Christmas Gifts

I like giving and receiving gifts. It is fun to buy for someone, to think about someone and think about what would delight them. I don't usually feel obligated to buy gifts, and that makes it more fun.

I also like to send Christmas cards. For some of my friends, it's the only time I contact them and they contact me. Much to my dismay, Christmas cards seem to be going out of fashion! Emails are nice, but they aren't the same as getting a real card with real writing on it. I even like the Christmas form letter. It's fun to hear how people are doing. I like to sign all of my cards and I like to decorate the envelopes a little when I send them. Last year I custom-colored rubber stamps with special markers. This year I found some snowflake decals with super-fine glitter.

I have received some special gifts so far. My mom always goes overboard and buys all kinds of stuff. Most of the presents she gives are very thoughtful, unique and fun. Occasionally they are just weird. This year, she made me a cross stitch picture about quilts. It's beautiful. She also sent a perfume bottle, a cookie cook book (Gooseberry patch!), a pretty kitchen towel, a molded soap in the shape of a frog (it's really cute), and two books about dogs. My husband got a cross stitch picture of Eeyore. I like everything she sent this year.

I sent Mom a festive bouquet of flowers and a pretty needle case for her cross stitch needles. I found the case at a quilt shop in New York City when I went there in September. It's a small tube , about the size of a tube of chapstick, decorated with had-crafted flowers made of Fimo or Sculpy clay. My Dad got a gift basket of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory goodies. He likes chocolate. A lot.

My niece Adia got a bed quilt. (See previous posts.) My niece Kendy got my old sewing machine (not the antique) and sewing supplies. I don't know what we're getting my nephew Dexter. He's only 5. Any toy will do, and we will see him on Christmas so we can wait til the last minute. We sent povitica (see www.povitica.com) to one set of brother and sister in laws. We have a hand-crafted bottle stopper for wine bottles for another set of brother and sister in law, the ones we will see at Christmas.

I gave my sister Marcia a pair of dichroic glass earrings I found at an art fair last summer. My mother in law will get a similar pair of earrings in a different color. Marcia like purple. Mom in law likes oranges.

My friend Ann got a pocket briefcase portfolio. She's a big-wig architect, and can probably use some nice business accessories. I even had it monogrammed for her! She sent me a fun Quilt kit and a gift card for JoAnns. She also sent pancake mix from Aunt Sarah's, which is a pancake house in Virginia and North Carolina. It's my favorite place to eat breakfast when I visit in Virginia.

I gave my boss a pot of crocus bulbs that she can force in the winter.

We received some edible goodies from my aunts and uncles, including Cheryl's cookies (those are *long* gone) and mixed nuts. My Mom and Dad in law sent us goodies from "Heart of the Desert" pistachios. They make the best green-chile pistachio nuts.

To me, gift giving is a way of expressing love and care. My mom is the same way - I guess that's how I learned it. I have long since abandoned any guilt or competition in gift giving....as a result, it is fun and satisfying. Several years ago, my brother and his wife sent out letters to everyone stating they no longer wanted gifts at Christmas and they weren't going to send any more to us. I found that very hurtful - not because I wasn't going to get anything, but because it seemed to eliminate a way of contacting and interacting with them. I expressed this to them, but I do respect their wishes. And ever since, we do interact even less. So be it.

Fortunately, they "let" relatives give gifts to their daughter, my niece Adia. I try not to make it too excessive in cost. Handmade things work well....or at least I think so.

I should write about my brother and his wife. They are odd birds, to me. Good people, mind you, but in some ways, just so weird.

Then again, so am I. So is my sister.

I haven't mentioned what I have for my husband. I might post later on this - don't want to spoil the surprise, if he happens to read this.

Merry merry Christmas!