Start A Hobby Now That Will Save You Christmas Money & Create Memories

If you are like me you have been family gatherings and other Christmas events and envied friends and relatives that have made or received wonderful handcrafted Christmas gifts. This might include things like hand-knitted or crocheted sweaters, scarves, hats, and gloves, to beautiful wooden jewelry boxes or other items.
For me, it is not simply the gift itself that goes into such items, but instead, it is the care and love, just knowing that someone took the time out of their life to actually create a gift for someone makes it so much more meaningful than a store bought gift.

I’ve always had a love for handcrafted items. Even when I was a small child, although I have to admit that my letters to Santa would include requests for Barbie dolls and stuffed animals, some of my favorites Christmas gifts included the Barbie doll clothes my grandmother would make me each year and the doll house furniture made by my dad. In fact, I recently found my collection of Barbie clothes and I passed them down to my own granddaughter. She was thrilled, just as I know my grandma would be to know that those doll clothes are still being used today – loved again by another little girl.

And just as an example, those doll clothes did not cost my grandma anything to make except for the minor cost of the thread and buttons and other trim she used. You see, my grandma was an avid sewer and she used the scraps of her projects to construct doll clothes and quilts. I remember that she would get up early to clean her house and do her daily cooking – just so she could spend hours at her sewing machine each day. Then at night she would do the handcrafted projects like doll clothes and quilts. And yes, as I got older, other gifts from her included the quilts, hand embroidered tablecloths, pillowcases and decorative table spreads. These are cherished keepsakes – some of which I have already passed down to my own children.

Just before my dad died he had promised to make me a handcrafted jewelry box. I was so looking forward to that. But sadly, my dad died suddenly, before many of his plans were realized.

Anyway, the point of this post is to remind you that it is early in the year and you can start now – start working on some handcrafted items that you can give as gifts for Christmas 2010. You will be giving more than a gift; you will be giving a part of you that is in reality, a family heritage, a keepsake that will be cherished. It will save you money and be much more meaningful than anything you can purchase in a store.