Christmas Projects

This year, as in every other year, I'm making the majority of our Christmas gifts. While the reason is mostly thrift-driven, I have to admit that there's something special about handmade presents. I love to give them and receive them.

I have had a difficult time this year coming up with something different. Nobody wants to receive the same thing year after year. Well, this year I found a good pattern for crocheted hats. I made the one below in two hours while watching a television movie. It's very thick and warm and looks better in real life than it does in the picture.

I've also stitched up a sampler that I'll place in an inexpensive frame (no picture tonight because I forgot to get it out of my room to snap a pic. My husband is asleep). It's an 8x10 size and took me another couple of hours to do. I watched The Wizard of Oz one night while embroidering it. When I was finished, I sprayed it with some spray starch (the nonflaking kind). It's really cute. See a theme here? TOO MUCH TV WATCHING THESE DAYS! Ha ha.

Though I've teased about being a spoil sport when it comes to Christmas, I really do love to give. There's no better time than the day we set aside to honor the Savior's birth to share gifts with each other. Hopefully, we do more than giving and receiving presents, for it's His birth we're celebrating, not ours.

This Christmas season, let me encourage you to give away at least one homemade item. I think you'll be glad you did and will want to expand it next year.