Homemade Christmas

Chef_Ash

Has anyone ever done a completely homemade christmas? We don't have any kids to buy for. We also don't have much at all to spend on craft supplies. Is it doable?

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Janey3

Not for many a year now but it's such a lovely idea to have a traditional home made Christmas and am sure can be doable.

If you are fair at crafting and have the time, then that's the way to go, home made presents, most people enjoy receiving these, if they don't, then just too bad, this is the way you are doing it this year! You wouldn't have to spend that much on materials - browse the charity shops for materials and boot sales, etc., Most of the food can be home made too and prepared in advance. Decorations can be made, with little expense. I think time is the one thing you will need plenty of.

Making me nostalgic now, for Christmases past when everything was home made and the true spirit of Christmas shone through!

Looking forward to see how it's going if you decide to do this.

mrs_motivated

What a lovely idea, I'm not sure I could do it but shall watch this with interest and hopefully pick up some tips

[Deleted User]

Sound great,and very like my childhood of the late 1940s-50s.Toys were almost unobtainable and toy shops few and far between.

had two older brothers who bless them were vary practical at making things(my late Dad was a chemist, and apart from perhaps mending my brothers shoes, hadn't a clue) My late Mum was always knitting or sewing and made lots of stuff,but I never noticed until Christmas morning what she was making for me (probably did it once I was in bed).

My eldest brother ,now sadly passed away, made me a beautiful dolls house from old orange box wood in 1951 and my middle brother carved all the furniture and varnished it for me.They were very practical boys and great at building something out of nothing almost .

My middle brother grew up and continued this habit and in 1995 bought an old tumbled down house and barn in France and totally renovated it into a three bedroomed house where he has lived in since 2003.It was basically four walls and an earthen floor.No plumbing/electric and it had a tree growing through the roof of the house;):):) I think to go back to the non-commercial days before all of the plastic tatt that's around now would be lovely .

If nothing else there would be far less landfill as anything that could be used.recycled or adapted was in those days .Materials were hard to come by often.

As for the food, back then, because of rationing it was your Mum's inventiveness that usually saved the day, and certain things were hoarded towards Christmas like sugar and dried fruits. One year my Mum managed to make coconut ice God knows where she sourced the coconut from and she also made peppermint cream both of these were made and wrapped in bits of the orange cellophane from a Lucozade bottle that my Dad had brought home. Decorations were carefully put away each year for the following year for the tree and paper decorations were always hand made paper chains, or chinese lanterns from coloured paper .Christmas wrapping paper was often ironed and put away and no one ever, ever cut string it was undone and rolled up I still can't bring myself all these years later to cut the paper on a parcel :)

It will be interesting to see how this thread develops and how folk are making maybe more things for Christmas instead of just buying in to the commercial junk that's already flooding the shops.I know I shall be drying slices of oranges on the radiator to hang on the tree (Harrods want £8.00 for a small net bag of these)
So come on fellow MSE'rs lets see how creative we can be with some ideas from long ago

summerlady_2

I always intend to but start far too late to make all the gifts I would like to make.


People end up getting crafted items as birthday gifts.


There is a crafting section on here in the Christmas and other Yuletide Celebrations board. I haven't looked lately but there is sure to be some inspiration there.

summerlady_2

JackieO - I had forgotten about making dried orange slices for the tree. I did that and salt dough shapes with my nieces 25 years ago. I can now do it with their kids.


We will also being making gingerbread men.

karren

I'm currently googling Christmas makes
I've some willow I'm going to make into wreaths then pick up holly and ivy on my dog walks they can be present to mil

I've fabric I intend to make into Christmas cushions and lots of patterns on pinintrest and poundland cushions as inserts I've some clothes ready for charity shop so will see in anything suitable to use as fabric for that

I've made carrier bag holders and and peg bags in past from old jeans

I've been collecting dowe eggbert jars for months to fill with twinks hob nobs

And I've few ideas for frugal makes

tatabubbly

What a lovely thought!

I have the same decorations now for about 5 years and I love them! Forgot about making homemade paper chains! I'll have to get out some colourful paper!

marleyboy

We used to make paper chains using crepe paper and decorate the tree by making decorations, even the angel on the top was made using an old toilet roll tube.

When my Son is old enough to join in the DIY festivities, he too will be adding his own homemade festivities to the home.

Janey3

..and sticking cotton wool balls on the windows for snow!

Nargleblast

Homemade Christmas cake done, to be fed weekly on brandy from now on.

Homemade mincemeat done, to be used in mince pies nearer the time.

Homemade redcurrant vodka bottled, one small bottle chilling in the fridge, the others will do as presents.

We already have plenty of Christmas decorations, but last year I went out scavenging offcuts of conifer foliage and draped them around the house. It looked good and smelled beautiful, so I shall do that again this year.

If you have small children, collect toilet roll tubes and use them to make Nativity figures - shepherds, kings, angels etc. Use coloured tissue or crepe paper and felt pens. Angel wings, faces, sheep all cut out from card and stuck on. Cotton wool glued on the sheep. Sparkly bits for the king outfits. My DD and DS did this when they were little and the finished figures were brought out every Christmas on display.