Well, with the economy and all, we've decided to start new Holiday traditions this year. For Christmas, there will be no "store bought" presents. The kids (20, 12 and 10), DH, and I have all agreed to go back to the "old way" of Christmas. We are making each other only hand made items, putting our tree up on Christmas Eve (in the past it was up Thanksgiving Weekend), and we are not feeding into the hype. We will celebrate the season with the emphasis back on the original tradition rather than the "feeding frenzy" precipitated by the advertisement industry. How will you celebrate this year?

-- Sandie in Maine (peqbear@maine.rr.com), November 20, 2001

Answers

Good for you Sandie. It is just too commercialized. I have seen homes with Christmas lights up already. By the way I am in Maine also. This year we are doing more homemade also. Mainly because I have not worked since June. I bought baskets at yard sales all summer and we are putting jars of canned pickles, relish, jam, in them for the adults and I also have made some knitted dish cloths for the baskets. Now the grand kids are a concern. I think we will buy something not too expensive so they have something to open up. They are old enough to understand our financial situation and are real good about that.

RenieB

-- Irene Burt (renienorm@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

Hi Sandie, I too am from Maine, and have been giving homemade gifts for a few years to the adults. This year I am giving homemade soft cheese from my cow and a carved wooden spoon. I have four children and it is so hard not to fall into the hype of the holidays but we can't do it anymore financially. It is nice to see that more and more people are scaling back and doing it the traditional way!~ cara lewis

-- cara lewis (moomaine@hotmail.com), November 21, 2001.

Sounds like your Christmas will be truly beautiful Sandie!

Three years ago we decided to scale down on the shopping and spending as well. No more roadside treestands, bakery-rich foods, and high priced impractical gifts. I thought it would be a tough sell to our kids (then ages 7 & 4). I was so wrong! Now we spend time together, baking, making cards and a few gifts, scoping the woods for the perfect tree, etc. It's wonderful! The pace has really slowed down. We now have time to casually entertain friends and family all month long. We could never find the time to do that before!

We have also started a few family traditions of our own. My kids favorite one is eating by candlelight. The whole month of December, we turn off all the lights, and eat by candlelight at dinner. The television stays off, the phone is turned off and it's just us and our conversation. My children look forward to this time all year long, and their friends love to come and be a part of it. Amazingly, I don't hear "I don't want to eat this" even once all month! I guess everything tastes good by candlelight!

-- Mary

PS Around hear, everyone is already decorated for Christmas due to the unusually warm weather this year. Beats chipping off ice to put up bows and trim!

-- Mary (zoots25@hotmail.com), November 21, 2001.

Thanks everyone, it is so nice to know there are more of us Countrysiders in Maine! I am down in Biddeford for this year. Mary, you have given me a great tradition to pass on, I have been wondering how to best symbolize our "12 days of Christmas", and what better way than having dinner by candlelight those nights! Thank You so much!

-- Sandie in Maine (peqbear@maine.rr.com), November 21, 2001.

Some on another forum (TB2K) asked for ideas for free or really cheap Christmas presents, and we got a big long thread full of really good ideas. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a nice holiday.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 21, 2001.

We have had Chrismas the weekend before or after Christmas with my sister and her family for quite a few years now. We draw names, have a lot of handmade gifts and more than a few gag gifts, eat Mexican food and visit and play games. We have a wonderful time and spend as little as possible. I hope we started a new Thanksgiving tradition today. My granddaughter, who will be eleven on the day after Thanksgiving, spent the afternoon, and under my supervision, made salad and desserts for tomorrow. We both enjoyed this very much and I hope it can happen again. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

-- Barb Fischer (bfischer42@hotmail.com), November 21, 2001.

This year I am making gifts for my mother and my mother and father in law. I am crocheting (just learned in october!) an afghan for the in- laws. I already made a scarf for my mom. I am also making glass ball ornaments with potpourri inside and others with pictures of my kids inside. We are also cutting back on buying this year. We just can't afford much. But I have to say that I am a lot less stressed out this year. I am not buying into the hype and it feels good! We will be taking more time to do things together like making candy and cookies and decorating. When I think back to my childhood these are the things I remember-not the amount of presents I got. Teejae--my boys are making wreaths for their grandmas. I bought 2 yards of cheap x-mas fabric at Wal Mart(3 different colors). We will cut it into strips about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. Then take a hoop of some sort--I am using some old embroidery hoops I have-- and tie the strips around the hoop. Just keep tying and fluffing the strips until the wreath looks nice and full. They are cute and easy and grandmas love homemade stuff like that ;o) You could also make her cookies or even draw her a picture or write her a poem if you like that sort of thing and put it in an inexpensive frame. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Have a wonderful holiday.

-- Colleen (bean@northwoods.net), November 21, 2001.

I try to make as many gifts as possible. I have some done already...and will be scrambling to get more done. I usually give homemade food type gifts to friends and neighbors, and hand knit or sewn items for other gifts when I can. I have been working on a sweater for my second son from yarn I spun. And have finished 2 pair of wool/angora socks for my daughter in law and sister. I hope to get a couple more pair of socks done before Christmas. Also knit some caps for the guys. Knit one in yarn to match the hunting gloves...fingerless with a flap that goes over like a mitten..that I made for one of my sons. Last year my food gift was homemade hot cocoa mix...I put it in pint size canning jars, and covered the top with fabric..tied with raffia. It was a big hit..and easy to make a big batch. I am thinking about Snowman breads...did them one year and they were really good..gave them with a little jar of honey butter, or jam. Made bread dough into the shape of snowman,with raisin eyes and mouth and buttons,and with an egg glaze on it before baking, and then made a flannel scarf for him....real cute. I put them in low flat rectangular baskets I got at the dollar store...lined with flannel. I always try to have a small cookie exchange with my friends too. Its a fun way to have everyone over cheaply and have everyone go home with something. We all have hot cider and eat a few cookies. I love it. My family tries to go caroling at least once...and although we have no musical talent whatsoever we never have been asked to leave. I hope we get to go this year again.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), November 22, 2001.

What great ideas everyone has contributed! A few other gift possibilities are: home-made flannel pillowcases in warm, winter plaids or cute "kid" prints (these are really easy to make, simple sewing); re-usable shopping/grocery bags (to leave in the car and eliminate all those plastic bags piling up); fabric napkin sets and quilted placemats. These are quick to stitch up from fabric remnants. Starter sets of yarn, large-sized knitting needles and crochet hooks for children, with a gift-certificate good for "learn-to-knit/crochet" lessons, packaged in a Pringle can or old tennis-ball container to be portable and wrapped with a drawing or magazine pictures glued on to the outside. Also, certificates good for one afternoon's lessons in whatever: weaving, spinning, making butter or cheese, canning, grinding wheat and bread-making, etc. A great way to pass along skills and encourage others to learn the joy of doing meaningful "work". I wish all of you a wonderful homespun Christmas season - will be trying the candlelight dinners here - Thanks so much.

-- Taylor (bptaylor@ccrtc.com), November 22, 2001.

Sandie..there is a great web site you need to check out: Holidayorganizer.com it's filled to the gills with wonderful homemade gift ideas... my 5 year old daughter and I just made the candy cane bath salts...its was very easy, inexpensive and makes a wonderful presentation. Check out their "gifts in a jar" section. This is a wonderful time in our lives as parents to truly enjoy our children and 'our' parents...and not be stressed out. Good for you!

-- claudia in NY (cooleyville@aol.com), November 25, 2001.

I just found another site with some ideas for homemade gifts. www.creativehomemaking.com

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), November 25, 2001.

Hey all, my first post. My husband and I have been discussing that next year we will have a completely handmade Christmas, including the cards which I already have an idea for. I have some handmade gifts this year but next year it will be all out!! We figure it will be a challenge all year to come up with ideas and creat gifts for our family. I am really excited and I love this forum!!!

-- Lisa (weezil100@hotmail.com), December 03, 2001.

sorry I typed in the wrong address!!

-- lisa (weezil102@hotmail.com), December 03, 2001.