Christmas ideas
- Thread starter king family fan
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I have a huge collection of yummy casserole recipes that are great for holiday gatherings. They feed many, and don't cost much.....I might also be talked into sharing my Grandma's famous red velvet cake recipe.....it's the best I've ever tried.
My Mom's side of the family is huge....she's one of 9 and I have 25 first cousins on that side of the family alone. We always have a huge get together at Christmas....we do a crazy gift exchange game with a $10 limit. It's always fun and inexpensive.
PM me if you'd like any of the recipes.
My Mom's side of the family is huge....she's one of 9 and I have 25 first cousins on that side of the family alone. We always have a huge get together at Christmas....we do a crazy gift exchange game with a $10 limit. It's always fun and inexpensive.
PM me if you'd like any of the recipes.
Christmas grab bags work for me cause I never have much money. Even the adults get a kick out of playing with the old-timey toys 
This is my Christmas grab bag list.
TOYS
Toy car
Toy train
Slinky
Drinking bird
Bolo bouncer
Jacks
Pick up sticks
Magic 8 ball
Coloring book and crayons
Bubble blower
Move tiles puzzle
Yo-yo
Play dough
Farm animals
Wind-up toys
Troy Aikman bobble head
GAMES
Board games
Chinese checkers
Old Maid etc
Playing cards
Genius question cards
BOOKS
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog
Frog Goes to Dinner
What Do You Do with a Kangeroo
Little Monster Activity Book
ETC
Friendship bracelet kit
Keychain
Ornaments
Picture frames
Calendar
Christmas mugs
Fishing lures
Peppermint bark
This is my Christmas grab bag list.
TOYS
Toy car
Toy train
Slinky
Drinking bird
Bolo bouncer
Jacks
Pick up sticks
Magic 8 ball
Coloring book and crayons
Bubble blower
Move tiles puzzle
Yo-yo
Play dough
Farm animals
Wind-up toys
Troy Aikman bobble head
GAMES
Board games
Chinese checkers
Old Maid etc
Playing cards
Genius question cards
BOOKS
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog
Frog Goes to Dinner
What Do You Do with a Kangeroo
Little Monster Activity Book
ETC
Friendship bracelet kit
Keychain
Ornaments
Picture frames
Calendar
Christmas mugs
Fishing lures
Peppermint bark
I love homemade gifts, giving AND receiving. Of course, receiving any gift is lovely and much appreciated—really—but only homemade gifts have ever made me tear up.
I think the best homemade gift I ever gave anyone was a book safe. I made it for a young teen nephew a few years ago. Took forever to hand-carve (can't think of a better word) the thing, but the look on his face when he realized what it was made it totally worth it.
Books are also wonderful gifts.
What is a book safe? Sounds divine!
...and a show that might spoil the dinner...Dinner and a show
...nobody wants to know what's under YOUR mistle-toe dude....
Think..."Salvation Lies Within........."
It's basically a hollowed-out book that you can use to store/hide things. You can decorate it however you like, but if you really want it to be a useful hiding place, it's best to use a book that doesn't look out of place with your other books (I chose a contemporary dystopian novel and kept the dust jacket on for my nephew, for example, because that's the kind of thing he likes to read) and simply shelve it with your other books.
I believe I lined the hollow with black felt or velour or something, but of course that's not necessary. It just made it look a little nicer, especially because if you hand-carve it, you have to do a few pages at a time and end up with not-precisely-even edges. I rather wished I had a jigsaw while I was doing it. Would have made it so much faster.
Its sounds lovely. Thats a great thing perhaps I will make one for my sons teacher.
I got the newest Better Homes & Gardens today, and there was a nice article called "Make and Share"--food gifts that look divine, easy, and mostly inexpensive! I just looked, and it's not online yet, but should be soon
Mason Jars = Outdoor Luminaries
Transform extra mason jars into a bright accent to greet holiday guests. Fill jars with Epsom salt to emulate freshly-fallen snow, then add small votive candles and place along your front walkway.
Wooden Clothespins = Clean Snowflake Ornaments
Steal a few clothespins from the laundry room to decorate the tree this year. Glued back to back, clothespin halves transform into crisp white snowflakes.
A white elephant exchange is a great idea. They are normally inexpensive and you don't need to put a lot of thought into your choice.
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Gary, I've just removed the link to that site as we don't allow people to sell their merchandise in these threads, sorry.
Don't it always seem to go...that you don't know what you got til it's gone...
One thing that I never seemed to get enough of is Christmases past...talking grandparents and even parents...what it was like. Some people can be more descriptive, but why not make some sort of record for the grandchildren, recount what Christmases past were like...have everyone do this. Like there was this once, I was bound and determined to catch Santa...might not want to tell the kids this one...so...at the smallest noise that seemed out of place, I was off to the races, jump out of bed, start running down the stairwell. Had to have given Ma and Pa fits. Ma would be on me before I got halfway down the steps. Get back in bed! Santa's not going to come with you awake! This went on all night long. Morning comes and sure enough, Santa came and went while I slept. We're done opening packages and Ma says why don't I go check Santa's backtrail...to the basement door...we had this fake plywood fireplace the old man made, Ma covered it with a brick-pattern contact paper, and we hung our socks there...but Santa wouldn't be making an entrance that way...he'd have to come in the basement door like normal folk. So...I go and check...cause Ma kept insisting. And sure enough, Santa left a package by the door...or...musta dropped out of his sack, Ma says....her eyes wide. I'm wondering who gets to open it. I forget who did open it, but it was a Yahtzee game...which, come to think of it, is a good game for the family to play around Christmas, or anytime for that matter.
So...have all the folk tell about some Christmases past, record each telling, and make copies for the kids. I guess you could do the whole video thing. No clue, me, but I can operate a tape recorder. Time it is all over, the event itself will become part of memory...even the telling will be an event. There must be some good stories you all could tell?
One thing that I never seemed to get enough of is Christmases past...talking grandparents and even parents...what it was like. Some people can be more descriptive, but why not make some sort of record for the grandchildren, recount what Christmases past were like...have everyone do this. Like there was this once, I was bound and determined to catch Santa...might not want to tell the kids this one...so...at the smallest noise that seemed out of place, I was off to the races, jump out of bed, start running down the stairwell. Had to have given Ma and Pa fits. Ma would be on me before I got halfway down the steps. Get back in bed! Santa's not going to come with you awake! This went on all night long. Morning comes and sure enough, Santa came and went while I slept. We're done opening packages and Ma says why don't I go check Santa's backtrail...to the basement door...we had this fake plywood fireplace the old man made, Ma covered it with a brick-pattern contact paper, and we hung our socks there...but Santa wouldn't be making an entrance that way...he'd have to come in the basement door like normal folk. So...I go and check...cause Ma kept insisting. And sure enough, Santa left a package by the door...or...musta dropped out of his sack, Ma says....her eyes wide. I'm wondering who gets to open it. I forget who did open it, but it was a Yahtzee game...which, come to think of it, is a good game for the family to play around Christmas, or anytime for that matter.
So...have all the folk tell about some Christmases past, record each telling, and make copies for the kids. I guess you could do the whole video thing. No clue, me, but I can operate a tape recorder. Time it is all over, the event itself will become part of memory...even the telling will be an event. There must be some good stories you all could tell?
That's a very sweet story.