What's up y'all?! Are you guys as excited for Christmas as I am? I don't know why but this year I'm really pumped for Christmas. Last year Christmas came and went, and I was so happy when it was over. Maybe it's because I was
I can also really feel God at work in our lives right now. It's been a great year and I'm finding myself trusting Him more and more in each and everything I do. We also finally started tithing... I'll post more on that later (and why we JUST started), but I feel like we are finally putting our treasures, hearts and mind into God's plan for us. 2016 is going to be our year, I can just feel it.
At any rate, let's get down to brass tacks.
Yea, it's "tacks" not "tax". I learned that the other day and couldn't wait to tell someone. Google it, for real.
TACKS!
I love giving gifts to people. If I had to guess my love language, I think it would be gifts. As soon as I meet a person I try to remember their birthday, anniversary, or any little date where I can send them a handwritten note or something small (not all gifts are shiny and big-these days, a handwritten note is a gift!).
Rarely do I come across a person or family where I'm totally stumped on what to them, or how to gift something to their family. I was having this conversation with a friend a few days ago, and she was telling me she is the exact opposite. She said that she has a hard time buying for everyone on her list, and staying under budget.
What?! How could this be so? She made me feel as thought I had been born with a little bit of a gift, because I love any opportunity where we can celebrate something else with someone, and gifting falls hand in hand for us!
Christmas is an incredible time for gifts. God gave us the most incredible gift when he sent His son to die on the cross for each and every one of our sins. He sent his son, through Mary, to Earth for us to experience Him in the flesh! That is how much He loves us! Maybe that's why I am experiencing so much joy this Christmas-because the birth of Jesus is where and how it all started! For that, I am so incredibly thankful.
Okay, back to the tacks again. Gifting isn't easy for everyone, I've learned. So fear not, darlings, because I have some great last minute gift ideas for you.
"Oh-Your-Gift-Is-In-The-Closet-Unwrapped" Gifts
Y'all, God has put some incredible people in our life. Last year we had 3 or 4 families give us small but thoughtful gifts that we were just not expecting. They so greatly warmed our hearts! I'm not one of those people that has to give something just because I was given to, and I certainly don't think any of the people I'm referring to feel that way. But because I love gifting so much, it's always a little awkward for me when someone gives me a gift and I don't have something to give them back. This is why around the holidays I throw together a few "just incase" gifts. 9 times out of 10, these are homemade cookies on a decorative plastic plate in some cellophane, or maybe a homemade "jar of cookies". Everyone who comes into the house at Christmas time is someone that we have quite frankly stopped time to be with, so they all leave with something.
My latest addition to this rotation is my most favorite, and it's under $20 + a bottle of wine. Got your attention now, right?!
Look at that adorable little Perfect Bottle Thermal! Pictured here with the large utility tote, it makes a great gift for anyone you know that loves wine. Stick a few of these in your closet so you're ready to go when someone gives you something unexpected. You can do one of two things with this bag. Option one, take the bag and put it in a bag and give the bag as a gift. I think, personally, a bag in a bag is a little silly! Go with option two! Toss a bottle of red wine in there and the gift is the wine while the bag is the bag! You and I both know they'll love the bag for its use, but you don't have to waste time or materials wrapping it! Afraid of wine?! Don't be. I recommend a red wine because it can sit on the shelf for a while, and it's also great to cook with. If your friends are vino's like mine, a nice medium bodied Merlot makes a great gift. If they aren't winos, I don't know anyone that hasn't had Lambrusco. OR, pop a bottle of champagne in there, and you've set them up for success for New Years! Look at you, awesome gift giver-you've saved your friend a trip to the store!
Family Gifts
We have a LOT of friends with a LOT of kids. Bless their hearts, they just keep popping out babies and inviting me over to hold them. And every time I go over to their houses, these mamas always handle everything with such finesse. I have a friend who has four kids, two of which are mono-mono twins, so they are ultra special, but she always looks fabulous. So put together, so calm, so collected (NOT my gift). I would love to get gifts for all of them, but I would be well into triple digits if I bought for each and every one of all of my friends kids. If we weren't saving for a house next year, I could probably pull it off. But for that reason, we have decided to gift these larger families one gift that the entire family can use together.
I don't know what family isn't hurting for some extra family time. These days it seems like we have to give ourselves permission to just have time together as a family. My go-to for this gift is to stick a bag of popcorn, movie theater candy and a family friendly DVD into this zipper pouch. Much like the perfect bottle thermal, it doubles as an extra gift for mom, and the gift for the family is what is inside. She can use the extra zipper pouch for years to come, and the kiddos get to benefit from what is inside. This gift can easily stay under $30 for the whole family, especially if you get your DVD around Black Friday or out of the right section in Walmart. Many of today's kiddos have never seen the Christmas classics. What a treat it would be for them to open this bag to some hot cocoa and frosty the snowman on Christmas Eve.
Got a family that doesn't have kids? Get them a deck of cards and some poker chips to go inside. Or get them Cards Against Humanity, but only if they're horrible people.
Homemade Gifts!
I'm convinced that personalized gifts will always be everyone's favorite. I could find something for everyone on my list from those personalization places in the mall. Unfortunately, it would probably also involve my entire paycheck. But I still love to give a good personalized gift. Fortunately, there are so many DIY options out there. Two years ago I wrote a guest post for my friend's blog about making monogrammed Christmas ornaments. Those ornaments were so fun to make, and my oldest son even got to help me! You can easily knock off 10-12 people on your list in under $40 with gifts like that.
And what's better than to give a great homemade gift is to also give it in a bag they can reuse time and time again. These timeless memory pouches are a great, budget-friendly way to stick something small into a bag that can be reused for years to come. In my opinion, it really puts a personal touch on it that separates it from a regular Christmas bag. My personal favorite use for the larger bag is to use it as a laundry bag when we are traveling. I also have one that I store our tree topper in so each and every year I know it's safe. Any homemade gift in one of these is sure to be a hit.
These bags are also great for dressing up a gift card or a small box with some jewelry in it. Or how about a college kid who is traveling back and forth a lot? Create a little "survival pack" for them to keep in their car. You never know if you'll find yourself stranded on the side of the road. Put an LED flashlight, jumper cables, tire pressure gauge, and a can of fix a flat together inside the big bag and give them the gift of road side security.
I have attached the link to each photo to make it super easy for you to order these. All Thirty-One orders must be in by December 10th for guaranteed Christmas delivery.
Subscribe to my blog by email or leave me some comments, and I might just send you something for free this Christmas! We are just starting to get planted here at The Circus Act, and I want to get to know my readers. So tell me, what is the best gift YOU have ever received!?
Be well!
-C
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