A Handmade Christmas

When I was in college I didn’t have a lot of money to spare at Christmas time so my Mom and Dad came up with the idea for Handmade Christmas. All family members were expected to make their Christmas presents that year. I sewed decorative pillows for my Mom and Sister and hand-painted picture frames for both my Dad and Brother. I had so much fun making the gifts because it inspired me to get creative. I also loved the gifts I received. I got a small jewelry box from my Brother, a scrapbook from my Mom, and cedar chest from my Dad. The concept was such a hit that we decided to do it every year. Now I have 7 gifts to make because we’ve added a few more family members… my brother-in-law, my husband and my niece. We’ve seen some great handmade gifts over the years: wooden building blocks, stained glass Christmas ornaments, knit scarves, flower boxes, even a new deck. (A gift certificate was given for two weekends worth of deck-building in the spring.) Even though we all have enough money to spend (and do buy each other gifts now too), we still continue the Handmade Christmas tradition.

~Winnie P., Madison, WI

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