Homemade Christmas

As always December has been a very busy month for me and the reason why I haven't posted anything yet this month. I have been wanted to write a post about all the things that have been keeping me so busy this month. I can probably sum it up in two words, "Homemade Christmas."  This is the reason I always find myself so busy the end of November and into December, we always try to give a lot of homemade Christmas gifts. This year we have even done more and I would say about 90% of our gifts are homemade. Which means we have been very, very busy. And although this isn't a crafting blog, I do love to do crafty things, so I am looking forward to sharing with you some of the things I have been making and the reasons why we love to give homemade gifts. 

The following is a post taken from my sister's blog dated September of 2011:

"I know how sad does this pillow case look?!  But I LOVE it!!  My cute sister Shaun-ta' made us pillow cases for Christmas in 1992 and I have used this pillow case almost 24/7 since.  It is soft and gets cold while you sleep so you don't get to hot in the night.  It is honestly the perfect one.  I always lay down at night and smile because I know my mom would cringe seeing the thread bear and "very loved" pillow case on my bed. It also makes me smile because I'm pretty sure Shaun-ta' has forgotten all about it or if she hasn't won't believe I'm still using it.  I need to Thank Ta' for making this for me so long ago!  It honestly was the best most used present I have ever gotten!"

Homemade Christmas Gift - Pillowcase given in 1992 still well loved today.

To the right is the photo of that well loved pillowcase and my sister was right, I had long forgotten about the pillowcases I made for Christmas in 1992. It made me so happy to know that hers is still loved and treasured. It is a great reminder to me that sometimes simple is the best.

So why is it that we like to do homemade Christmas gifts? Well, I think the first reason will come as no surprise to anyone, it saves us tons of money. I am always looking for ways to stretch our monthly income and we really don't have any extra for Christmas. I am always shocked at the thousands of dollars that families spend on Christmas every year. Although, I don't have an exact number I estimate that we have spent somewhere between $150 - $200 for our family of 5 for Christmas this year and we don't plan to spend anymore. That amount also includes gifts for our extended family, teachers, and friends and a chunk of that money was for shipping costs.  The second reason we do homemade gifts is the meaning and sentiment that comes along with the gift. As I have spent countless hours working on gifts for my children and other loved ones I have felt the joy that comes from giving something that really comes from my heart. As I finish each gift I can't wipe the smile off my face thinking of the joy that gift is going to bring someone else. I believe that things that come from our hands really do have more of our heart in them because they require us to sacrifice some of our time and talents to bless others.

If you have never taken the opportunity to give homemade gifts for Christmas give it a try one year and see if it doesn't bring more of the true meaning of Christmas into your home and heart. There are so many ideas out there, the possibilities are really endless. I had a hard time deciding what to make, so I already have a list of things I want to make for birthdays, Easter, and next Christmas!

Over the next few days I will share with you some of the things that I have been making this year. Hopefully they will inspire you  and give you some ideas for your own "Homemade Christmas."