Christmas Gift Ideas

Bethany asks if I have some ideas for Christmas gifts.
I, like you am always looking for new and creative gifts to give to my family and friends. I have no ordinary family...they are extremely intelligent, creative and sometimes a bit off the wall. So gift giving can be a challenge for me. No ordinary pair of socks will do. And if you are giving socks, make sure you buy about twelve pair and wrap each pair separately just as the matriarch of our family would do.

With my ecclectic family in mind I've set out to finding unique gifts and over the past two years I've upped my game and here are some of my ideas:

Replacements, LTD
Two years ago I gave each of the ladies in the family a cup and saucer from this company. Each china piece had the name of the lady as the china pattern. Does anyone in your family have an uncommon name? Search anyway, you never know what you'll find!
Example: My name is Amanda and here are a couple of different china patterns in my name:
http://www.replacements.com/webquote/GRIAMA.htm
http://www.replacements.com/webquote/L__AMA.htm

The website is a bit difficult to navigate and understand but customer service is top notch. I bought a teacup for my mother-in-law when it arrived I knew right away that it just wouldn't do. So I sent it back for a full refund and purchased another pattern instead.

Catalog Shopping
I do a lot of my shopping in the comfort of my own home early in the year from catalogs and the internet. Sign up for their newsletters or free catalog and they'll send you notices about free shipping, money off coupons and new products. I find something I like and I wait until there's a big sale. That's what shopping early will afford you.
Some of my favorite catalogs are:
The Lakeside Collection
Personal Creations
Betty's Attic
The Lighter Side
Restoration Hardware

What's Cookin'?
I think it's a good idea to give some kitchen gifts, usually people need a tool or new pot holders or bakeware for their kitchen. I like to visit Williams Sonoma. Even though it is expensive I will maybe only get one thing and they do have such unique items like wonderful spices and mixes that you can't find in a grocery store. During the holidays they also usually have samples to try and hot chocolate to drink if you go to the actual store.

Get Crafty
Yes, we do a lot of buying in our family but the way I was raised if you made something that came from the heart it was the most special and so growing up we mostly gave handmade gifts. Painting and decorating wood pieces used to be my favorite thing to do. Now, I enjoy knitting mostly. I have many people to knit for so I choose something I can make in just a few days and mass produce it. This year I'll be knitting these wonderfully warm and soft wool hats. I have several different colors and have made four hats already and I'm working on my 5th.

I will also be making my son a quilt, even though I have zero quilting skills. I purchased a quilt kit from Walmart made by O'Lipfa. I tried finding this online to link to but I couldn't find it. I found it in the craft section of Walmart where they have the latch hook kits. Just a few quick stitches on my sewing machine and I'm done!
I also suggest giving something made from the kitchen as well. Do you make a fabulous chocolate chip cookie? Or perhaps you make your own butters and jams. A container of your homemade preserves is a great gift.

Checking The List
As it gets closer to Christmas my family begins making it known what they'd like to receive or what they need. So I make sure to get a couple of things from their list as well. My family is pretty web savvy and we utilize online forums on our family website to put up a list. We also link to pictures so that we can see the item and purchase the correct one. Sort of like a gift registry.

So I've bought from catalogs and online and got some great deals, I've given some handmade gifts, and I've given a couple of things off their Christmas list which makes for some well rounded gift giving.