Homemade Christmas

FrugalWorker

I made all my presents a couple of years ago. Anything I knit took forever, the sewn ones weren't as bad. I'm sure i did some cooking - but I don't remember. I do remember starting in august, with a big list of everyone and what they would like.

I loved it but responses were mixed. There was a knit dragon scarf - the adults, were 'oh, that's nice, a toy' said confused. The 3-4 year old recipient was thrilled, recognised it immediately as a dragon scarf, and it was worn for 3 winters in a row religiously. That one was worth the effort, aprons made that year are still in use, but there were other things that didn't hit the mark.

It's a lot of work and I'm not sure it's worth putting in that effort for everyone - some people don't appreciate hand made. I guess, I'd aim for making things that you know will be a hit, versus trying to make everything.

nannygladys

This year our family are only buying for the children (Dgc to me) so I'm knitting and sewing for them as they are all quite young, but as I have a glut of herbs I will be making flavoured olive oil to give to my children.I usually raid the hedgrows for greenery and my tree decorations are nearly as old as the children as quite a lot of them were made at nursery!!! The angel for the top of the tree was made 38 years ago and consists of a toilet roll inner and a ping pong ball!!! But we wouldn't have it any other way.

We still go walks after Xmas dinner and play board games in the afternoons and the children love it as they haven't got any at home, and we always have a home made trifle at teatime - the only one of the year.
Nannyg

sillyvixen

my grandparents were good at making pressies. one year my parents got me a tiny tears doll - my Nan who was great at knitting and sewing and knitting made me a party dress and and a knitted me a jumper and cardigan - she also measured the doll and made the same outfits out of leftovers for the doll!!
Grandad made me a toy cooker out of an old bedside cabinet (and when i got older it was stripped and painted to match my room and became a bedside cabinet again) he also made me a wooden car and caravan to match the car and caravan they used to take me away in occasionally at weekends.
I still have the dolls clothes - she often made them when she made me an outfit.

dandy-candy

I'm loving all these replies!

As a child it was always my job to got to my granny's house about a month before Xmas and help her make the crackers. She had saved the cardboard tubes from the toilet rolls and we would put a gift and hat in each with a snap, then wrap them in crepe paper. Each end was tied with ribbon and a Xmas decoupage picture stuck to the front. Granny always sewed the presents that went inside, a purse or waist apron for the girls, a hanky or tie for the boys.

Crackers nowadays are so expensive and usually have very poor quality gifts inside, I'm going to make my own ones this year just like granny did!

beedeedee

One of the very nicest gifts we received one year was some home-made chutney in a nice jar wrapped with a bow of raffia. It was delicious and reminded us of our friend every time we opened it.

kathrynha

dandy-candy wrote: »

I'm loving all these replies!

As a child it was always my job to got to my granny's house about a month before Xmas and help her make the crackers. She had saved the cardboard tubes from the toilet rolls and we would put a gift and hat in each with a snap, then wrap them in crepe paper. Each end was tied with ribbon and a Xmas decoupage picture stuck to the front. Granny always sewed the presents that went inside, a purse or waist apron for the girls, a hanky or tie for the boys.

Crackers nowadays are so expensive and usually have very poor quality gifts inside, I'm going to make my own ones this year just like granny did!

If you are buying the cracker making kits the Hobbycraft ones look nice but are expensive, where as the poundshop ones are just as good with a bit of tinsil and stuff to tart them up.


This year I have bought myself a die for my die cutter. Expensive outlay but will be worth it over the years. Bought the cracker snaps from Hobbycraft and some little toys from various places. Got various silly hats that won't fit in the crackers, but there will be a bit of paper in the cracker telling you which is yours, and jokes are being written by my daughter.

caffinated_geek

My brothers and sister and myself do home made presents for each other every christmas. They all love harry potter so this year I'm doing a honeydukes hamper. There are alot of printable lables and boxes out there and I've been collecting odd shaped jars. My best friend makes hampers of sweets and cakes most years and it's always my favourite Christmas present.

Butterfly_Brain

I was brought up in a poor household with a brother and three sisters, so money was always tight, but we always had a magical Christmas, All of the food was home made and we made the decorations, paper chains, crepe decorations, lanterns etc With everything covered with copious amounts of glitter One particular year My Dad had a friend make cots for us girls one was painted, pink, one blue and one yellow while Mum knitted all the blankets and dolls clothes. Dad built DB a fort we had them for years.

We did the same for our children, because money was tight buying a house with 15% interest rates in the 80's.
DH carved DD a wooden Hobby horse when she was three, I knitted dolls clothes.
Even now I still do home made presents, I am in the middle of crocheting a blanket for MIL because she loved the one I made a few years back.
I usually make something like pots of gold or fill pint glasses, candle holders or tea cups and saucers with small sweets, sock roses, candles etc and cover in cellophane.

This year I have bought a lot of cups and saucers from charity shops and I am making sugar crystal sticks that I will put into the saucer and mini gingerbread houses that sit on the rim of the cup with some hot chocolate sachets for friends.
I have made a lot of hand knitted tree ornaments over the years and still have the salt dough ornaments that the children made when they were small.

I have already made my pickled onions, red cabbage, piccallili and chutney. I haven't done mincemeat this year because I bought a lot of jars for 10p each in Sainsbury and I bought the Christmas pud in Aldi sale at the beginning of the year, which was a lot cheaper than making them! I am making the cake this week.
My children have caught on and make presents for their friends and their friends do the same, they are all crafters so all gifts are personal.
I have been asked by DD to make an Aran cardigan for her friends little boy and finished the back last night whilst watching Downton

PixieDust

I love this thread

thriftylass

Hello,

I'll be doing half and half this year. We'll buy presents for the kids but most adults will get HM stuff like limoncello, chutney, HM cheese, cheese crackers, scrabble tree decoration, cup candles or old picture frame kitchen black boards. Years ago I made felt tree decorations, sliced oranges, bundles of cinnamon stick etc for the christmas tree. Half my christmas tree decorations are homemade the other half is inherited from my parents and grandparents and up to 70 years old. For close family I will make the cards too like these. I always try to do sth. After the kids where just born it was difficult to find the energy or time but I always tried to make sth. It often works out cheaper and most people appreciate the thoughtfulness and effort.