*first*!

okay, i didn't read the post yet.

Will you post pictures of the Joneses and Keeping Up Withs houses? Are they like the Christmas Vacation house?

*second*!

loved your post. i don't see the need to go overboard with gifts-n-such. it's the *magic* of the season, right?

if you know someone with grapes, appropriate some vines for wreaths. see a holly tree? appropriate a branch for your wreath. evergreen on your block? that's right!

well, that's what i do anyhow.

SmokeyJoe - you're a cheater.

One word for the xmas cheer on not alot of money - Rumballs (okay, it's probably two words, but really they bring good holiday juju to almost any setting).

I took pictures of their houses but then my mother reminded me there are pedophiles and stalkers on "the innernet" because she saw it once on Dateline, and apparently pedophiles do not mind that I am 35 and certainly not very stalkable, but anyway, would I please not put a picture of my whole neighborhood on the website?

So you know. Moms.

But it's just your basic garden variety crazy decorations. There is one guy who made a Puerto Rican flag on his yard out of lights, though. That one always makes me giggle when I drive past it. Very creative!

Wow. I wish MY neighbors would put Paul Bunyan and Indira Ghandi out on the lawn. All we have around here are those blinky lights that make you want to fall on the ground and have a seizure.

I've been a daily reader since January and now all of a sudden I'm posting two days in a row. Crazy.

So I'm not a knitter, but this is for those of you who are. People, my friend who isn't working right now just gave me a knitted scarf and I almost cried I was so happy. First, handmade gifts are a lost art and I think the world will improve in direct proportion to the handmade gifts that are given. Second, it is so beautiful, and not having the knitting superpower myself, previously I could only admire everyone elses long, pretty knitted scarves and wish someone loved me enough to make one for me. And so that's why I nearly collapsed with happiness when I got the knitted scarf. It honestly is one of the top five best Christmas gifts I've ever gotten and she was all "I'm sorry this is all I have for you"

So whatever your artsy craftsy superpower is - by god I say use it. It really really is about love and not about The Joneses.

I always make slippers for the secretaries in the office. Our floors here are like ice - cold, not slippery - and they love the frugal haus slippers I knit up. Plus they're easy and quick and can be done using bulky yarn to make with more quickness. For my co-workers I usually bring in cookies or other foods. That way the holiday fat - er, I mean cheer - get's spread around evenly.

"It's very competitive here at Encino-adjacent. Someone might lose a reindeer if they aren't careful."

hmmm...I think we might have a suspect in this case now:
http://www.nbc5.com/news/10489897/detail.html?subid=10101401

Glad to hear you are finding ways to participate in the holidays without spending a ton of money! I made a tree topper for my tree because I couldn't find anything I liked in the stores that wasn't really expensive (and also, too heavy for my fake tree's wimpy limbs!) Pics are on my blog if you're interested.

Our neighborhood is similiar. One family has twenty-seven (count 'em 27!) giant inflatable objects lined up on their not-so-huge front lawn. Nativity, Santa, Abomindible Snowman, Reindeer, Snoopy, Garfield, and even Sponge Bob.

One thing I like to do for coworkers is cheap (not free) -- Dinner in a bag. Box of noodles, jar of sauce and loaf of bread. If you love them, make the bread from scratch and add a bottle of vino. Otherwise just pick it up on your run to the grocery store.

My sweet and wonderful sister (who turned me on to your blog -- HI Kelli!) has an even better idea: Last year she knitted hats for homeless people and gave our mom a card saying she was doing so in honor of Mom. This year she's making pet blankets for the SPCA and pretty little hats for cancer patients.

As much as I'd love to see the Joneses and their neighbors, I'd have to say your Mom made a good call. :)

The best gift swap I have ever participated in was a white elephant swap... bring something giftworthy (key word:WORTHY, not trashy) that you no longer want. I brought my old college days art...I ended up with a nice set of wooden wine glasses. Every one went home happy. The mixed tape (er, DVD, playlist?)is always a great one with the your po'folks friends.

OK, so I think maybe just a close up of Paul Bunyan/Ethnic Frosty would make my day (without giving away your location!) Please, Auntie Purl, Please!

My bf and I moved into a new house a year and a half ago. And when we moved in, there was a dead bush, smack in the middle of many happy live bushes. We don't know the cause of death. But, we removed the bush and planted a new butterfly bush in its place.

(I promise this is going somewhere... eventually we'll get to the cheap xmas idea!)

Anyway, when we removed the bush I noticed that the main trunk and larger limbs were very stylish, the way they were designed by nature, and all. And against the boy's wishes, I wouldn't let him get rid of/burn the bush. So, the trunk has been propped up against our house for said year and a half.

As we were pulling out all of our existing Christmas decorations and looking at our bank statement revealing that we have NO money this year, I suddenly had visions of this beautiful bush trunk... and I did it! I drug that baby in the house. Put her in a x-mas tree stand, strung her up with lights and called her my X-Mas Bush!

It's very modern and, um, maybe a bit crunchy granola, but I think it's the greatest holiday tree we've ever had. And pesticide free, too! Ok, so totally crunchy granola! :)

I'll post pictures on my blog tomorrow... forgot my camera with the pics today.

Ideas for very cheap or very free? My favorite words!

Cookie exchanges are fun and afterwards you could use the cookies as gifts. Get 9 friends to do this with. You each make 10 dozen cookies or fudge or something. It's not a ton of money when you buy stuff in bulk. Then you & your friends all get together, drink wine, and trade cookies (make an extra dozen for sampling, or skip the cookies and bring tiramisu!). When you go home you have 10 dozen different cookies that you could then mix n match & put into thrift store Christmas tins or decorative zip-top bags and give away. (They say that edible gifts are most appropriate for work anyway!)

I've also gone in with my mom and sister and made tea mixes for gifts. Growing up we called it Russian Tea; it has powdered Tang, powdered lemonade, sugar, instant tea, and spices. If just three people go in together it makes a TON of mix that you can give away as gifts. I printed little xmas tree shaped tags with the ingredients and instructions and put it in 4 oz jars; I know you could find the mix proportions on the 'net somewhere. Ditto for a powdered hot chocolate mix using Nesquick, powdered milk and some other ingredients. Yumm-O!

Re: gifts for co-workers; after having some truly hideous gifts (I mean, straight to the garbage can, not even re-giftable) foisted on me by well-meaning, overly spirited co-workers over the years, I make a point to proclaim something along the lines of "I know you love me dearly & I you, but PLEASE, no gifts!" They are all happy to be let off the hook, and I suggest doing it now before they head out to K-Mart for a shopping frenzy. And those organized office gift-a-thons where you draw names? Steer clear of them, too. You can choose to opt out of any part of Xmas that doesn't suit you or your budget!

To keep the costs down, we just draw names in our family. We get the kids stuff of course, but there's just no need to stress ourselves out buying people stuff they probably don't want or need anyway.

I'm kind of crafty-ish and I usually make something for some people but then I think they don't want some stupid ol' thing I made so I buy them something to go with it.

At work, we do the secret santa thing and put a $10 limit on gifts. Trust me, you can make $10 go a long way. I got a lovely costume jewelry set from my person last year and wear it all the time. I get tons of compliments on it every time I wear it.

This depends on your tree and taste in earrings, but I've decorated a little tree with dangling earrings and other bits and pieces from the jewelry box before. Once you've reached a certain age, you tend to have accumulated a lot of bits and pieces. That and a string of lights from the dollar store made Christmas for me one tough year.
The dollar store is a great place for Christmas wrapping and decorations, and things you can turn into presents (mugs to fill with hot chocolate packets or cookies, etc)too.

I have a gift suggestion for co-workers, though it's probably best for female co-workers. Susan (ma2ut.blogspot.com) has THE CUTEST soap-sock pattern...you buy some lovely handmade soap, or a bar of Pears or Yardley - something nice-smelling. Then you break out your cotton yarn and knit those soaps some wonderful soap socks! I did this for my kids' teachers, but I think they're terrific for co-workers, and maybe elderly aunts and grandmothers, because they always say "Honey! You shouldn't have spent any money on me!" But you made this, and it's useful, so there are no objections from Grandma or Aunt Eller. (That's my experience with nice little handmade gifts, anyway.) (Susan, if you're out there, hope you don't mind my announcing that everyone should go straight to your blog.) :)

Ideas for cheapish gifts and such:

1. For office folks, a new coffe/tea mug with either some coffee cookies ('cause let's be real, none of us make our own coffee here at work, we scavange from other pots) or tea bags.

2. Cookies! Get some cheapo tins at the dollar store and fill with homemade cookies. My grandma used to do this and had the rule that if you brought the tin back next year, you got a refill (nevermind my dad would go buy new tins and try to convince her that she really did give us 20 tins).

3. Pretty post it notes or something. Everyone with a desk loves new doo dads. :) Or maybe that's just me.

Friends/Family:

My family this year (all 4 of us) have decided not to do gifts this year, what with Little Bro finally learning what it's like to pay rent and real bills. Funny that it was his idea.....anyway. We're doing dinner together at somewhere a little nicer than we normally go. 'Cause we all realize that the point is to spend time together, not go spend money on each other.

For my niece, I'm making her a "Learn to Crochet" kit (sorry, I'm not so good with the pointy needles). I wussed out and bought her a bag 'cause I don't have time to make one, but I'm making a hook case and giving her yarn out of my stash (hey, it's destashing and that makes room for more yarn) and making little coupons for "1 hour of crochet time", "Will fix one problem without asking how in the world you screwed it up that bad", etc.

I love the idea of doing charity things and then giving certificates to the people. That's kinda cool. I'm stealing it.

Oh, and never forget the beauty of homemade hot chocolate. It makes a huge amount, but here's the seekrit recipie: 1 box of powdered milk (I think it's the 8 or 10qt) amount, 1 box of powdered sugar, 1 tin of cocoa (Nestle), 1 8oz thing of creamer powder (I like using french vanilla 'cause it's yummier). Mix together. 1/4 cup per 8oz hot water.

Okay, I've rattled on long enough. And yeah, your neighbors sound scary. But I think I can trump them. My neighbor decorated for Halloween. With lights and animatronics and sound and flowy fabric crap and WE LIVE IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX! It was scary. He has nothing up yet for Christmas, so maybe we'll be okay.

I'm planning to make a type of granola called "Trash" - almonds, wheat germ, oats, raisins, honey, little bit of corn syrup, something else I think, and unsweetened coconut flakes - the kind you get at a natural foods store. If I can find the little plastic containers that look like garbage cans, I'll fill one of those up for each of my co-workers. I'm a quilter and if I wasn't hurrying to finish a quilt for my first grandbaby due in less than 2 weeks, I'd make ornaments! Laurie, you seem to be a kind soul - your blog has given me the gift of laughter all year (and this year sucked!). Thank you so much!

Oh, and I agree with Robin - use your crafty superpower! My best friend gave us a Christmas scrapbook last year, with plenty of room for our Christmas pictures - she made it herself, and its theme was the fact that it was our first Christmas in this house. It's really beautiful, and I'm going to have to tell her again how beautiful it is.

Also: Laurie, I didn't mean everyone should abandon your blog for Susan's. Just that they should go there when they're done here and check out the lovely soap sock. I'm neurotic, so I thought I'd clear that up :)

Just thinking that with all the competitive lighting displays going on in your neighbourhood, it will begin to be the destination for people who drive around looking at Christmas lights. Soooo--you could designate yourself as the toll booth for the Christmas display. Makes sense to me.
I just made a bunch of "little" gifts for knitterly friends from a felted sweater. I bought the 100% wool sweater at the thrift shop for about $4. Then I felted it in the washing machine--took about 1/2 hour in very hot water. (Put it in a zippered bag first to containt the woolen bits which fluff off). The main body of the sweater became a tote bag--sewed the bottom, cut off the sleeves, added handles made of strips from the sleeves, sewed them on using buttons for support. Then I made coffee cup/bottle "cozies" which I cut from the ribbing of the sleeves--about 5 inches. This will protect you hands in the cardboard coffee cup is too hot, or will identify your water bottle and keep your hands dry. I cut circular coasters from the leftover sleeves. I also made dpn point protectors with leftovers sewed into little tents, attached with a piece of elastic. So when you're knitting socks and are interrupted, you can just slip these over the ends and your knitting is safe.
So there's half a dozen gifts for knitters.
I enjoy your blog. Keep well.

We have a similar situation in our community. The whole neighborhood (read: 1/2 mile stretch of road) decorates their entire yard, house, camper, truck, outhouse, dog, etc. with said decorations. They NC Department of Transportation have even installed a road sign especially for the occasion. It reads "Slow - Special Event". I used to have to go through that road everyday - it usually took me about 15 minutes due to the envoy of church vans and little old ladies OOHing and AAHing. I don't envy you one bit.

Christmas giving, I've become so unhappy the consumerism of it all (and working in a nonprofit world peace org just makes it seem even worse) and I began donating to charities in the honor of my friends and relatives. Then I find (most often, create my own, I'm a paper hog, calligrapher and book binder) nice holiday cards, and send out a cheerful greeting to the recipient with info on the organization tucked inside.

I'm happy to say that I've converted half the people I know to do this for other adults and coworkers.

As for the children and it being a tight Christmas, most of my child's upbringing was tight finances (17 yrs). Everything Vicki suggested, I've done and it does help, tremendously.

I think slapping a bow on a great jar of jam from Trader Joe's makes a great gift.

For co-workers, I make fudge. Here's my recipe:

--------------------------

EASY MICROWAVE FUDGE

Two (2) 8-ounce packages of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares

One (1) 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

Two (2) teaspoons Vanilla extract

(1½ cups chopped nuts, optional)

Microwave* chocolate and milk in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time (*see below for top-of-stove preparation).
After heating time is up, stir again until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir in Vanilla extract (and nuts, if desired).

Spread still-warm mixture in a foil-lined 8" square pan.

Freeze until firm. Remove fudge from pan, foil and all, by inverting onto a plate, and then remove foil. Cut into squares.

Store fudge in an air-tight container at ROOM TEMPERATURE, or else FROZEN. Do not store long term in refrigerator, as it will dry out.

*TOP of STOVE PREPARATION

Heat chocolate and milk in heavy 2-quart saucepan on very low heat, stirring consistantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Continue as above.

ROCKY ROAD FUDGE

Prepare fudge as directed, adding 2 cups mini-marshmallows with the vanilla and nuts.

-----------

This is pretty much identical to the Rachael Ray fudge recipe you can find out on FoodNetwork.com, as well as in stores now as a fudge "kit", so nothin' new here.

Inflatable nativity scene? That is going too far!

As for cheap gifts, all my friends are getting knitted scarves. No, I'm not kidding. They will (pretend to?) love them.

For my in-laws I got festive mugs at the 99 cent store and I'm going to make Hot Cocoa Gift Cones to put inside the mugs. Cheap and easy!

Here's the link: http://www.creativejumble.com/Crafts/cocoa.htm

Yup - I'm with your mom about not setting out the breadcrumbs to Chez FurBall. Office gifts - I really like the baked goods idea (sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, brownies are pretty inexpensive to do) and the knitted items idea...but that can take time. I write poem/haiku bits for people and layer up pix and words from magazines and give them a card just for them. I've bought basic heart or ball shaped Christmas ornaments and then thin-line puff-painted words/shapes just for that person...pretty inexpensive. Sometimes the dollar store can do wonders for multi-giving creativity. I once got about 30 little pot-of-gold candles, wrote up stuff for each person about their impact in my life (over the rainbow, light in my life, perserverance to the pot of gold, etc., etc.,) bagged each one up and it worked. You reminded me, I have a 3' white rat dressed up in a Santa outfit; I think I have to get him out and plug him in for the neighbors :)

*first let me say I am a terrible blogger and now people know!*

Vicki, Laurie, and everyone else, thanks for all the great ideas. I will post about Christmas plans on my blog sometime this weekend when I need a break from studying for FINALS!

Darn it, Laurie's posts get me choked up enough, I don't need people in her comments getting me that way too.

Oh Laurie... I will have to take a picture of a house a few blocks from me and mail it to ya... OMG I think they have every decoration put out since the 60's.

My dad worked in Aerospace, and as a result was out of work on and off my whole childhood (well, my whole life actually, but that's a WHOLE NOTHER OPRAH!). I can vividly remember having a 'home made' christmas. Mom or Dad would help us make things for our siblings and the other parent. Those christmas' were light on gifts, but heavy on love and laughter.

Melissa has a great idea about the cocoa cones in the mugs - that's what I'm doing for my co-workers, too (Melissa I hope you don't work in the North OC!)

Laurie, if you think your neighbourhood is bad, imagine this http://www.metacafe.com/watch/45390/wizards_of_winter/ playing all day and night across the street.
If they were my neighbours there would be muchos irritation.

As for presents i tend to make most things, i knit, crochet or im lucky enough to make silver jewellery (ok maybe not an option to everyone) but even when i was even poorer than i am today i still made the women in my family beaded jewellery (cheap beads from ebay and silver plate wire) My mum still wears hers all the time. And im not sure what charity shops are like in the US but i've found loads of really cheap books over here which people have had as presents before. Especially kids books, and even toys, because kids soon lose interest so they are generally in good condition

If you are in the Southwestern mood. Luminarias and cheap and easy to make. They are a tradition here in New Mexico and the whole state lights them up on Christmas Eve.

Take a brown lunch sack and fold down top about an inch. Place a couple of inches of dirt or sand in the bottom of the sack. Place a votive candle inside and set them outside the house. Light on Christmas Eve night.

There are electric ones these days but the original are my favorite. The City of Espanola lights up the all the roads in town and it is just Beautiful.

Here is a picture to view a sample.
http://netiris.com/self/wbao_images/Scene_nm_ChristmasNight1.JPG

For co-workers, I do this:

Get a case of pint-size Mason Jars (about $8-$9)

Get a couple of bags of Hershey's Kisses with the almonds in the middle (about $5)

Get a few rolls of frozen sugar cookie dough. (about $7.50)

Get a mini-muffin pan and spray it with Pam (free if you already have a mini-muffin pan, a few bucks if you don't)

Fill each mini-muffin hole about 3/4 full of cookie dough.

Press a Kiss-With-Almond firmly into the center of each dough-lump, pointy-side down, until the dough oozes up around it. Don't forget to take the foil off. :}

Bake according to the cookie-dough time.

The dough will "grow" up around the Kiss.

Allow to cool enough to handle.

Roll in cinnamon sugar and/or powdered sugar while still warm and moist.

Complete cooling.

Fill jars with sticky, sugary cookies

Stick bow on top.

Tell co-workers it is your great-great-grandmother's secret Sicilian Christmas cookie recipe that was passed down in the family for nine generations, and, "yes, I'd love to give you the recipe, but I would have to kill you."

These are MAGIC.

Dez

Food for co-workers, always welcome. Do you watch "My Name is Earl"? Joy was knitting! (she'd taken "happy pills").

With regard to the cocoa cones ... to add some additional flair you can glue a red pompom to the tip of the cone, a couple of wiggle eyes about 3/4 of the way up, and wrap some chenille pipe stem thingamabobs (I think that's the official name ... heh) around the top of the bag to look like antlers. Paste the recipe/instructions to the back. Voila .... cocoa packaged in the shape of Rudolph the Reindeer.

I'll be putting some together this weekend for some movie buds so should have pictures on my blog come Monday if y'all have NO idea what I'm trying to describe! ...lol.

Two years ago I knit little stockings for my coworkers and filled them with candy (http://gallery.remarkablecow.com/v/Knitting-2005/stocking.jpg.html). They knit up super fast and were made out of Wool-Ease (so they were easy on the budget). Last year I got everyone new coffee mugs (as my coworkers all love coffee). I thought the mugs were a better gift, but then I overheard one of them mention something this year about hoping for another stocking. So this year it's back to the stockings with a new design, I'm going to try intarsia in the round.

Oh yeah, I captured the Joy knitting pics and they're on my blog today. Crazy stuff!

I have decorated many trees with just red and green contruction paper, scissors, glue, and sparkles. Paper chains and some evergreens collected from the yard or near by nature walk look great and smell good.

Bake cookied and poke holes in before baking - decorate and add ribbons to hang from the tree.

You can even do this with homemade playdough.

And of course left over bits of yarn can be used for lots of stuff from knit ornaments, to fake tinsel. Once you get going you will be surprised how your imagination will take off and your halls will be decked in no time.

Oh god....that made me laugh! I'm trying to be accepting of the odd, strange and ugly decorations in my neighborhood, but when it comes to the moving light-up reindeer, I just get the cold shivers! Those things are frightening. Stalker-deer...ugh. I'm with ya; just return the strand of lights and maybe try again next year.

Craft it, craft it, craft it . . . if you have time, and use yarn (or other ingredients) that isn't made out of gold and diamonds . . .

Mason-Dixon warshcloths and soap make up my primary gifts this year. Lots of places sell pretty soaps fairly cheap, and even more fun is to make it yourself. Do Not Fear The Lye. (Just wear rubber gloves and safety goggles, and banish kids and pets for maybe 2 hours.) You don't have to render beef tallow anymore -- crisco works great! (check the internets for recipes).

The hardest part for me isn't scaling down on my own -- it's persuading others to scale down in return. I think we'd all be secretly pleased to have a humble meal together rather than giving gifts, but it's so difficult to convince others of that.

I've been enjoying (it's rather addictive) making small felted bowls (pattern from Knitty - the small bowl from the Mancala game). I've used leftover Cascade 220 and also Brown Sheep - each one takes very little yarn and I can easily knit 1 in a few hours. I'll fill them with either candy, colored paperclips, or post-its. I've decorated each with needle felting circles, etc. I'm on my fifth and haven't tired of them yet.

WELL. First thing to do, in large families, is to institute a "Let's Draw Names!" policy for gift-giving, with a spending cap. This was the result of me subtley pushing for one with my husband's family, because all they did was buy each other a bunch of crap to increase the volume of what you'd open, nevermind it was a load of stuff you'd never want, need, or buy for yourself. Second, doing handmade gifts are great - before Ye Olde Drawing of The Names was instituted, we did homemade hot cocoa mix with inexpensive mugs as presents for everyone. And for kids? I always always always shop the day after Christmas for our nieces, and load up on those packaged gifts of crafts, art supplies, hair clips, lip gloss, whatever, to give the following year. Half price, sometimes more. If your family's willing to do it, move the day you celebrate so you can all take advantage of that shopping day - one day makes such a difference in what you spend!
I think the greatest gift would be a certificate worth one hour of time together with the phone off, lights off, tv off, just to BE. This time of year is so crazy and frazzled. Oh, and if someone wanted to like, brush my hair for an hour. That'd be lovely. And oh so free!

my kids (pre-k and kindergarten) are making cookies for their teachers. 2 kids 7 teachers! I know I'd rather have cookies than ANOTHER coffee mug!

Miss Doxie, yo. She's got the mondo list of fun gifts under $10. Appropriate for friends, family, AND coworkers. And just wait till you see her hee-larious wiener products that she's selling in her own store.

http://www.missdoxie.com/2006/11/walking_in_a_wi.html

(Um, hi. You would think I know her seeing as I'm a walking advertisement for her. I don't know her. But I sure do think she's cool.)

I love making tableaux with stuffed animals! I always use teddy bears for the three wise men, and I have a special little baby Jesus frog. Living in the land of Mardi Gras, we have plenty of cheap sparkly beads for the wise men's treasure.

Cheap gift idea: Movie night! get a $2 DVD from Dollar General, a pack of candy and a pack of microwave popcorn. Pop 'em in a gift bag and you're golden.

Uh, that would be wiener DOG products.

Cheap decorations - Cut snowflakes out of pages in a magazine. Pick funky colored ones to make it more interesting.

Also, you can make paper chains, like you did back in kindergarten, and they can be garland for the tree or over the windows or whatever.

I did that one year when I was broke as hell.

I've been thinking of knitting up so coffee coozies (to use instead of the cardboard things from Starbucks). I figure I'll just knit up a bunch of little ribbed mitten cuffs (without the palm and thumb attached). Same goes for ice cream pint coozies.

For anyone who doesn't live near a Trader Joes, get stuff for them from traders as gifts. Of, and make some of their truffle brownies--yum! Another ides...make the truffle brownies, frost with vanilla icing mixed with a few drops of green creme de menthe for color and flavor (add more powdered sugar is you go overboard on the cemem de menthe and the frosting gets too runny). Then melt some chocolate and pour it over the top...super yummy...and it's got some booze in it! Oh, and Trader Joes now makes killer chocolate frosting in a jar!

Laurie, I just emailed my entire family telling them they HAVE to read you today, you are so funny. Inflatable sherpa, ROFLMAOSTC! OK, on with my extremely bad Heloise impression...

I make my coworkers bark candy. Go buy some white chocolate and a bag of peppermint candy. Break up the candy (put it in a baggie first so it doesn't go everywhere). Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Stir in the candy bits. Spread the whole business out on a piece of oiled waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Score lightly and allow to cool. Remove paper. Break into chunks and serve. At least one of my coworkers thinks I am Martha Stewart because I can make this stuff. We know better, don't we? (You can do the same thing with normal brown chocolate and/or use other additives such as almonds, walnuts, other hard candy, etc.)

If you have really little kids you might consider wrapping up their existing toys (especially if there are any they haven't played with in quite a while and have forgotten about) and letting them unwrap them. We do this for our severely disabled son, who doesn't care about getting new stuff, but loves to unwrap everything in sight.

Popcorn strings are fun and festive; so are paper cranes, especially if made with the 17 million notices the schools send home on colored paper.

Our Jr. League just held a holiday arts & crafts fair for children, and my committee oversaw the hot cocoa cones craft booth.
We made a hot cocoa mix with the dry ingredients (dry milk, cocoa, sugar, etc--search recipe sites).
The kids poured one scoop of the cocoa mix into a clear plastic decorator craft bag (triangular-shaped, with a point at the bottom), then topped that with a scoop of marshmallows. We tied it off with twistie-ties & red bows, and as a final flourish, attached little *recipe cards* (telling how much cocoa mix & water to mix together per serving).
Since then, we seen similar things in the Wal-Mart and Hallmark stores, selling for $5-7 each. Ours were cuter, though!

Dammit...there's a few people I would love to give hee-larious weiners to.

Just found this on Wikihow via notmartha.org. Very pretty!

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake

Oh, and one final bit of advice (we all know this, right? but just in case) -- as the Beatles told you, money can't buy you love.

Ya'll are all so crafty and have such good ideas!!! I love 'em!

The firewall at work is now blocking all bogger sites (it used to just block the comments) and I AM SO DEPRESSED. I can't go see any of ya'lls blog pictures you're talking about or read pink is the new blog, and frankly I might be having heart palpitations from that one ;)

I hope my boss does not know about my celebrity gossip issues.

ANYWAY, speaking of celeb gossip: guess whose house me and Jennifer are going to tomorrow??

GUESS.

Donna Martin's!!! Even though now she is so no-TORI-ios and married to that guy who left his wife for her and preggers and a poor little rich girl.

I will report back with all details later. If you never watched 90210, then the last paragraph will make no sense to you. In fact, you're like, Donna who? what the hell is she talking about? AGAIN?

When IS Wine From 7-11 Day, anyway?

And this is going to sound silly, but I've found small things that are a variation for the norm around the holidays make things seem more special -

as in, if you have to buy new dish soap, buy a new scent. instead of lemon cleaning stuff, buy orange...

and have your kids help 'make' decorations - stringing popcorn is a history lesson, snack AND decor all in one. ;)

Wenders,

Wine from 7-11 Day is sort of an ongoing holiday, with many hours of celebration. Like Hanukkah, except more... longish.

Your friend,
Laurie Drinksalot

OH!!! Laurie!!! I actually got that one! I watched one-count-it-one 90210 episode, Donna is the one played by Tori "good thing my dad is the producer or someone might notice I can't act my way out of a paper bag" Spelling, right?

This is so exciting, I may have to order some long underwear from LL Bean just to celebrate.

hehehehe Lucia!!!

She is having a yard sale at her house in Studio City and I am so dragging Jen to it, even though Jen is in finals and has more important things to do, like get an education and understand the entire judicial system, and I won't be able to buy anything but still we have got to go because... IT IS IN THE VALLEY. Of course!

One of the gifts my kids most look forward to is CEREAL - their junky favorite that I never buy because it is a poor value, a box for each of them that they don't have to share with anyone. My youngest are 18 and 20 years old this year and they still love this gift the most. For office mates I have made beaded tree ornaments, hand knit mini stockings for the tree (leftover sock yarn decorated with ribbons and jingle bells), cranberry body scrub in baby food jars (I spray painted the lids)http://www.ljcfyi.com/ljcsProjects/craftiness/scrub.html
, This year it will be chicken shaped pincushions. From my office mates I have received notepads, cookies, banana or pumpkin bread, chocolate Santa candy, magnets, gum, holiday themed nailfiles from the beauty supply store - we just exchange tokens in our office. I doubt that anyone ever spends more than a dollar or two for each gift but it's fun to unwrap a little something. For family gifts I also check out my favorite thrift stores. Sometimes you can get really lucky there. Too late in the game for this advice, but you can save a whole lot of seasonal anxiety by thinking about this VERY early and ratholing gifts all year as you see good buys.

Love this idea of cheap holiday ideas ... it can be so hard to have a cheery holiday when money is tight-- but it can be done!

I LOVE TO RECEIVE HANDMADE GIFTS. I absolutely love it. Handmade are always good ideas.
Also this year I am all about the photograph gifts. Here are some ideas: for the grandparents I have made little picture cd's of the kids ... if you have the software, its easy to put your pictures to music-- only costs time and the price of a cd, and they were a hit! My kids (3 and 6) love pictures of themselves ... so I bought the sticky printer paper and made them stickers with photos of themselves. I have taken old ugly "art" that I bought and don't like anymore, and printed up pictures of the family and put them in the recycled frames. For friends or family who are parents: "gift certificates" for a night out, while you provide the babysitting. I have bought ugly dollar store wreaths that i hate, yanked off all the decorations, and redecorated with: ribbon (scraps from last year) cheap ball-ornaments from the dollar store, old Christmas cards, gathered pine cones, etc. One year my best friend printed up a poem that she copied from a book or something, and printed it in a nice font on pretty paper, and put it in a frame. Love it. Still hangs on my wall.

For co-workers: little desk calendars with funny stuff for each day ... mug with their favorite coffee or hot chocolate ... I love fun pens and office supplies, so you could do a pretty notebook and some bright colored pens or something ... funny pics from last years office xmas party in one of those little plasticky-photo albums ...

Fun, I can't wait to read more ideas!

The mug idea might go over really well at the office this year since they are banning styrofoam in the break areas. Cost cutting, but better for the environment, too.

I love all these ideas, love them!

Also, THANKS A LOT ELLEN. Now I want Lucky Charms for lunch. mmmmmm. yellow moons.

Gosh, so many good ideas! I made a lot of mp3/cell phone "socks" this year out of sock yarn, that was easy (and cheap).

I also invited a few friends over for coffee, with some Christmasy decorations and cookies, and played Christmas music in the background. Nothing extravagant or expensive, totally mellow. Everyone was insanely busy, but they all came, and it was really relaxing to spend just a little time soaking up the season.

so how is the selection at 7-11?

And, FYI:

"Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer" is on tonight in the US.

It's on CBS, at 8:00 p.m. pacific time. This is my favorite Christmas show, because Bumbles bounce!

smokeyJoe :)

The 7-11 closer to the freeway is good, they even carry somewhat pricey champagnes.

The 7-11 closer to my house is so-so, I had to complain recently about the wine selection. Too much cheapo crap, not enough cabernet. Plus they had a merlot in the refrigerated section... for shame!

The 7-11 on the other side of my neighborhood (by the way, I am in the apex of all good and jolly, because I have literally eleventy two 7-11s within a five mile radius) has a so-so selection, but carries one Robert Mondavi, and it happens to be a cabernet, so I go there from time to time ;)

The 7-11 by the in-n-out only carries Merlot and chardonnay. I hardly ever go to that one, unless I need cash for in-n-out.

So many 7-11s.
So little time.

I cannot believe I just admitted to ya'll that I COMPLAINED (in a nice way) to my 7-11 clerk about the WINE selection.

I am maybe braindamaged.

We've all been through times when jobs are scarce & money's tight... but, when there's no job, there is time! Time to do memorable things with the children (like cooking together, going for walks and gathering leaves, making wreaths out of free branches from the Christmas tree guy) One of my mom's fun things to do when we were poor was to "recycle" unused items to give as gifts - painting names on glass mugs with a holiday theme, making pencil holders out of soup cans with mastic and broken tile pieces (also begged from a local builing supply), sewing little coaster sets (also possible to knit & crochet these). Now since there are dollar stores everywhere, it's easy to find little things to jazz up in some way without spending alot. We had lots of fun and gave lots of thought to those we were giving to: The joy really is in the giving and not the getting, no matter what your financial position.

I like to give colleagues cooking tools - they run in a range of prices, and often come in festive colors (rubber spatulas). Everybody can use a new wooden spoon!

Also, dishtowels are a great gift - you can get them in sets of 12 and split them up (tie with pretty ribbon, no need for wrapping) - or if they are the more expensive pretty/novelty ones, buy a couple sets and give each person one with a spoon or spatula perhaps.

Wow, makes me glad all my neighbors are grumpy old scrooges. It's nice to not have a scene from a corny Christmas movie playing out next door to me.

Whoops - forgot to add another big advantage of this gift: if you don't go to your co-workers homes, you will never if the recipient uses the items, nor will they feel they "have" to put them in use for your visit.

But I haven't run into anyone who couldn't use another/a new dishtowel.

My girlfriends and I always do a gift exchange and only pick one person each. With a twenty dollar limit.

And as for coworker gifts, I find that home-baked cookies always go over quite nicely.

I am making soap sacks (using the great pattern mentioned above) for a couple of people. My boss is getting a pig dishcloth and potholder (frugal knitting haus) because she loves pigs. A great couple that works in the office is getting a wine cozy from last December's Knitty and a bottle of wine. I'm not sure if the guy in the office is getting a soap sack or a washable knitted headband. (He's a biker.) Most people are getting warshrags--I've knitted a bunch in Xmas colors.

And don't ask about my progress on gifts for my parents!

I feel like such a blog stalker...
Not sure if your co-workers are worthy of such priceless gifts, but here is a few ideas ;)
http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Pencil-Toppers-Set-5/dp/B000CIO54C/sr=1-111/qid=1165030581/ref=sr_1_111/104-1683479-6701526?ie=UTF8&m=A1WQRNT5P5WWSJ&s=toys-and-games
and to sharpen the pencils you can always go for http://www.officeplayground.com/nospenshar.html

For kids it is difficult without gifts. Here are a few ideas if you are short on cash.

Check out books or DVDs or videogames from the library. They are technically "borrowed" items but they will be new to the kids.

Write each other Christmas letters.

You can get a lot of stocking stuffers at the $1.00 store. Only you have to know what they really cost.

Most towns have free tree lighting ceremonies and concerts. Same with churches and synagogues if you are religious. Even if you are not, most welcome visitors.

Have everyone pick one item that someone else in the family has coveted and "gift" it to them (even temporarily).

My girlfriends and I always do a gift exchange and only pick one person each. With a twenty dollar limit.

And as for coworker gifts, I find that home-baked cookies always go over quite nicely.

My friend also got a little baggie with marshmallows in it that said "You've been bad, so here's the scoop - all you get in snowman poop!" which I found to be quite hilarious (C'mon, after a glass or two of wine that is some FUNNY stuff!)

I have the nativity set across the street and over a few doors. Last year, it was windy and their blowup snowman got into a fight with the nativity family. That was the high point of the holidays for me.

I think we need photos of those monstrosities, erm, houses....

One of my favorite Christmas memories is of my grandfather walking me around the neighborhood in south Florida when I was little to look at all the Christmas lights. Now every year we try to drive around our area and look at them to get in a festive mood. It is fun and Christmasy and doesn't cost a thing, except for gas if you drive. Christmas doesn't always have to be about gifts.

hello. here in Europe we have soooo many cheap christmas stuff straight from China that I guess everyone, no matter what their income is, will probably buy some x-mas poo... nevertheless, one of my friends makes lovely figures out of... hm, what english equivalent would be called? it's a kind of dough, made of flour, salt and water, and when it's dry, it's hard as a stone. She decorates it with some old nail enamels and the whole thing looks really pretty! Greetings.

Oh, Laurie! Trader Joe's for wine!!!!

Bon Appetit has a great wine article every month - this last issue, they talked about Canadian ice wine - they pick the grapes when they are frozen and the result is a really sweet, intense wine. TJ's has a $20 bottle, but it's worth it - the more expensive ice wines go for $90.

As for gifts, I always stash a one-pound box or two of See's chocolates and some really good bath gel from Sephora (Peppermint stick this year, $18) for those emergency "Oh! You-got-me-a-present-what-a-surprise-yours-is-right-here" presents. I am out of time to make homemade anything this year, but I agree, a hand-knitted scarf would be a treasure since so many people don't knit.

Did you see the Dec. 4 issue of Time? Poorly written article on how sewing is the hot new craze, like knitting "was" a few years ago. Obviously written by someone who doesn't have a clue about sewing OR knitting.

Laurie, the part about how do moms do it when they want a glass of wine and strong pie...yeah! BTDT. My guys are all grown now, but back in the day, I actually hid in the pantry and partook (is that a word?) of everything from wine to Snickers. Amazing how just a few minutes alone in the pantry could help a mom catch her breath!

Check out Ms. Doxie's website - she does a great gift guide. She is another very funny southern girl, so enjoy.
http://www.missdoxie.com/

I like to Superglue cinnamon sticks into squares, then Superglue little fake flowers or holly-type stuff to the sticks here and there then glue a loop of yarn to a corner of it and voila, a fancy-schmancy hand made Christmas tree ornament. I hope you have a great time trying out some of these ideas.

Oh, my heart goes out to you, Risha. We had lots of really hard times in my house when I was growing up, and I have to tell you right now, the thing that makes it the hardest on any kid is knowing that their parent's hearts are breaking at not being able to give them "Things".
The hardest truth for me to learn is that as the women of the house, we "make the weather". So the first thig I gotta say is take care of yourself, because then your rested and at least resolute attitude will set the tone for the whole family.
But you know, TIME is the best thing you can give, and it's the one single bright spot in unemployment. If you have a garage with any paints, tools, work stuff, jopin with your kids to conspire to do nice things for one another. There's a lot of cool projects you can do for each other that don't cost a lot. One year when all of us were broke, when my parents were at a church function, I "made" one of my mom's presents by clearing out the avalanche-bait front closet and used old dowels and nails from the garage to fix the sehlves inside and set up a present wrapping station for her. Another year my dad and I took about $40 and I helped him do "the twelve days of Christmas" for my Mom. The first day- it was a little fake sparkly tree with a "partridge" ornament on it. The next day was a two little soap swans I found at the five-and-dime, the "three french hens" I secretly invited two of her frinds over and bought a little box of supermarket madelaines and tea for a "Hen party"...you can make up your own 12-days song and they'll look forward to a new and fun thing each day. It's the originality and fact that someone cares enough to do a littl esomething special each day that perks up the recipient no end. And YOU will have such fun being creative that it will chase those blues right away!

(my first comment after months of lurking- yay for me!!)

When we were kids money was always really tight so one year my super crafty Dad bought some plain white candles and a box of crayons and helped us kids melt the crayons and drizzle them over the white candles. The coloured drips look really fun and creative. My Grandmothers and Mother were thrilled with them and we were so excited to give them hand-made gifts.

Last year, as an adult, I made one for my Mom again for nostalgia's sake and she was really touched. I also made popcorn garlands and cut little stars out of tin foil and strung them together for the tree. It was fun, crafty and so nostalgic- even my non-crafty brother got into the act and we had a great afternoon together!

perhaps not the best "co-worker gift" idea, but i made a sock monkey and bought the K-Fed cd for the company white elephant party.

when in doubt, go for shamefully tacky.

Ok, the K-Fed CD idea is THE BEST EVER. hehehehehe

My dad, who generously gave me advice only when I asked or when I really, really needed it, told me the old saying, "Less is more" and it comes to mind every xmas as I see the Jones' and Keepings families in the neighborhood. Give me a string of twinkle lights and a wreath anyday. Keep it classy. You probably have the best looking house on the street.

"This is my favorite Christmas show, because Bumbles bounce!"

Oh my gosh, when I read this in the comments I about died laughing. My sister and I used to say that to each other all the time. I think I'll have to go call her and make sure she's watching Rudolph tonight!

One of my favorite Christmas (outside) decorations I've ever seen is here in the town I live in now. It's a simple blue medallion-type thing of Madonna and Child and they have a spotlight on it. It's just simple and serene.

An you think you can knit !

http://video.msn.com/v/us/fv/fv.htm??g=954e8afd-97ba-4feb-90c1-28122224967d&t=c156&f=06/64&p=hotvideo_viralvideos&fg=>1=8816

One of our Christmas/holiday season traditions is mulled wine. It's a pretty easy recipe- sugar, lemon peel (use a vegetable peeler to get long strips), cinnamon sticks, and cloves, steeped in water in a pot until it's syrupy. Then add it to your favorite cheap red wine and heat it up. Don't heat to boiling if you want that alcohol to stay in there! It's inexpensive and it's better than Williams-Sonoma "mixes" for the stuff. And since you're spicing it, you might as well get 7-11 wine! You can also use it with white wine or apple juice. And it makes the house smell like Christmas.

Sorry. I'm going to just say it. I HATE those hugemungous blow-up lawn decorations! Ugh. Our neighbor's have one and I personally find it obnoxious.

Anyway... gifts for co-workers? Dunkin Donuts gift cards (or Starbucks). I think they do'em in dollar amounts which makes it economical. What about one of those stress reliever squishy things you can put in your desk? A new mug? I'm trying to think "on the cheap" here.

My grandmother used to make Rice Krispies treats but put them in a buttered Christmas-tree shaped Jell-O mold, then decorated the tips of the "branches" with cinnamon red-hot candies and I think put a gumdrop on the top as a star. I found microwaving marshmallows instead of using a double-boiler works pretty well. She's been gone for over 30 years but I still remember.

Hmmmmm. Co-worker gifts: depends on the number of slaves in the office. There are only three people in mine, boss included, so I always bring Sweet Potato Pie (great aunties' recipe of course)for noshing and maybe a few other nibbles here and there. If you have those who drink tea, buy a few boxes of different varieties and create samplers. A couple of each kind makes a nice presentation with a few cookies (package as creativity & budget allows). Another fun thing is to give the kinds of stuff we used to get in our stockings as kids--my favorite co-worker gift that I received was a Slinky :D

Knitty just posted up their new patterns... you could knit your coworkers the coffee cozy thingy.

An idea

Everybody has such good ideas. Cookies, hot chocolate kits, soap and hand-knit washclothes, etc. are all appreciated. It was hard to think of anything that hasn't been mentioned but I think I've got two.

An easy candy is made by putting raisins and chopped walnuts in a bowl and mixing them with just enough melted chocolate chips to hold it all together. Drop by spoonfuls (not too big) onto waxed paper and let harden.

When my kids were little, they liked to make those dried lemon and oranges. Stud a lemon or orange with whole cloves, either all over or in patterns. Hang by tying with ribbon and allow to dry until hard. These can be used for decorations with greenery and, after Christmas, can be hung in a closet. They smell really good for a long time.

I do have a few strategies that work very well for me. The 99 cent stores have some great stuff! They tend to have sugar cookie mix and candy canes so I bake a lot of sugar cookie variations (frosted, m & ms and ones with bits of candy cane). Those always make a nice gift for people. Especially family! They also have brownie mixes and other easy to bake and good to eat choices for gift baskets. Oh, and they have baskets and tissue paper and cellophane for decorating the baskets.

Also, I get wrapping paper and do a lot of decorating with that. Hey, cutting out snowflakes is fun with kids and they really end up being beautiful and festive.

My family and I agreed that none of us really have a lot of extra cash, we are trying to save money, and quite frankly, we don't need anything. So we made a pact to spend $5 or less on each other and I think there is a bit of a competition to spend as little as possible and be creative. Personally, I'm making mixed CDs and baking.

For the kids, we do still do gifts but I'm telling ya', the 99 cent store really has some cute stuff for not a lot and seriously, check out the thrift stores. I find some great stuff to either give as is, or make something with. Yarn to reclaim and knit a toy (have you seen the knitted dinosaur pattern floating around? So. very. cute.).

Oh, and for kids, don't forget places like Ross and Marshalls where you can get a lot for a little sometimes.

The Christmases where I was the most broke and had to be creative always ended up being the best ones and where my gifts were appreciated so much more. Let's face it. The time we spend on this shows our love a lot more than when I sit down and order something expensive online.

The year I was pregnant with my son (and was saving every dime for when I became a stay-at-home mom) I crocheted a scarf for every member of my extended family. I made 17 scarves total!! I started in August and got yarn at a great store in NYC (Smiley's in Queens). Two years ago when my husband was unemployed (for 2 years!!...it was an awful time) I made candles and soaps for my family and put them in inexpensive baskets and tied them with ribbon. Add a few candy canes and voila!!

I love handmade gifts...they mean so very much, whether given or received! This year I'm making some mixed CD's, too!!

The .99 Cent Only stores have tiny LED Christmas trees, for (drum roll) only .99 cents. When you see them in the store, they are lonely and sad. They look like 6 inch tall Juniper bushes, or the "sincere" tree in Charlie Brown's Christmas. But when you get one home, and bend the metal limbs down, it looks like a noble little spruce. Pop in two double-A batteries, and the tree comes to life, in gentle, pulsing LED colors. Makes a great gift for friends and co-workers! Call now, operators are standing by! :)

The S.O. and I are making *all* our Christmas gifts and decorations this year. We've decided to stop the consumerism, and all that jazz.

Gifts we're making: Stuffed animals, throw pillows, potholders, simple clothing, candles, baked goods, Christmas ornaments, christmas music CDs (the Man is a musician), jewelry.

Christmas ornaments we're making: Clothespin soldiers, red-and-green geese from quilting scraps, collages of ticket stubs and other memorabilia glued to flat wooden ornaments, dough ornaments, popcorn and cranberry garlands. I also routinely decorate my tree with spanish moss, pinecones and sticks - yes, just plain ole dead sticks from the woods. These are free and you'd be surprised how cool and rustic they look when you stuff in tons of them between the ornaments.

It all seems time consuming, but it's really not when you subtract the time you would have spent at the mall and add in the time that doubles as fun and family bonding. We found it intimidating at first, but now we love it and want to do it every year.

Ooh - and one more thing. Buy a huge tube of brown mailing paper and wrap gifts in it, then decorate with nice ribbons or a red rubber stamp. It's *tons* cheaper than wrapping paper and looks all old-world and stuff.

Paper snowflakes hung on mirrors and windows (as well as trees) are very pretty, and inexpensive- as are paper chains. Pinecones can be painted with a little glittery gold or white paint and hung by a ribbon glued to the top, gingerbread ornaments (or salt dough ornaments) can be great gifts as well as decorations. Bake special holiday cookies and give them as gifts, draw names for gifting rather than buying for everyone, or just agree to gift children only. Potluck holiday dinners are a great idea- as are "coupon" books, or IOU's.

Great gift that many women really appreciate: a portfolio of handmade greeting cards (blank inside so they can use 'em for any occasion). You can buy a package of 50 sheets of cardstock for about 3 bucks; this will make 100 cards. If you don't rubber stamp or draw or have another way of decorating the cards, do some origami. Origami paper is also inexpensive. A folded kimono, star, etc. glued to the front of a card is simple and stunning. Envelopes are fairly inexpensive, or you can get them free from Hallmark or other card sellers; they always have lots of extras - just ask! To make a "portfolio" to hold the cards, purchase a cheap plain school folder, the kind that has a pocket on each side. Cut the top of each side above the pocket into a triangle shape; fold the triangles down and cut them off even with the bottom of the folder. The cards go in one side; the envelopes in the other. Tie folder shut with a pretty ribbon. You can decorate the folder if you like, too; use a computer printout, a pretty napkin, stickers, etc. This makes a very nice gift and your total cost for each portfolio (with, say, a dozen cards and envelopes) should come to $3 or less.

Laurie, we are decoratin' the tree and drankin' WINE tonight here in Baton Rouge and in the bottom of the decoration box I found a printed folio of carols from way-back-when the Spanishtown Carolers got started. This one is just for you:

CAJUN JINGLE BELLS

Jingle bells, what's that smell?
Fais-do-do tonight!
Jambalaya, gumbo,
Oil refinery lights!

Jingle bells, what's that smell?
Crawfish etoufee
Hot boudin and Red Beans
All on Christmas Day!

Dashing through the mud,
An airboat for a sleigh
Through the swamps we go
Laughing all the way!
Tabs on beer cans pop
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
a bayou song tonight!

Oooooh.... (repeat till you run out of beer)

Copyright me, 1983, Spanishtown Carolers

I'm thinking that maybe Paul Bunyan might be that Cornelius guy from "Rudolph" maybe? Just sayin'....
Anyway, our neighborhood is pretty tasteful, but some of the other neighborhoods in town....let's just say that the plastic people fairy upchucked on a couple of lawns....

HEY!!!
I just saw that Drew was in town and there are NO DRINKING photos!!!

WTF!

xoxox,
Amy

ps. paper! snowflakes, ornaments, crumpled up you can even pretend they are snowballs. yay cheap xmas

First, I think I can top your Christmas vomit. There was a house in my friend's neighborhood when I was in high school which was decorated in the scale you are talking about, only it was all Precious Moments Christmas Kitsch. To top it all off, it had Jesus Is Coming Soon in large ominous lights on the roof. Now, understand that I am a Christian, and actually like the idea of Jesus coming soon, but they were creepy letters and even creepier Precious Moments junk, and it was just terrifying.

Anyway, to Risha, I so understand the tight (or nonexistent) budget! We have five children, one income and two in private school. We do handmade all the time.

I make candied cranberries, cinnamon nuts, popcorn balls, cookies, quick breads, regular breads, fudge and candy, and yes, I knit, and this year I sewed a couple things as well. Sunset Magazine has a great set of cocoa recipes for gift giving: Cocoa.

The cinnamon nuts, candied cranberries, popcorn balls and breads would be the cheapest to make, and I can share recipes if people are interested. Oh, and you can make caramel corn or chex mix or sweet chex mix, too. I have recipes for those as well.

As for decorating, when we were first married, and had no money and no ornaments, I put a bunch of glass colored ball ornaments (we had a few of those) into a wire basket on an end table to make the room look nicer. We still do that. Bowls of greenery like holly and such, with a candle in the middle (tall, pillar type, you don't want to burn the holly), is also pretty and cheap.

You can string cranberries and/or popcorn to make garland for your tree, or paper chains with your kids (we made those when I was a kid). Oh! and button wreaths would be great decorations and make good gifts.

OK - I haven't read everything yet, so maybe somebody's already said this, but how about sugar sticks for stirring sweet holiday goodness into coffee or other beverages?

You need hot water, sugar, two clean glasses, a piece of paper, and a few skewers (short wooden ones work best - about the length of a teaspoon.

Half-fill a glass with the hot water, and stir in sugar until it no longer dissolves. You should actually seen un-dissolved sugar crystals in the bottom. Pour off the sugar solution (ie leave the crystals in glass number 1) into the second glass. Get a piece of paper that fits over the top of the glass, poke the skewer through it (this stops the skewer falling into the glass) and make sure the end of the skewer is in the sugar liquid. Leave for a while and you will get sugar crystals growing on the end of the skewer. If you are feeling REALLY fancy you can glue a bead onto the end of the skewer. If not, just toss a few of the sugar sticks into a mug to tart up a gift. They are really just great big lumps of sugar on sticks which you are supposed to stir into your coffee or other hot beverage of choice.

Alternatively, make bath teabags. If you get bath salts in bulk (or make your own - there are destructions online) it just takes a few squares of thin (ie CHEAP) fabric and some string to stretch the stuff and make them extra fancy.

OR - for colleagues - how about getting some hard covered notebooks and covering them with fabric and batting. Doesn't take much, if you have a glue gun and an extra pair of hands it is easier. Looks really fancy. OR - if you know them well enough and are happy to do it, how about a voucher for babysitting their kids for an evening so they can have a night out in peace and quiet?

WooHoo! #103, y'all! Anyhoo, nothing says I love our Lord Jesus like an inflatable nativity. And as for coworkers-buy 'em booze, you'll like them better when they're likkered up.

Thank you for the laugh. You are so good with words, and I could just see the Christmas Decorations war going on in your neighborhood! And then your single strand of lights...yes, I probably would have pulled mine down, too. I think you chose a good alternative, highlighting your tree...simple and elegant taste. You go, girl!

BTW, I, too, would love to see a night-scene of the view down your street. I'm sure you won't need to use the flash function on your camera! ha ha!

Purl-

I am glad to know that Christmas does not only throw up in my 'hood. Actually, that pertains to one house in particular in my area. DH and I have refered to it for years as "The House That Christmas Threw Up On". Even when it is not festooned in Christmas crap it is called T.H.T.C.T.U.O.

They have not added the inflateables, but instead go for the retro look, with the hard plastic light up decor. At last count they had 4 nativity scenes, 2 dozen reindeer, 6 carolers, 9 wise men, a couple of snowmen and 7 or 8 santas both in and out of sleighs.

Their front yard must only be 10X15 at best, so all of this is wall to wall in the front of the house. I don't know these people, but the inside must look the same, judging by what I can see in the living room when the curtains are open. Cause, yeah I'm Mc Nosey Neighboor if you don't keep the blinds shut.

Oh PLEASE post pictures of Christmas Vomit!!! It would be so funny! *grin*

Why, oh, why did I wait until this late at night to read these comments?! I've missed Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

On a brighter note, I now have a bunch of recipes and ideas that I am now going to brazenly steal for my own personal use...

Did I forget to say thank you? Thank you, Laurie and all you other wonderful Internet people with all your great ideas!

LOL! Wine From 7-11 Day! I want to celebrate that :) Although, there is no 7-11's where I hail from. And seeing your goofy neighbor's on "the innernet" would have been fun, but dear ol' mom is right.

Nothing beats a homemade gift! For people I work with, I went to Walgreen's and got these decorated Chinese takeout cartons which were about a pint-size, each one had a nice decoration on it, about $4.00 for 3. I bought about a dozen and am tucking mini-size candy bars and a gift card into each for clients (co-workers)

You could also get these at CVS/RiteAid type places, the dollar store, or crafts store too, heck, even Chinese restaurant supply, if you have one in your area and want to be UBER thrifty. Then you can decorate the plain ones yourself. No wrapping required on these gifts.

I know, it's not the same as KNITTING, but my grandma and her little church buddies would always make these little nylon dish scrubbies on the cheap (used nylon netting from stuff like produce and onion bags, etc.), and I have to say they were one of the best and cheapest 'useable' gifts I could have gotten tucked into my stocking at Christmas! Plus they are more flexible and their 'scrubbiness' lasts longer than the plastic dish scrubbies I have to pay a few dollars for at the store.

For anyone interested, here is the pattern: http://www.geocities.com/knitwits_heaven/patscrubbie.html

I shall be immediately after this post visiting missdoxie.com. Sounds right up my alley. Since the site has a store, it will probably cost me money. So much for Christmas on the cheap!

I have Mr & Mrs Scrooge living next door. They decorate their house and yard all pretty for Christmas every year. Their outside (house) looks all pretty, but their inside (spirit) is just rotten and has been since the day they moved in umpteenth years ago.

For those who don't crochet...here is the link to knitting version of the nylon dish scrubbies I mentioned above:

http://www.fiber-images.com/Free_Things/Patterns/Free_Knitting_Patterns/free_hand_knit_household_goods.htm#clean%20everything

Laurie, Im a long time reader of your blog, although I've never left a comment. I recently moved to Japan, and man lemme tell you, it's tough. I dont know anyone here, nor the language. And especially during xmas time, i really feel homesick. Reading your blog makes me feel warm. And I'm on a tight budget myself, so I try to have very minimal xmas decorations at home (besides the fact that it's a tiny apartment). But hang in there! Xmas atmosphere is all about the spirit!! Xoxo, Anne

I'm lucky in many ways, my family has the rule that the only gifts you can trade at the family christmas party are ones you make yourself. This year, everyone is getting knit dishcloths wrapped around gourmet chocolates (I'm not cheating on the chocolates, I work for a gourmet chocolate maker). My daughter is gettting hand knit socks and I've been working extra hours to cover the rest of her gifts. In our house, Christmas is about family, not about the gifts.

Ok, I think these first two are repeats, but what the heck... I haven't seen the others come up. ;) (And drat, returns aren't coming through on preview - sorry, it'll be kinda hard to read.)

Knitted mug mats - squares are easier to knit than circles. Use leftover yarn, stripes are good.

Bath salts - lots of recipes online, Google it; just takes rock salt, epsom salts, some food coloring and a few drops of some essential oil for scent. Wrap in colored plastic wrap and tie with ribbon. There are recipes for things like bath bombs and oils, too.

Did you know the clear plastic take-out food containers - like a restaurant uses for a full meal, or the smaller ones for salads, or that lots of grocery store bakery items come in now - are made from basically the same stuff as Shrink-It plastic? If you can't afford Shrink-it - which is pretty cheap for a package of 3 or so sheets - start hanging onto food containers. Heck, ask your co-workers to give theirs to you. ;) Wash them out and cut out the flat sections. Sand them lightly with fine-grit sandpaper on the side you want to decorate. Put it on top of some design you like, trace, and color with colored pencils. Cut out the shapes, use a paper-punch to make a hole, shrink 'em. (Look up Shrink-It sites online for the proper temperature. This is ok to do in your oven or toaster-oven. Also to check the percentage the stuff will shrink down to - I think it's at least 35%, maybe up to 60-75%, so start big. They have lots of projects on the mfr. sites, too, if you're stuck for ideas.) Voila. Ornaments, costume jewelry components, charms, keychain tags, tags for labeling stuff permanently, nametags for pet collars (even in shapes - bones for dogs?), tiny little dolls... After shrinking you can use fabric paint, glitter, gel pens, whatever to decorate them even more. And they're solid and much thicker when shrunk; won't break easily.

Regular scarves, unless in bulky yarn, take longer; instead, for women knit/crochet lightweight, lacy little triangle scarves on mid-sized needles or hooks in garter stitch or some simple crochet. Make 'em just big enough to tuck into a neckline, more as an accent. Make 'em out of sock/baby yarn - wide range of prices on those.

Candles...not made with all the expensive stuff from craft stores, but the good old home-made kind using paraffin and whatever; I'm sure Google can find a recipe. A really neat variation we used to do was use milk cartons (large or small) for molds and fill them with ice cubes before pouring the wax. *Totally* cool results, like wax lace. When cool, pour out the water and tear the carton away. If not all the ice has melted out, just set 'em in the sink until it does. (Grease the inside of cartons with cooking oil or something before pouring wax. Add crayons while melting the paraffin to color it. Try layering colors.)

Another super-easy candy, fairly cheap - almond bark. This time of year you can usually find packages of white chocolate in the bakery section of grocery stores, specifically for almond bark. If not, just find the baking-size white chocolate bars in the baking section. Or go for semi-sweet chocolate. Get bulk slivered almonds, not those little expensive packages. Lightly butter a cookie sheet with a rim, or a 13"x9" pan. Melt the chocolate in the micro, stir in plenty of almonds, spread thinly in whatever, let cool and harden, break into pieces. This impresses people no end, but hardly takes any work.

Ditto with bulk pretzels.

Really easy Peanut Brittle: (Don't tell my stepdaughter I told you guys this, it's supposed to be her MIL's sekrit recipe. [g]) 1/2 cup cup butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon corn syrup; 1/2 to 1 cup peanuts. Cook together in large skillet (*not* a sauce pot) at whatever heat just keeps it gently bubbling, stirring constantly with a hard plastic spoon/spatula (non-meltable), until everything is at least the same color as the peanuts. (Do *not* leave it or cook at too high a heat; you don't want it to burn. Depending on your stove, medium to medium-high is usually what you want. Cooking until syrup is a little darker than peanuts is ok, if you want slightly harder brittle. Just don't let it get dark brown, 'cause that's burned.) Pour out onto large buttered pan with rim, spread into thin layer, let cool, break in pieces. Watch it, hot sugar *burns*. I don't recommend letting the kids help with this one. But requires no candy thermometer, no testing for hard-crack stage, and tastes great.

Want your place to smell all Christmassy without actually baking? Take a cup of apple cider vinegar, mix in 1 tspn. each cinnamon and nutmeg, put in a shallow container, heat in microwave for 1 minute; then set it out somewhere the aroma will drift. Not only smells great, works as a room deodorizer, too. (Or simmer on low in a pot on the stove; just check so it doesn't boil dry.)

Knitting and Sewing with sales items and remnants. There are so many great free patterns on the internet. Mine are

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory.php

http://sewing.about.com/od/freeprojects/Free_Sewing_Projects.htm

Not origina; but still effective.

Please reconsider posting the must-see Christmas vomit photos!

I have a friend who gives me those crocheted scrubbies for xmas every year, and I LOVE them!

I agree with monicapdx on the bath salts, oils, etc. One year, I made soaps and bath salts for my bosses (I had four). I found glass jars for the salts pretty cheaply. And hey! Rock salt--dirt cheap! Once it smells pretty, they'll never know ;)

As for the external holiday decor...this is my first Christmas living in a condo. The association has "rules" about what's allowed. And what's not. Big tacky displays? Not. Allowed. At. All. I'm wondering if the couple down the street who decorated their porch, carport and shrubbery with colored lights will be "disciplined."

OMG. My neighbors down the street just unveiled their inflatable manger scene. So tacky on so many levels.

Speaking of Christmas crazy--I remember several years ago, after September 11th, a family down the street covered their lawn with strings of Christmas lights--row upon row, 1" apart. They also covered their chain link fence. I believe a concrete eagle and a giant concrete statue of liberty were involved but I've blocked most of that out...

Two things:

1 - Ornaments, ornaments, ornaments. EVERYBODY can use more ornaments, and there's so many ideas out there that are so cheap to make. Crochet snowflakes, knit stockings - oodles of patterns on the innernets - and a quick jog around flickr gives you tons of ideas for felt ornaments that aren't the least bit hokey. It hardly gets much cheaper than felt!

I also hit thrift stores for ornaments this time of year... at least around here, there ends up being a lot of vintage/antique ones to be had, which is another good option if you have someone on your list who likes old-fashioned antiquiness.

2 - If you see Chenille Thick & Quick on sale, grab it. Our Walmart has a selection of colors for $4 a skein. One skein makes a scarf, either simple garter stitch knit or single-crocheted - it's fast, easy, and every time I give one, everyone else in the room ends up wanting one, so it must be a good thing!

There is a nativity scene like that in my neighborhood as well. I'm not religious, but it just seems 'wrong' to me - kind of like a Jesus sippy-cup or maybe a neon Buddha.

I am not into big gifts for the holidays. Mostly, i just like that it is a season where we are forced to make time to see the people we care about and that is the main point for me.

A nice gift you could make/buy for family or close friends is to find some of your favorite family pictures and get used frames at a local thrift shop or Goodwill (or garage sales) and frame the pictures. If you've got the time and some acrylic paints, you can really got for it, repainting the frames to personalize them (wooden ones would be best for that, I guess).

And, for wrapping, on someone's blog, I recently saw the idea of wrapping gifts in fabric (green wrapping). It could be done really cheaply, because most people have some old clothes around the house that they can no longer use but that can be chopped up to make nice wrapping supplies. And, how about using sponges, paints, fingers, etc. to decorate some of Dad's more worn white dress shirts with Christmas motifs and chopping that up to wrap with? That kind of thing you could always request that it be given back if you don't think they'd want to keep it. You could do the same with some cheapy white butcher paper, right? Fun to do with the kids, and it has to be cheaper in the end than using commercial wrapping paper rolls, which appears to have less and less paper on it from one year to the next.

For decorating, my mom always wraps the paintings and pictures hanging on walls in the house as Christmas gifts. Just a few small ones wouldn't take up that much wrapping paper (or the fabric idea, I guess) and could add to the festive look you want for the house.

Then, of course, knitting and baking are always excellent choices. Sewing and any other crafts would work, too. If you could find some cheap sheets at the thrift shop or Goodwill or somewhere, you could make nice bags. Or, if you come across some feltable sweaters at one of these types of places but it wouldn't be something anyone would wear (or old ones' you've got around the house), you could felt it up, cut and sew it to make a bag or some other nice felted object. This could be really cheap to do, and it's great to know you've recycled something old into something pretty and new.

And, for kids there are lots of fun possibilities. We were having a rough time last summer and birthdays came at us from everywhere. This is where a nice fabric stash comes in handy. I sewed a tool belt for one kid with some orange canvas fabric I had around the house. My wood-working hubbie make a board with holes while I sewed up some bean bags for another kid. He loved it, and throwing the bean bags into the holes actually became part of the birthday party games (his mom thought painting numbers by the holes would make a great way to learn to count). You could also make some felted little blocks for a baby. Ooh, and if you've got some kids old enough to write (or at least dictate to Mommy) you can ask everyone to write out a list for each person in the family with all of the things they like about that person on the list (maybe you could say each person has to say at least 5 things, so that nobody is disappointed with just one or two). What better gift is there than hearing what's nice about yourself.

Okay, I should stop now, but depending on your skills, you could do tons of fun things that really wouldn't be that pricey.

And, if you're interested in learning more ways to save money and give gifts that are inexpensive, try checking out The Tightwad Gazette from the local library. It's a great book for changing a person's mentality from consumerism to saving money. Some of the things she does may seem extreme, but there are some great idea in there, (including several articles on gift giving).

As for my husband's family, we do the name-drawing with the adults. It saves time, for sure. I wouldn't mind a money limit, actually, but even $100 spent on one person is better than what you'd end up with if you bought something for everyone and their spouse. Plus, there's inevitably the scrooge (*cough* MIL *cough, cough*) who doesn't buy stuff for everybody (or anybody) and gets a bunch of gifts in return. Drawing names is better.

Then, of course, the whole family could participate in charity giving (working at soup kitchen or something together). Oops, I said I was going to stop, didn't I?

I believe that kids enjoy the anticipation as much as the actual gifts.

When I was broke, I made everything by hand--dolls, doll clothing, a knitted doll and Santa puppet, etc. Even a very pretty crochted, beribboned pillow with matching hot water bottle cover. I gave hats and all sorts of things that came from my hands. I found that my time was as much appreciated as my money, and that the process of getting ready was the fun part.

Here is one idea that went over large with the family. I told my son that he could not buy any gifts. He had to be creative. So, he gathered recipes from every family member, typed them off, and printed a family cookbook. We still have copies of that twenty years later.

If you give the kids responsibilty for making Christmas rather than just experiencing it, they will not feel that they missed out on anything. I find that too many kids just like to sit back and receive, and that really is robbing them of the fun.

My best friends from high school and I get together every year during the hoidays for coffee and instead of exchanging gifts or even doing a white elephant exchange (where you end up with a lot of crap you don't want - or need) we each get the name of someone in the group and buy that person a Christmas ornament. We've been doing this for about 10 years now and I have a very eclectic and sentimental collection of ornaments that I actually leave on display in my house the whole year through! It's fun, festive, easy, and cheap!

So many good ideas! Laurie, I've been stalking, I guess, but only because your writing is addictive and I have no time to write lately (my own blog is languishing even, but oh well). Anyway, one idea I don't think has been mentioned: etching glass. This sounds really Martha, I know, but it's super easy. Get a small bottle of glass etching cream at a craft store (probably under $5), and pick up some plain glass items while you're there, or check the dollar store: mugs, drinking glasses, vases of any size, jars that seal, whatever. Use masking tape to mask off the area you want to decorate (maybe a band around the glass, or a rectangle space on the front of a jar), then use stickers within that area to make your design (vinyl letters from the craft store, gold stars, paper hole reinforcers, whatever) and use a sponge to apply the etching cream within the area you've masked off. Leave it for a few minutes (the jar will tell you how long), then wash off and remove your stickers. Wear gloves, by the way.

One year I etched "Good Boy" onto a jar and filled it with dog bones for my brother's dog (he was sadly single that year)(my brother, not the dog); I etched my brother-in-law's initial onto the bottom of a set of drinking glasses (cheap at Ikea); and I made a few vases with words like love, hope and joy etched around them. It's not very expensive, and you can totally customize it. Glass coffee mugs would be fun to personalize for coworkers, esp. if you have nicknames or know something funny about them.

Cloth bags filled with oatmeal and tied with a ribbon are instantly transformed into Aveeno-type bath treats (powdered milk works,too). Add some herbs for a little scent -- rosemary, lavender, mint.

With the kids, mix up 1 c. applesauce and 1 c. cinnamon (pretty cheap in bulk) into a dough (moist, but not sticky), roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Add a hole for hanging, dry on a rack or in a low oven, and then hang on your own tree, give a set as a gift, or tie onto a gift of card as a token. These smell lovely, and for a long time; you can use up any extra dough by rolling it into balls, drying, and putting in a little bag as a sachet. You can decorate them with glitter or paints if the kids aren't so into brown.

For the guys, make super-spicy spiced nuts -- it's a pride thing, not getting all frou-frou handmade stuff. Find a recipe online, then amp it up.

Oh, I'm going on forever -- forgive me. Just one more, though. Last year we told our son (I got this idea somewhere) that Jesus was given three gifts when he was born, and that was what our family would do, too. Of course he gets tons from other people, but from us he gets three. It keeps the spending down, and also reminds him that the giving is part of our faith, not just a secular tradition.

Good for you, returning the lights. Spend it on wine instead, and enjoy yourself.

Co-worker's gifts - I just made a needle felted Christmas ball with some red wool - like half an ounce, some shredded irridescent mylar and a tiny bit of green silk. Probably about $0.75 worth of materials. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes all together. Get a cute little bag at the dollar store and maybe a candy cane and there you have it.
Another idea is pachages of hot chocolate all tied up with some home made marshmallows - really easy and a mug if you really like them. Cute and easy.
Just my 2 cents.

A great activity is to invite some friends over and go caroling. Nothing gets you into the Christmas spirit faster and all you need is a few printouts of the lyrics and some warm drinks. If you want to get super fancy you can ask each person coming to bring a candle or two. Super cheap and everyone will have a great time.

There are a couple of ideas that come to mind for fun and personal gifts with more emphasis on creative than financial. For children, story books such as Frosty the Snowman become special when you make a felted stuffed frosty or a little felted pig for the Three little pigs. Also, a christmas tree skirt out of felt with a 12 days of Christmas theme using glued on felt appliques. There is nothing more seasonal than a gingerbread house. I used to make mini houses and the neighbors from one to ninety years old were always delighted by them. Sometimes you can get lucky and find large seasonal lollipops, like soldiers - they make great party favors or place cards with a note and ribbon attached. The cutest thing my daughter recently pointed me to is the knit mini stocking used to hold place settings for dinner. There are the old standbys, snacks such as an artfully arranged platter of sliced oranges or a bowl full of unshelled nuts with a nutcracker. Ribbons and beads and glass dishes and bows just dress it all up. Anything brass or copper are great to add sparkle to the house. Funny gifts found on e-bay don't have to break the budget. I found some anti monkey butt powder for a son and a charming bottlecap necklace for a granddaughter. Then too there is a screaming monkey slingshot. The sillier the better and always go for the unexpected. For the office a stocking with tissues, lip balm, air freshener, tiny stuffed snowman - all good. Or for the pet owner a theme stocking. May all of you in Purl's community have a joyous holiday and follow her determination, grit and pure good nature.

This year I am doing Christmas on the cheap. I haven't even done any major shopping yet this year because I've made so many of my gifts!
My close work friends are getting spiral scarves out of the Scarf Style book (made out of stash yarn)and others at work are getting earrings made out of the surplus jewelry supplies I have (I tend to overindulge in Swarowski crystal at bead shows). My mom is getting a dog sweater I knit with matching (dollar store) hair pretties for her yappy-type dog. That gift will also include a 'free' photo shoot at her house of her dog (which is guaranteed to be one blurry photo shoot with her spastic dog). Dad's getting a new ski hat knit from sock yarn. Now to figure out something for the husband...

My 10 year old daughter just learned to knit, and made everyone little ornaments that require only a bit of yarn, two toothpicks and two little plastic beads with holes that will fit on the tips of the toothpicks. You wind the yarn into a ball, then stick the toothpicks through like tiny knitting needles. Then take the beads and stick them on one end of each toothpick (you can use a bit of glue or a dab with a hot glue gun unless they fit snugly without it). Use more yarn to make a hanger by sticking it in the ball of yarn with a tapestry needle. Voila! My daughter is so proud of these little ornaments, and they were next to free. The idea came from Yarn Harlot's website a couple years ago--one of her daughters made them and showed how in photos.

We have neighbors that go all out every holiday. On Halloween they had the huge inflatable spider that you had to walk under to get to the front door (I felt like Sam from Lord of the Rings, on Thanksgiving came the equally large inflatable turkey and the day after Thanksgiving their Christmas lights were up. Oh, did I fail to mention that they never took down any of the old decorations before they put up the new ones? A huge inflatable spider surrounded by Christmas lights is really disquieting.

Their christmas lights are ok but I really can't wait for their President's day display...and no, I'm not kidding.

im in tears from laughing...Great Story!

One more great idea: one year after my kids started to get a little bigger, my mom decided to wrap up a clue instead of a gift. She'd wrap an envelope of "Clue #1" which led to a hidden clue #2, which led to a hidden clue #3, etc. The kids look forward to this traditional hunt every year, and the end gift could be anything small & handmade, or even candy! (Sugar + kids = happy). Even the adults have gotten into it, making the clues very cryptic riddles that take time and fun to decipher. To reiterate some posts above, it's a time thing, and not so much focused on the end gift as the journey to it.

An idea for co-worker gifts: make a batch of fudge or something and put them in decorative boxes or bags. It's small/cheap but homemade and therefore special. And consumable.

OK, I just have to say that you need to pick on another family other than the Joneses. I am a Jones by birth and I always resented that statement.

Done bein' preachy! Have an awesome Christmas, Laurie. For more on the "War on Christmas," don't forget to check out The Colbert Report. His set is freakin' hilarious!

Cheap co-worker gifts? -- Bake 'em cookies! Works every time. I still have a friend back in Chicago who threatens me every Christmas season if he doesn't get his cookies!

Hi, I didn't put up any decor this year (I don't have kids, so no one is moaning about it), and I try to ignore the crazy lights and blow up dolls next door, but I do make it a point to drive by the one house I know of in town that has the "Paul Bunyun" snowman. Why? Because it's actually the character "Sam the Snowman" (the narrator) from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The character's voice belonged to Burl Ives, and the snowman was patterned after him. I just always get a warm fuzzy from seeing the snow man because I felt that way every time I saw Burl Ives or heard him on the radio (Holly, Jolly Christmas). He was a very loving man and it showed in his performances. He passed away more than a decade ago, but I find his love is still present today.

for a house with young kids, hang on the tree....random puzzle pieces from favorite puzzles that are no longer played with or that have missing pieces anyways

A cheap, easy and homemade gift for the kitties is a catnip pillow. Buy some quality catnip (Cosmic is good, Hartz tends to be stale), make tiny little pillows out of fun fabric scraps (stuffed with other scraps or polyfill), put about a tablespoon of catnip in the pillow and sew 'er up! Your kitty friends will love it and their owners will be touched that you thought of their babies-with-fur!