Ok you live frugal but Christmas is right around the corner. Now what.

[BusyBlonde]

A lot of what we give at the holidays is homemade. Stuff no one else makes. Toffee, truffles, fudge, etc. If you can or pickle, those are good gifts too. I just made a test batch of turtle brownies. If they taste as good as they look/smell, they could be gifts, also.

I don't sew, but I do some cross stitching and needlepoint. Cross-stitched hand towels/dishtowels are popular. Bibs for the babies go over well, too. What about coupons for services? Babysitting for your adult children? A car wash for your parents? A chore-free day for your DH/DW/significant other? You can get really creative if you start thinking about what you CAN do as opposed to what you CAN'T afford to do.

 

[Mahonri]

Amen Debi... I think this year, most of us will truly be remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season.

 

[love-my-wolves]

Quote:
So true. Last year my daughter "had" to have this nice keyboard. Got a great deal on it on Black Friday, and 2 days after Xmas, she boxed it up and put in her closet

So much for "must have". This year, they are getting gift certs for their fav clothing stores. Luckily, that's what they're asking for. Well, except for a laptop, 3DS and Ipods(so not happening!)

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Hehe....Debi, that's right! I've even saw tutorials online for turning big boxes from appliances, etc into fun, simple playhouses. Not that kids need it to be fixed up. They are just happy to play in the box! I think they cut out windows and cover it with paper or felt. My youngest, who is four, is of the theory that as long as her buns can fit in the box, it's a toy!

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Quote:

The best gift of all!

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Here's a link on how to make use of those old broken crayons: http://www.ehow.com/how_4778799_make-crayons-candy-mold.html

I think they are pretty neat and would make a nice gift!

 

[Daisy8s]

I shop at consignment stores for almost everything for my kids. The best thing is that then I sell back all toys they don't use and this gives me a credit the next time I shop there. I haven't spent full price on clothing or shoes or toys for several years now. Sometimes I buy toys and books just before a road trip and then sell them back when we return (an idea for holiday travel).

Here's an idea for a boy's Christmas gift (since there have been other posts about girl's gifts). Take an old sheet or large piece of fabric and sew on some large tabs. Maybe embroider something special on a corner such as, "To son from mom, Christmas 2011". Add some clothespins and you have an instant Fort-Making Kit! The kids can use the tabs (lengths of fabric about two inches wide and 6-12 inches long) to tie the fort up, or use the clothespins to attach the fort. My boys are forever making forts out of the couch cushions so hopefully this will keep them having fun without dismantling my living room every day!

Also, two years ago I switched to using fabric to wrap our presents instead of paper. The trick is to have two to three times more fabric than the amount of paper you'd normally use to wrap a gift. You wrap the fabric around several times and then fasten with a length of ribbon, a scarf, or another piece of scrap fabric. It makes a really beautiful display under the tree and costs me nothing since I collect the fabric and ribbons (tie bows so they can be untied rather than cut) to be reused. I used to feel so depressed that I spent hours wrapping gifts only to turn around and stuff all that paper into the garbage--but no more!

My gifts have been homemade for several years. Here are some ideas: a hand-embroidered pillow case (regular pillow case with stitched designs of things special to the kid using embroidery floss); a crocheted scarf or lap blanket (great beginner crocheting tasks), a stuff-it-yourself bean bag (got the kit on sale), an apron for cooking with mom (plain apron I decorated with fabric markers and iron-on decals, a magician's cape (large section of shiny fabric with two ties to tie around the neck). And, the best gift ever: announcing that it is a Kid's Day when they get to pick something fun to do with me and I cannot say "no" no matter what!

I am not at all crafty or artistic but so long as I personalize their gifts the kids are thrilled. They love to hear me explain how I thought up their gift and then why I personalized it with whatever I used to make it remind us of a special thing about them. It took me one evening to stitch their names onto pillow cases and they've used this gift every night since they received them.

Good luck!

 

[debilorrah]

Seriously, all this fuss about getting that one gift for Christmas? Do you KNOW your kids? Go from there. Our kids, they are happy to a big fat I LOVE YOU and a gift card. Yes they are all grown, and I am happy they are who they are. The small ones? We do what we can, and they are usually THRILLED! Silly stuff like a wand that lights up when you whack it on something. Real giggles!!!! Kids are soooo simple.

 

[Carols Clucks]

How about making sock monkeys?

Even if they are not with the traditional socks.

Or knit caps

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Take those kids out on a family day! Make a project together that they get to keep. Make edible goodies for them (fudge and bourbon balls are our family favorites), maybe something personalized for them like decorated cookies. Hand made gifts. Secondhand gifts. I think the sea monkey idea is neat. I would have been all over that as a kid. Anything I could count as a 'pet' was great, be it ant farm or fish.