I am the world's worst at daily blog posts. Even when I try to schedule them all ahead of time, I still don't get it all done. For the 24 days of Advent, I had 12 days of posts about gifts and 12 days of digital scrapbooking freebies, and then for the 12 days of Christmas from December 25 through January 5 we will be doing our annual Kindle lapbook 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. Well, I fell behind quickly, but we will still try to get it all in. I just won't promise to not miss any days!
The truth is, Gifts are not my love language, but they are for other people whom I love, and they are such a big part of Christmas. I chose to write about them this year because I think there are a lot of people who, like me, struggle with the dichotomy of gift-giving and yet avoiding materialism during this time of year. My next post will deal more with why gift-giving is important, but today I would like to share some of my favorite home-made gifts. Most of the ones I'm sharing here are ornaments, since they are a great gift at Christmas.
A long time ago, I read a "Dear Abby" letter from someone who was tired of friends and relatives being "cheap" by giving home-made gifts, especially home-made wedding gifts. I was shocked. The home-made gifts I received for my wedding 24 years ago were among my favorites and the ones I still remember the best and probably use the most. Of course, people getting married do need a lot of practical items, but I often cannot remember who gave me the various kitchen utensils, linens, etc., and many have worn out and have been replaced by now. But every time I look at a gift someone made me, I think of that person. My aunt made me this beautiful, detailed cross-stitch of the 23rd Psalm. She started it for my high school graduation. When she could not complete it in time, she continued to work on it for my college graduation. She finally finished it in time for my wedding! We have moved 13 times in 24 years, and this decoration has hung in every house in which I've lived but one, where we lived for only one year and didn't put any nails in the walls for hanging items. It reminds me of the heritage I've received from my family, and how even when we are far apart, God is with each one of us.
These ornaments, as well as the one at the top of this post, were made by another college student from my husband's ministry. She purchased clear glass ornaments and coated the inside with paint. After it dried, she painted the designs on the outside. These are simple but artistic and are some of my favorite ornaments.
This similar ornament was made by a friend of mine who is also a military wife, and we have been stationed near each other multiple times. Though we are now far apart, I have a number of beautiful things she has made for us over the years that remind me of her. For these ornaments, she also coated the inside of clear ornaments with paint. For the outside design, however, she did monograms of all my kids' names in vinyl with her Silhouette.
Here is a beautiful angel made by a friend with beads and safety pins. You can buy kits to do this.
And then I have some really talented friends who can do this beautiful woodwork. My friend's husband made us a whole set of these wooden ornaments with Christian symbols that he designed.
Here is one of my very favorites. My husband's cousin is very talented with woodwork. He made this beautiful ornament with the communion table, bread, and chalice inside. The detail is exquisite. It always holds a prominent place on my tree where it can remind us that the reason Christ came into this world as a baby was to give Himself up and restore our communion with God.
And lastly, at least for tonight, we have all the home-made ornaments my own kids have made over the years that I treasure. This one is made by taking a colored glass bulb, having the child dip his hand in white paint, and then having the child wrap his hand around the bulb to leave the handprint. Each finger, including the thumb, makes a snowman. Add the facial features, hats, etc. with pens or paint.
While any crafter can tell you that home-made gifts are NOT always the cheapest option, those who are creative or spend a lot of time on Pinterest can make lovely gifts that will be treasured for years without breaking the bank.
Since we are talking so much about ornaments tonight, let me give you Days 1 and 2 of the digital scrapbooking freebies, some ornament papers. These were made with CU designs from Daily Art Hub. See their site for daily freebies! Click on images for download.
Merry Christmas!
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