Christmas shopping lists

There are lots of ways to Christmas shop. I shop all year, finding it easier to find interesting gifts at unfamiliar stores when I travel. Toward the end of the year, though, it's time to be a little more organized and I start matching gifts to recipients, to make sure that I have something for everyone, and to make sure I haven't bought enough for a couple of Christmases. When the budget is tight, I check sooner. Give yourself a budget for gifts and stick to it. A "little extra" adds up rapidly over several gifts for several people.

The other way to handle limited financial budgets (or something to consider if not limited) is to consider whether it might be appropriate to spend time instead of money. Crafters say that the time it takes to make something is worth ten times the material cost of supplies, and the reactions of recipients often seem to prove the point, even for crafts that don't take much skill or training. It's like certain wonderful treats (one of the ones I like is ginger-candied orange peels, but it takes a lot of careful peeling to make a little pile of treats) that you know are a pain to make: you so appreciate the person who went to the bother of making it because it's your favorite! Since I've been doing a bunch of crochet this year, I became aware that crocheted and knitted things have become more rare in the stores, so a certain uniqueness value is added, too. Handmade Christmas ornaments might not get much use, but can be an annual reminder of you and your interest in the recipient, much more so than something purchased at a store. Time is precious. Spending a little of it on a friend or family members can make a great gift.