For the last two weekends I've been meaning to plow through a stack of craft books and magazines and make lists of things to make and do and buy, but I keep getting derailed (this weekend it was an epic basement cleaning project that threw me off--but it had to be done; the disaster I made down there in the process of cleaning one room was quite out of control and my 15 minutes of daily clean-up somehow fizzled out a month or so ago).
I looked back over my Handmade Holidays posts from last year and the year before (here, here, here, and here) and it's downright frightening. What kind of crazy machine was I to make all that stuff?? And why didn't you throw something really hard at me for being such a show-off?
I have one knitting project started:
And that's all. I don't have nearly the big plans to make as much stuff this year, but I do want to make some things, and I want to keep up the tradition of helping the kids make gifts for grand-people and whichever aunt/uncle/cousin whose name they draw. And I want to make a few things for C. I don't have anything handmade planned for E and Z, and for M, I've already given up on finishing (and, ahem, starting) the quilt that's gotten pushed off the docket for at least the last three holidays (birthday-Christmas-birthday), but I do want to stencil a t-shirt I bought for him. Oh, yes, and a dozen-and-a-half ornaments for the ornament exchange and all the various mothers-in-law.
Not to mention the weekly celebrations all month--St. Nicholas (and Krampus) Day; St. Lucia Day, Hanukah, Solstice--I'm exhausted already. What I really need is the month off.
I'm not the sort of person to decorate for Christmas the minute the turkey and stuffing are tossed in the compost--I like a bit of a breather between holidays--but in an attempt to get in the spirit, I picked up a few decorations at Goodwill yesterday (I promise I got rid of much more stuff than I brought home): these four cute tiny candleholders (made in "West Germany" so they're at least 20+ years old), some pretty Christmas balls and three plaster nativity characters for my mom (though she informs me she needs angels and camels, not more wise men, mangers or Josephs--they, together with the candleholders, were only 99 cents).
How about you? Are you ready?
P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment before midnight tonight for your chance to win my blog anniversary giveaway!
I totally agree about moving Christmas to January or February because that's the time of year when I could really use a cheerful holiday to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteAnd, no, I'm not ready. I tend to wait until the last minute and panic ;)
I'm decorated and have done some shopping but I am not ready.
ReplyDeleteOk, this stuff is unbelievable!! First, the fact that you have four, count 'em, FOUR back links to handmade crafts is awesome. I particularly loved all the birds, the flock and the felted ones. Beautiful work.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing done for Christmas but I am making a Spiderman cake with little web cupcakes for a friend's son's bday. It's my therapy.
I was just about to write a post about how NOT ready I am too. I feel really disheartened by it -- the buying especially. I don't mind buying gifts when my kids need things but they don't. We have many wonderful games that we've collected over the years, lots of blocks, building toys and art supplies. I love toys and always get ones that will last and are educational and so they are all still around. Not sure what to do...2 of the 3 still believe in Santa!
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