I usually end up getting something completely cruddy last minute because I can’t think of what to get my girlfriends. (Presents for parents is another problem entirely—and another blog post)
So this year, I’m starting early.
For some, I want to keep it a secret. So I try to be extra observant in the months before Christmas so that I can make an educated guess about what my friend would want or need.
Another sneaky way to go about that is to ask the friend’s parents/siblings/other friends for ideas, clarifications, sizes, favorite colors, etc.
For a lot of my friends, though, I want to make sure I get them what they’d really like. And that usually means asking them.
I decided to knit most of my gifts this year for my friends because (a) it’s cheaper and (b) they’re all the sort of people who really appreciate hand-made stuff.
To simplify things, I gave my friends a list of gifts to choose from:
Fingerless gloves
Scarf
Shawl
Cowl
Hat
Purse
Socks
Then they gave me favorite colors.
Voila! Instant happy friends who are looking forward to their Christmas presents.
Since we’re all pretty poor, why not pick something you can make or a list of small things you can get for your friends this year, and then let them choose what they’d want?
If you do beading, give them an option of jewelry or trinkets you can make for them. If you do scrapbooking, ask them for pictures you can make into a mini album for them. If you bake or cook, give them a list of yummy things to choose from.
Think out of the box this year. But do it early so you have time to make all this stuff before Christmas!
Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her novel Single Sashimi is out now, and she runs the Story Sensei critique service. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every Monday and Thursday, and she ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly giveways!
2 comments:
You're not a freak. I used to have all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. Yes, it's true. However, over the last four or five years, we've stopped doing gift exchanges, except for the young kids in the family. We've opted to give the money we would have spent on each other to a charity of some sort. Or buy a big meal for a family who couldn't afford it. It's actually pretty fun:-)
Great ideas!
I love crocheting and sewing, so baby blankets are what I do most often for baby showers and things.
I also love garage sales. My sister really loves old-fashioned rhinestone jewelry. I've seen gorgeous pieces at antique stores for $30, $50, $100 and more, so when I found one at a garage sale, I snapped it up! One Christmas present gotten- yay!
Happy knitting, and may you have a blessed holiday season!
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