really old style living?

katholicos

mardatha wrote: »

I used to be good at thinking up stuff and enjoyed being "different", but now the energy has gone and its not the same. Last year though, I really enjoyed making the hampers and will do that again. I did home made cakes and shortbread and this time I will make jam and print off nice wee labels. I melted down a lot of old chocs and made new ones, put in tiny gold petit-fours cases. I got a cheap white teapot and two mugs, and shoved the whole lot on one of those big white plastic Ikea trays, with some Earl Grey teabags artistically scattered But not sure what to do this year.. I sort of felt that maybe at xmas people already had tons of food in the house and that mine might be wasted. But cant think of anything else to do.

Maybe the free to print printable preserving labels i designed could be of benefit Mardatha?

mardatha

lovely page, thank you pet x

ChocClare

Hello chaps, been MIA for a while - power connector to my laptop blew up :eek: - never mind the survival sites, this was TEOTWAWKI *fans self* I've got a new connector now (well, I say "new" - a different one - do you know someone on ebay wanted £90 for one??).

Anyway, just catching up on here...

Nuala, can't believe kids get MONEY for Holy Communion - we got rosaries and such :rotfl: My cousin (who lived in Southampton) was asked by my grandmother if he would like a statue of one of the saints for his communion and - predictably enough - said he didn't know all their names but the one he liked best was Lawrie McMenemy. Ah, seven-year-olds (actually, I think you have to be 8 now, don't you??).

mardatha, 2-year-olds and 5-year-olds don't need big presents - the little one certainly not. Something to drive the parents mad, like a cheap tambourine... :eek: I like your idea of treasure chests - could you not do something piratey for both boys with just chocolate coins in instead of "real" coins? You can print out a cut-out pirate hat and eye patch from the web for them to make and you can type their names into a pirate name generator and do them a certificate with their "real" pirate name on. For the 10-year-old - I had some free samples of "animals and you" magazine a couple of years ago for my rainbows and brownies. It had lots of cute animals in it and a free pad and pen on the front with a puppy or a kitten or some such. Honestly, the way those girls on you'd have thought they'd never had such a wonderful gift, and there were plenty of 10-year-olds among them. It was all really cheap stuff - a sparkly pen, a notepad with a cute cover (which you can do yourself), rubbers, pencil sharpeners, that sort of thing. Just a thought...

ginnyknit

Just been on the special occasions and celebrations bit of the board and checked out 'challenge hand made Christmas 2010' there are some fab ideas on there, just got a chilli jam recipe to add to Dds hamper and its really easy. I read through about 15 pages and am off to start making stuff now - OMG is that the time :rotfl:

Hippeechiq

This Christmas malarky has gotten all out of hand, hasn't it?.......how many of us are on here worrying about what to buy, if people will enjoy/like what we buy and how we're going to afford it?

I'm not religious in any way, shape or form (no offence meant to anyone) but that is what it's supposed to be all about right? - so when did we all get duped into believing we've got to spend ludicrous amounts of money on presents and buy vast amounts of food to celebrate the birth of Christ?

Emm-in-a-pickle

Last year was my most frugal for ages, on half pay and not sure if I`d be able to continue my job even after surgery which I`d still no date for by Christmas. Children don`t understand that sort of thing, (you can`t undo what you`ve done if you`ve previously enjoyed yourself spending loads on them! Not their fault!) I remembered my own childhood Christmases, (Books were always the best pressies, but you couldn`t read ALL the time...the annual `compendium of games`, but as an only child nobody to play them with except sometimes my mum who cheated outrageously at snakes & ladders so I ranted and giggled at the same time...the paintbox, crayons and colouring books but wished there was just blank paper.) Last autumn I started picking up lots of cheap bargains in the stationary line, mostly reductions from the end of the `back to school` lines.And packs of cheap copier paper on special offer. I bought multi-packs of notebooks, crayons, felts, rubbers, pens, pencils, etc.and split them, and bought some Pound shop little 3-drawer things to put stuff in. All the young`uns I bought for got a 3-drawerful of this lot with a bag of choc coins stuck to the top and a good wodge of blank A4 paper underneath. That was such a big hit with the kids and their parents I`m doing the same again this year, even though my circs have improved. It takes time and thought, and I`m now enjoying the hunt for novelty stationery - great finds at Mr T`s the other day!

NualaBuala

meanmarie wrote: »

About 5 years ago I decided that I wasn't going to kill myself to try to get presents of roughly equal value for my (7) grown up children, so I announced that I was spending a maximum of €5 each on everybody...they have had scarves, nice soaps, stuff I have got for little or nothing in charity shops through the year and socks, hats etc...it has worked well as they know that what they get from me will be odd/funny but not expensive. For my grandchildren I have knitted twinsets for the 3 girls, who are 5 and 2, sweaters for the 8 and 9 year old boys, they will all get some chocolate coins in silver and gold paper and an age appropriate book...I think that they do very well and the first person to complain will be off my list!

Marie

I like your thinking Marie, you've got the right idea!

ChocClare wrote: »

Nuala, can't believe kids get MONEY for Holy Communion - we got rosaries and such :rotfl: My cousin (who lived in Southampton) was asked by my grandmother if he would like a statue of one of the saints for his communion and - predictably enough - said he didn't know all their names but the one he liked best was Lawrie McMenemy. Ah, seven-year-olds (actually, I think you have to be 8 now, don't you??).

I know, it's nuts! Not just money - they're getting big money! I wonder will it change now everyone is tightening their belts. I got a rosary from my Nana, a prayer book from Mum and Dad, my first watch (a humble but lovely Timex) from my auntie and my godmother made my dress from her wedding dress. All very nice and old style! Oh, happy days. Of course some might say it was all a waste since I am a heathen now!

Hippeechiq wrote: »

This Christmas malarky has gotten all out of hand, hasn't it?.......how many of us are on here worrying about what to buy, if people will enjoy/like what we buy and how we're going to afford it?

I'm not religious in any way, shape or form (no offence meant to anyone) but that is what it's supposed to be all about right? - so when did we all get duped into believing we've got to spend ludicrous amounts of money on presents and buy vast amounts of food to celebrate the birth of Christ?

Well said Hippeechiq! :T

Ginny, sorry to hear your OH isn't doing well. Have my fingers crossed for you all.

mardatha

Very very lapsed catholic heather up here but very tempted to start praying today before these bl**dy CUTS !
Thanks for some great ideas. I am calm about xmas now. ONto panicking about the cuts now !

annie123

katholicos wrote: »

Maybe the free to print printable preserving labels i designed could be of benefit Mardatha?

What a wonderful, helpful blog you have.:T
Thank you so much for posting a link, will be using the preserving labels and a lot more from it.

maryb

Mardatha,

I always work on the basis of getting something that doesn't last but is lovely at the time - because to give something that lasts is usually expensive and you can't be sure they will like it unless you know for a fact there is something particular they want.

So that basically leaves food and plants of some sort. You've done food in previous years so that suggests plants is the way to go. I've never tried doing hyacinths and don't know if it's too late this year to plant them now to have them in bloom for Christmas but that is always a good one and not too expensive.

The other thing that has gone down really well is a Christmas table decoration. Forgive me if this is something you have done before and I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs (why would anyone's granny DO that ??) You need a bit of circular green Oasis about 2 inches thick and a pillar candle plus an old saucer to stand it on (charity shop). Tape the oasis to the saucer by criss crossing over the top of the block and wrapping it round underneath then tape some cocktail sticks to the bottom of the candle and stand it on top of the Oasis. Then get some sprigs of evergreen about 3 inches long, (free if picked up on walks) pull the needles off the bottom inch of stem and insert the stems into the Oasis all the way round, angling them downwards so that they touch the table, then go round again to do the top surface round the base of the candle. Try and cover the Oasis. Then decorate with some small pine cones (also free). You can glue them on if you have a glue gun, or twist a bit of thin wire round the base, leaving an end which you can stick in the Oasis.

This is surprisingly quick and easy to do and you can make several out of one pack of Oasis, plus if you choose short fat candles they are not very expensive but look luxurious because the Oasis gives them height. If you combine that with a poinsettia which you can usually pick up cheaply from a stall just before Christmas, it looks impressive in a hamper