What are your Holiday gift/celebration plans?

[eilen]

Mine is thus: We are having a family Christmas with my family down South. No gift giving between adults, only to the children. I will have a gift for my mother who has been feeling poorly.

I will be gifting the children with a US Savings Bond each and something I've made, probably a sewn item. I do this on purpose as I feel the parents should concentrate on their kids and they are the authors of the "Wow!" gift. Also, children tend to get overwhelmed with too many "wow!" things. The youngest child in this group is 10. I will also be bringing a big tray filled with Italian cookies, something that was part of our Christmas growing up in upstate NY. We lost that when my mother and stepfather divorced along with an entire extended family.

The gift I will get is seeing my husband after 2 months as he is working out of state and will meet us there. My mother is giving us her bedroom for our visit. My son will be sharing his time with various cousins. My brother in law will be putting together the Christmas dinner.

My brother and brother in law are both out of work--they are subcontractors so receive no unemployment, my husband just found a job after about 2 months unemployment but it is out of state and he receives no per-diem--but it keeps our health benefits alive. I have applied for a job but I don't expect any hiring date before Jan 1.

With foresight I purchased my son's gift back in September. I have a few other things for him that were inexpensive.

I plan to send a donation to the Food Bank, the Rescue Mission and I want to check our local union hall to see if there is a relief program for those members out of work. The work situation for electricians (construction--commercial and industrial) is very dire all over the country now and I am not optimistic about 2009.

Friends: I would like to make an agreement with each of them that we will give each other the gift of less stress and simply exchange cards with some borrowed verse and a little creative flourish or a photo.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I will be sending my mom and my brother's family

health related gifts. We have an herbalist that makes a salve to ease arthritis pain--I've got some for Mom (age 90) and Brother (age 65). Sister in law and the niece/nephew have Celiac disease, recently diagnosed, and will be getting gluten-free recipes and the like. My boss and co-worker will be getting stuff I make, to be decided.

As usual, I am hesitant to give my husband anything. We don't celebrate Christmas, and he doesn't like to be given gifts on the day.

[ananda]

2. Trying to buy responsibly.

So far, I have bought gifts from the radical
collective bookstore where I volunteer.

I also plan to shop at the fair trade store
called Ten Thousand Villages.

There's a good eco store, too, which I might
also visit.

It's pretty easy to shop responsibly here in
Austin, and I feel very lucky that way.

Sue

[eilen]

4. I prefer that too

to purchase from local artisans and businesses. For example, the cookies I am purchasing are from a local baker but the things I am stitching up for the kids I have on hand already. Last year I purchased some items from a lovely woman who made ceramics but paired them with repurposed items she found at the thrift stores creating pedestal -ed serving bowls etc. I made up a basket of locally made soaps and skin care creams for my brother's girlfriend. This year though, I am going very low retail.

[jwirr]

3. My daughter works at the hospital the whole weekend so we are

going to get together with the immediate family the Tuesday before and have a simple meal and watch the little ones open their presents. Ages 1 to 12. They are what is important. As to what I am going to give - each child gets $20 which their parents spend for me because they know what the kids already have. I am more likely to help the families throughout the whole year than spend big in one month. For example I took the 2 2 year olds to see Elmo live this year. It was great to watch them. Neither has forgotten.

Last year I gave the whole family books on survival in the coming era. This year I am buying J.H. Kuntsler's "World Made by Hand" as a follow up to the other books.

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. I told my three older children that this year they will be getting homemade or "productive" things.

I plan to teach them some of the basics of sewing and knitting. We will be buying them tools, knitting needles, a new family sewing machine...I picked up some fleece on sale the other day and the kids are going to make small colorful throw blankets for their cousins and the three kids we are sponsoring.

We went out today and shopped for clothes, books and a toy each for the sponsored kids. DH and i will be heading out later in the week to get books, clothes and shoes for our crew.

The extended family has a large get together every year (food and games) and this is always a gifts for children only function.