Once I'm finished decorating for Christmas, it's time to move on to gift wrapping and getting the gift bags ready. I have a lot to do because I give it to just about everyone on God's Green Earth. Okay, in our town, anyway. Around 45 bags with 2 jars each, to be exact.
I do 12 bags of jam and Chow-Chow for family, 16 for friends, my 3 favorite postal workers, the lady 
that sprays our house for bugs, our mail lady, our wonderful housekeeper, the man that mows the yard, the four guys in the golf shop at our club, as well as the bartenders at the club. I've got to keep them happy, right? Oh, then I also give a bag to five of my neighbors, including the alien across the street. I also keep a few extras on hand for when people stop by and shower us us with unexpected gifts. It could happen! I also make gift cards like these to mark the gift bags.
Every year I enjoy making something homemade and can it myself, to be given away as Christmas presents. This year, I made my popular Spiced Peach Jam and my Green Tomato & Habanero Chow-Chow, mostly in pint jars with some half-pints and some quart jars thrown in. ;-) I like to keep gifts simple and limited to something that will be used and/or heartily devoured. I also add a little ornament that can be kept as a memory and be tied onto the wrapping for the goodies.
that sprays our house for bugs, our mail lady, our wonderful housekeeper, the man that mows the yard, the four guys in the golf shop at our club, as well as the bartenders at the club. I've got to keep them happy, right? Oh, then I also give a bag to five of my neighbors, including the alien across the street. I also keep a few extras on hand for when people stop by and shower us us with unexpected gifts. It could happen! I also make gift cards like these to mark the gift bags.
Every year I enjoy making something homemade and can it myself, to be given away as Christmas presents. This year, I made my popular Spiced Peach Jam and my Green Tomato & Habanero Chow-Chow, mostly in pint jars with some half-pints and some quart jars thrown in. ;-) I like to keep gifts simple and limited to something that will be used and/or heartily devoured. I also add a little ornament that can be kept as a memory and be tied onto the wrapping for the goodies.I shop the sales after Christmas and haunt the dollar stores in search of Christmas bags, tissue
paper and ribbon, so I won't have to do it before Christmas. Besides, when you shop the sales and the dollar stores year around, you save a ton of money!I put a lot of care and love into making my jam, just as I do with making the Kahlua and the Chow-Chow. Sure, it would be infintely easier to go and buy something, but I do this because I guess I feel like I'm sharing a part of me with those that I care about most. If that sounded sappy, then it's true.
It isn't necessary to adorn the gifts with pretty packaging. I do it because I like pretty wrappings. It shows that I've gone the extra mile to make my present look nice. When I should have been cleaning house, doing laundry, or some other mundane task. That's no fun. I'd rather decorate Christmas gift bags. Just remember that, if you ever get to see the inside of my house.
So, this is what my my dining room table looks like right now. It's insanity in progress, but somehow I manage to get all of it done before Christmas. Did I mention how
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21 comments:
Girl. You're rolling out of bed early these days!
Will you wrap my presents?? I know you don't have ANYTHING to do!
Good Morning, Snooty! I love your Santas in that picture! And on the Dollar Store - where else can you get 9 things for less than $10 (tax included)? Gotta love that.
Wow, I'm impressed. My presents are lucky if they GET wrapped and usually on Christmas Eve if they do!!
That Chow-Chow sounds yummy. What's your address again?
It all sounds so good. Now would you like my address?
We did the cookie gift this year. I skipped the wrap for decorative boxes and cello bags with bows. Next year we are going back to gift cards ...
What a great gift giver and wrapper you are!!!!
nice job Bree Van de Kamp...I mean Snooty. :-)
Ive always wished I had something I could make for folks...but I dont cook or do anything particularly crafty...
http://www.ireport.com/blogs/ireport-blog/2008/12/16/christmas-at-the-last-house-standing
Snooty, I saw that and thought of you! Talk about christmas spirit!
I'm sure everyone is thrilled to get this as a gift, I certainly would. I love a homemade Christmas.
Snooty, you seem to be a sensitive and sensible woman. I have a question for you. I asking anonymously because I don't want to stir up any more %^&* that I may have in my family.
A quick briefing: My brother and his wife and I had a tiny spat this summer. Our relationship remains a tiny bit strained. Also, they live in a foreign country. So here goes: I shopped and wrapped a bunch of Xmas presents for their children as I do each year, regardless about whether we are getting along and sent it out to them at the start of the month. Last week I received a FebEx box, in size about 8x11x4 with two baseball caps stuffed inside and a card addressed to my two young boys which said Merry Christmas. BECAUSE we are not getting along well I jumped to the conclusion that they were trying to be passive aggressive this year and refused to take that extra step to gift wrap them. In fact, at first I didn't even realize they were for Christmas. I emailed them both asking them that if they were Xmas presents why on earth they didn't go that extra step and wrap them? She, the wife emailed me back saying that she thought my email was very unkind. That she simply didn't want security to wonder what was in the box and unwrap them. (btw, this is coming from Canada...)I explained to her that given our strained relationship that I thought it was a passive jab and that maybe she could have expressed that with a note. Now they are mad at me. Sigh. I feel bad but at the same time do you think or anyone out there that I didn't react well. I'm open to any criticism. thanks, sniff, sniff...merry christmas :(
Snooty,
What is chow chow? Inquiring minds and all that
Anonymous - I know this was for Snooty, but I'm nosy. I'm wondering - when they sent Xmas gifts previously - were they wrapped? If so, then I agree with the passive-aggressive jab. If not, then it might be you jumping to conclusions.
Snooty - OMG - you're one of those people who have the heavenly wrappings. I adore people like you. I am not one of those people, although I gave it a valiant effort one year. Not that I'm not capable of doing it - I just have so damn many people to buy for that it's cost prohibitive. Four kids, 2 grandkids and in our family we buy for ALL (15) of the nieces and nephews, then draw names for adults. So I used to just do pretty wrappings and bows for the adults. Now I don't even wrap, Monkey Girl does - so if it's crooked, or wrinkled - I don't care. It's done. LOL
brneye...yes, in the past they were wrapped.
You made jam, chow-chow AND decorated the bags? You really are Martha. I have my moments too, but I think you have me beat. I'll make sure I get my address to you earlier next year! ;o)
Anonymous: Families are weird. What can I say? Anyone who stuffs a couple of baseball caps in an unwrapped box obviously doesn't care. I'm so anal retentive about making the package look pretty that I could never do such a thing.
Yes, and I'm like you and would never do that to my family, whether or not we had a fight. Thanks, I appreciate it.
I need to move to your town!
Flea was nice enough to get me my own cows and I am hoping you dont mind if I name them George & Gracie ...
:-Daryl
I loved the George & Gracie! Please Do!
Anonymous: I have to tell you that I'm usually the first one to get everyone back on the friendly side, but with some family (and friends) nothing works. I believe in pulling whatever it is out in the open & talking about it until it's beaten to death & it no longer matters. But that's just me. Some people just can't be dealt with in an upfront manner. Period...
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