Christmas is Coming!

Don't worry I feel your pain. I am a lover of all things Christmas, but it still makes my skin crawl when I begin seeing decorations at the stores. It's the Christmas shopping that looms like a barricade before the exhilaration of Christmas morning. It's not just the money, which of course has to be found somewhere. For me it is mostly the daunting task of attempting to determine what to purchase for each family member and a few select friends. 

So, here is my gigantic question. Do you purchase all of your gifts for the holiday you commemorate or do you make any of them? What do you think about homemade gifts? This is an inner scuffle I have every year. I love to make “things”, pretty things, soft things, tasty things, and…. well you get the picture. But sometimes I stop myself because not everyone enjoys homemade gifts or the things that I find miraculous. I’m not talking about spine-chilling sweaters from your great aunt Bertha. Chic gifts. For example, last year I knitted the members of my family each a pleasant scarf. And they loved them…or so they said. =] This year I would love to make a large amount of the gifts I give, but I feel as though this would somehow be seen as cheap or peculiar.

Cheap? I wish. Let’s take the blanket that I’m currently crocheting my husband. It takes 13 balls of yarn to make. If I were to obtain the yarn at regular price using the type the pattern specifies, then it would cost a total of $103.87. Wow, that could buy a really “cool” blanket at the store. This makes it tricky to, not only spend the money but also, take the time to construct someone a present when they might view it as a less than perfect gift.

Don’t worry; I didn’t spend over $100 on yarn because I’m thrifty. I watch the sales and go purchase the yarn when it’s on sale, so I spent half of that. But the point still remains. Which way do I go? Do I do what I want and make family members presents…crocheted goods (not tacky ones! Ha ha), baked goods, crafts, or whatever else springs to my mind? Or do I print off their well-organized lists and head to the neighborhood mall to join the masses of frazzled out natives?

A homemade hat. =]