giving gifts for the sake of giving "something" so I can check that person off my list.  And on the receiving end?  I'd rather receive something that is disposable (like into my stomach) than something I feel obligated to display, use and even worse - DUST!

So before you throw money at the situation, think what you might give that is meaningful, thoughtful and, BTW, does not have to be dusted!