Let's Get Ready for the Holidays

[carissanboys]

Some of you may groan at the thought of preparing for Christmas in August, but I find that if I plan ahead, I can do a much better job of not overspending come December.

What have you done to get ready for the holidays? Are you making any gifts this year? Care to share your ideas?

[carissanboys]

I'm working on gifts for my niece and nephew right now. I'll be making a tied fleece blanket w/ matching pillow for my nephew and a felted doll family for my niece.

Hoping to make most of our gifts this year, including our holiday cards.

[maggiew]

I bought Christmas cards last year on clearance so I will get those done sometime soon when I have a boring weekend.

Maggie

[java]

I have a TINY bit of shopping done. Mostly stuff I have preordered and a couple odds and ends that I got on sale.

As far as making. I am doing a house number thing for my mom- painting it.

and I've got some jewelry to make for my niece. (beaded ladybugs!) Maybe I'll make some extra ones to give to some of the other kids on our list.

And I'll get the cards going early this year since last year they were Happy Valentine's cards by the time I got them out!

[Mom2micayla]

I've hit the Target & Walmart toy clearances recently and got quite a few gifts for my 4 kids. I'm probably around 50% done.

I still have 1 nephew to worry (no buying for adults in my family ) and my son's birthday on Dec. 21st.

I never have any issues with getting my kid's and my nephew's gifts, but I seem to agonize over the teacher gifts for some unknown reason. I'm always afraid I'm not doing enough or that I'll ge them something they can't use or don't like. I usually just do a gift certificate but that seems so impersonal. I've already been going over possible ideas... maybe those movie night baskets. My daughter's 1st grade teacher is HUGE into arts & crafts so I might break my gc rule and get her one for Michael's.

[carissanboys]

We're homeschooling this year, but in the past I bought gift cards for their teachers. From all of the threads I've seen, that seems to be the most appreciated (that way they don't end up with a lot of "stuff" and can use the card for what they want).

I'm planning on using my reward points with my debit card to order gift cards that I can use to buy presents for our boys. Or to get a gift card for MIL.

[Worfiedoodles]

Do we have to do this again? It seems like we just finished...Sigh.

I love Christmas, but man, I am the only one planning and doing everything except for buying and wrapping my gifts, and I think I'm worn out! I've already decided I'm massively downsizing the card list. DH has everyone he's ever befriended on our list, and we haven't heard from some of these people in 10 years. Plus, his contribution is to go to the Post Office and buy the stamps. I have 48 cards, and that's plenty for the people who still seem interested in our lives.

I do have an idea for the family Christmas party (we bring a small gift for each family). I'm going to pick up B&B hand soap while they're on sale 7 for $20 this month, and then add a sponge and kitchen towel when they go on sale. I'm going to wrap it with a ribbon, thread a silk flower through and I'll be done with those!

I'm not sure what to do about teacher gifts this year. DS will be in the "middle school" section of his parochial school, so he'll rotate between three teachers for the first time -- and one of them is a gentleman, so I guess everyone can't have body lotion! I think I might just get Target gift cards. Who can't find something they'd like there?

I am seriously thinking about instituting the 3 gift rule -- but I know I'll get sentimental in December and want to break it...

Maria

[Jennifer in MI]

I started!!!! I was in Border's last week and found a BUNCH of those craft kits for $1!!! I bought them out. They were things like - "make your own belts" and "make your own pen toppers." These were marked down from $8 - $15! I have a bunch of neices who love these things and they all have birthdays right near Christmas too. Perfect cheap gifts.

Dh's family doesn't exchange gifts, so that's easy!

For the adults in my family, I'm making cloth napkins and placemats. I bought sheets from the thrift store and cut them up. Now I just have to hem them. Very easy! That will cost about $4/couple (I have 6 siblings.). The ones I've finished look really nice!! I'd be happy to get them anyway.

I've also been thinking ahead to stockings. I always save those until the last minute and end up spending WAY too much on things that don't last. So, as I buy things at CVS, Rite Aid, or Kmart (for free after coupons), I'm setting them aside. So, my BIL who uses contacts will be getting some nice contact solution. Dh will be getting some of his favorite pens, etc. Maybe a little lame, but at least they're things that will be used and they didn't cost me a penny.

We don't usually send out actual Christmas cards. We type up a letter and include lots of pictures in it of the family with captions. That saves some money!

Still need ideas for the babies - an 18 month old boy and a 6 month old boy.

I think total for the above people it will cost less than $100.

ETA: Oops! Forgot what I'm getting for my immediate family. The three boys are getting Guitar Hero and Rock band for the Wii (already got GH on clearance!). The baby girl is getting a doll house my dad is making. We'll get her the furniture for it. Don't know about dh yet. He loves technological gadgets. Maybe something for his IPod Touch? We don't spend much on Christmas for the immediate family. We save our money and go on vacation in January instead.

Also, on Christmas Eve, the kids open two gifts each. Each child receives a pair of new pajamas and an ornament for the tree that they can take with them when they leave home. The ornament is significant because it's usually something to signify what they did that year. The year we took them to see their first movie in the theater (Polar Express), we got them PE ornaments. Two years ago was our first trip to Disney. I saved the flowers from the luau at the Polynesian and stuffed them into glass ornaments. They look so pretty! You get the idea!

[Deffenm]

I have almost all of my christmas shopping done for my kids. I need to get my boys a few more things and then their stocking items. My DD is done.

I have no clue what to get DH so he is usually last.

My mom and I just go shopping together and do lunch instead of exchaning gifts. She does not live close to us.

I have my niece and nephews done, and my dad/step mom and siblings. I am taking my dad, step mom, and siblings to WDW in June next year so that is their gift.

My in-laws are so hard to shop for. I love Christmas but sometimes the pressure to get the perfect gift is too much.

[maggiew]

Originally Posted by Worfiedoodles

I do have an idea for the family Christmas party (we bring a small gift for each family). I'm going to pick up B&B hand soap while they're on sale 7 for $20 this month, and then add a sponge and kitchen towel when they go on sale. I'm going to wrap it with a ribbon, thread a silk flower through and I'll be done with those!

I would love this! It is so much better than an ugly sweater or a knick-knack I don't want. I will buy B&BW hand soap but always feel guilty buying them when I know I could buy hand soap cheap or free at CVS. So getting them in a gift would make them guilt-free.

Maggie

[Worfiedoodles]

Originally Posted by maggiew

I would love this! It is so much better than an ugly sweater or a knick-knack I don't want. I will buy B&BW hand soap but always feel guilty buying them when I know I could buy hand soap cheap or free at CVS. So getting them in a gift would make them guilt-free.

Maggie

I had this idea when I was stocking up at their sale -- we have company and I needed soap to put out (not what we use! ) I think it's going to be a pretty economical present, and less work for me than making everyone their own personal batch of fudge, like I usually do.

Now I just need some cute ways to give the kids their $$ -- our kids are mostly older, and I want to find something more clever than sticking a gift card or cash in a card....

[Karalea]

Originally Posted by Worfiedoodles

I had this idea when I was stocking up at their sale -- we have company and I needed soap to put out (not what we use! ) I think it's going to be a pretty economical present, and less work for me than making everyone their own personal batch of fudge, like I usually do.

Now I just need some cute ways to give the kids their $$ -- our kids are mostly older, and I want to find something more clever than sticking a gift card or cash in a card....

Last year for the older kids & teens in the family I put there gift cards in those puzzle boxes. They had to complete the maze before they could get the card out. They really enjoyed it and I know my sister plans to regift them this year. It made them work a little for their gift.

[Colleen27]

Going to Disney in January pretty well sets the tone of our Christmas. I've done this once before and the kids were thrilled, so here we go again...

They'll still each get the one special gift from us (probably a Wii for the whole family) and one Santa gift from their wishlists, as usual, but instead of smaller gifts and stocking stuffers, they'll have Disney goodies. The kids will be getting all those things that they'd want (some of which we'd buy, many that we wouldn't) while we're there - Epcot passports, AK passports or whatever they're called, a batch of pins to trade since most of the ones they have now are keepers, Disney clothes for the girls, new Cali Gear, new swimsuits, etc. Since the clothes/shoes/bathing suits are all summery stuff, I've already started stockpiling from the clearance racks.

"Santa" will probably be out on Black Friday for DD's gift, because the thing she wants more than anything is a decent, grown-up digital camera before our trip. DS hasn't given any hints yet, but he tends not to think that far ahead. And DBaby, being in that super-cheap toddler stage, will be getting a Sit & Spin that I already bought on clearance at Target.

Our family got together years ago and decided for reasons of both budget and clutter not to shop for the adults (aunts/uncles, siblings, etc - we do still shop for our parents) in our extended family, so the rest of the shopping list is pretty short and easy to manage on a budget. The only people besides my kids that I'll be shopping for are my 7 & 3yo nieces and my 5 & 2 yo nephews. The kids like to make something special for the grandparents, last year was glitter Christmas ornaments, and we'll add a gift card for a movie or dinner out or something to the card.

DH is getting a Detroit Tigers neon sign from Lowes, so I'm watching for a sale to pick it up, and a 1984 World Series pennant to match the 1968 one I gave him a couple years back. I'm either getting an iPod Nano or a new lens for my SLR, so I'm watching prices on those as well (DH is technologically challenged and I'm the kind of girl that cares more about gigabytes than carats, so years ago we decided it best if he just take me shopping to pick out my own gift ).

I think the real budget-buster this Christmas is going to be decor. I want two trees this year, one in the living room for our usual ornaments and one with a Victorian theme for the dining room, plus cedar roping and velvet bows and candle-look lights for the windows... Basically all new decorations to go with an all-new style of house! And since we cut our own tree, having 10' ceilings is likely to bump up the cost of the tree this year.

[PHXscuba]

The best thing I did post-Christmas last year was to make a list of the people I have to buy something for (outside of family). I always think I'm doing good until it hits me mid-December -- ack! I forgot the piano and dance teachers!

The kids are always easy for me to shop for and I'm usually done before Thanksgiving because I will NOT go to a toy store in December unless I have to. I have some Amazon gift cards I can use, too. The adults on both sides do gift exchange, so that's only two gifts to worry about. We don't do gift exchange with the nieces and nephews because all of us moms voted against more plastic junk.

I will probably make something for my daughters, but DD10 is getting pretty crafty on her own and has made jewelry for her friends the last couple years.

PHXscuba

[bettyann29]

I decided that this christmas was going to be easier on us..

For my family we started each person buying a gift with a set $ amount.. we wrap it and put it in either a boy pile or girl pile.. then we draw numbers and whoever has the first # picks a gift.. whoever gets #2 either can steal # 1's gift or they can pick a new one.. and so on.. We always have so much fun and this is cheaper than everyone buying gifts for each other..

For here at home we decided to buy the Rockband for the Wii as a family gift this year and then we may keep it to $50 worth of gifts for everyone after that.. Honestly our kids and grandkids do NOT need anything at all.. they have everything they could want within reason and Im tired of all the junk around the house.. so we are keeping it simple this year..

For my parents I am thinking of seeing if Wolf Camera has giftcards and will get one for them as they are always taking their camera down and getting prints.. and then maybe a giftcard to their favorite restaurant..