Jack Frost, Pumpkin Pie And Holidays With Family And Friends
Written on November 1, 2011 by
Old Man Winter is a bit early this year, and it is a reminder the holidays are near. The economy has been unkind to many of us folks and the thought of the holidays, financially is too much to think about. Or maybe not!
It is now more important to share your time with others than ever. Many people are in the same predicament. Thanksgiving Day dinner, make it ‘the more the merrier‘. Organize it and have it at your place. Make a turkey, pork roast, roast beef, leg of lamb or whatever meat dish you want for the amount of people coming. Let everyone brings a side dish to feed the group. Let each person pick something they are good at, but coordinate it to avoid an abundance of mashed potatoes and stuffing. Suggest what is needed, like glazed carrots and parsnips or brussels sprouts, stuffed mushrooms or artichokes, steamed asparagus or cauliflower, salad or greens, antipasto or an appetizer, and dessert. Soda, water and cider are nice for each person to bring something they like to drink and share. Make everyone a part of it, since it is a day to share and be thankful, so do it with family and friends.
A gift for the hostess does not have to cost. Come early, help prepare for the event, set the table, bring something you have to decorate the table. Help clear the table, do the dishes, or pots and pans, do not offer – just get up!
Christmas presents, how do we cut back on cost without killing the Merry in Christmas. Simple, the true meaning of Christmas was not about how much you could spend on someone, but to touch their heart. How about an old picture or a new picture (real pictures in this age of electronics are now more personal than ever), in a elegant frame a favorite memory to share with a certain someone. Put it in a extraordinary frame -a plain frame you jazzed up with buttons, yo-yo’s, a fabric, or use a special color or designed paper behind that picture. (Check out the Martha Stewart’s websites for how to do some of these crafts.) Also second-hand old frames, from a garage sale or thrift store, cleaned up can give an old picture class.
Hand-made gifts -from baked goods to your hobbies. If you quilt or sew: place-mats, table runners, pot holders and tree skirts are refreshingly different. Also, you can make quilts, wall hangings, a doll or a shawl. Knitting or crocheting you can make a throw blanket, shawls, booties/ slippers, mittens, doilies, stuffed animals, dolls, and sweaters. (Once again, Martha Stewart’s websites have how to do many of these crafts.) Bake a tray of cookies, a cake, or pie for someone who does not have the time or talent for baking. Stuff it in a mason jar gifts: dry ingredients to a soup -like spicy black bean, lentil, or split pea (from ‘The Recipe Box’) and attach the directions written on pretty paper to the jar with a ribbon; the dry ingredients to brownies, a cookie mix, or a cake (3,2,1 Cake recipe can be found at BetterRecipes.com and cookies in a jar can be found at allrecipes.com). Here is a helpful tip, if you use Folger’s coffee, the small coffee can is a red plastic with a very easy to remove label, an easy replacement for a mason jar. Finally, if you draw, paint, or make ceramic pieces people cherish something personal and one of a kind. (My niece does beautiful pencil art of the human hand signing a word or name.) If you are a parent, putting nontoxic paint on a child’s hands and then to a canvas can be a precious gift for the other parent in years to come, cause children grow-up too fast.
My homemade memories. I still have a vase and picture my cousin made and gave me when I was 15 displayed; and a photo of a field of brilliant yellow and pink tulips in Holland from a dear sweet friend that took this picture. I also have a framed a photocopy of my son hand prints from when he was 5 years old.
Words. Choose a word that reminds you of that person and turn it into an art piece. For example: gather wooden letters to make that word -paint or decoupage them, then attach them together making a wall hanging piece; for example the word ‘DREAM’. Write a word in the sand at the beach, take a photo and frame it. Find a poem that means something to you about or for a particular person. Write your own poem, song, or retell an old story (a memory) for that special someone. How about the lyrics to a song, printed and framed that expresses a meaning to or for a specific person? Make a CD complied of someone’s favorite songs for their car rides. A card that you took the time to pick out is also significant. A book for all ages The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, or your favorite childrens story for a parent or grandparent to share with a child creating a moment in time.
Be creative, let it come from within, that is what is priceless -the time you took to think about that person to put a smile on their face and touch their heart.