Comments on Steph's Cup of Tea: Holiday Gift Giving

One of my favorite posts that you've made. A prac...

2008-12-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite posts that you've made. A practical and sustainable stance. I like it when people take a moment to mount the soap-box from time to time. (I definitely recommended this post on my own blog.)

I love your ideas! I have already started making ...

2008-11-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

I love your ideas! I have already started making some of my gifts for the year: scarves, beanies, edible goodies, etc. Since I also love to sew, I will be giving reusable shopping bags and other reusable gifts as well. My husband is making gifts for our friends as he is a woodworker. My youngest son will be going through his toys, while on break, to donate to charity. My older son still has to deicide what his gifts will be. I love to see how creative everyone is while still being practical!

I went to a "green" baby shower last weekend. We ...

2008-11-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

I went to a "green" baby shower last weekend. We had vegan food and gave the lucky mama organic, green gifts. I wrapped my gift in organic baby blankets.
The same friend that threw this shower gave me a Christmas gift wrapped in a re-usable shopping bag last year. So smart!

Great post, Steph. I like your emphasis on being ...

2008-11-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Great post, Steph. I like your emphasis on being creative and thoughtful!

Wonderful ideas, Stephanie. If one does need to b...

2008-11-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

Wonderful ideas, Stephanie. If one does need to buy a little paper for wrapping, I recommend the greenroom eco line that is available at Target.

Wow! you have it together for Christmas! I wish I ...

2008-11-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! you have it together for Christmas! I wish I were so bold. I have cut back and love to give handmade things.

Steph, I would love to see pics of what you come u...

2008-11-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Steph, I would love to see pics of what you come up with for creative gift wrapping - that is a wonderful idea! I always carefully recycle used gift wrapping paper, but still, I'd rather never buy any ever again!

yes, i love this idea! we always make handmade, ...

2008-11-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

yes, i love this idea! we always make handmade, or give recycled gifts. This year we are scaling way, way back. I am making jam for lots of people, and my sisters and I decided not to get gifts for eachother.
One of my sisters alway wraps her gifts in fabric. This way there is nothing to throw out!

I love your list. I had been thinking about the w...

2008-11-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

I love your list. I had been thinking about the wrapping paper, as I was tempted to buy yesterday. I decided I must use whatever I have in the house. I also informed my sister that the gift would be a smaller gift. And donating in a family members name to a charity is always something I like to do. Thanks for the reminders.

Steph,Great ideas. When our girls were younger we ...

2008-11-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Steph,
Great ideas. When our girls were younger we had a tradition of going through all of their toys and clothing and making donations to various charities before they were allowed to get any thing else for themselves. They also partcipated in Operation Shoe Box at our church (for those not familiar- it is shoe boxes filled with toys, candies,games and other things for under privilaged children in 3rd world countries.) Anyway, they always enjoyed this way of giving as much as we adults did.
Keep up the great example for your family!

Amy - that's an awesome idea! Michelle - you go! ...

2008-11-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Amy - that's an awesome idea! Michelle - you go! Let me know when the shop opens! I'm just learning to sew, too.

Steph,I have recently been feeling the same about ...

2008-11-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

Steph,
I have recently been feeling the same about the holidays. There is just too much emphasis on "stuff" in our culture.

I'm striving to give meaningful gifts this year as well! I really like your idea of a charitable donation for the family exchange. That's great!

BTW, I LOVE etsy. Its my favorite website. I'm just now learning to sew, but my goal is to open a shop on etsy in 2009!

Love,
Michelle

I save my 10 year-old's artwork from school and fr...

2008-11-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

I save my 10 year-old's artwork from school and frame it and give it to grandparents and aunts and uncles. These are perfect gifts for them and my son loves seeing his artwork all over his grandmother's house.

Esme

Dear AZ Tea Lover: You are so very generous with y...

2008-11-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

Dear AZ Tea Lover: You are so very generous with your gifts throughout the year, and you are right! I have fond memories of them all - and the ones that come at surprise times are always cheering b/c they are unexpected!

Thanks, Nancy, for the encouragement! I will write about the stamp and junk mail!

There is nothing 'scrooge-ish' about your list for...

2008-11-19T07:29:00.001-08:00

There is nothing 'scrooge-ish' about your list for Holiday Gift Giving - it is all very down-to-earth and practical... and we could all learn from it. I hope you share the stamp and junk mail wrapping idea sometime - that sounds interesting!
Nancy

My suggestions: Don't wait until the holidays to g...

2008-11-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

My suggestions:

Don't wait until the holidays to give gifts. Send them throughout the year to those you care about. They will remember your generosity at the holidays. Giving should be an ongoing activity rather than one spared for just part of a season.

Handmade gifts are treasured most because they express the care and time you invested for the person.

Recycle - if you are buying a gift, think of shopping at the thrift store that benefits a local charity or the used book store. Lots of recycled treasures abound.

One caring, thoughtful gift means a lot more than a bunch of so-so gifts. It's about quality, not volume.

Give the gift of your time. Donate your time to a friend's cause, or go visit someone. That's a huge gift in today's busy world.

Cash is always perfect if you can't think of something to provide. It always fits and is never thrown away.