Christmas Gives Me Writer's Cramp

While the girls are busy playing doctor-or I should say a Rapunzel and rock star are playing doctor and Ry is sleeping, I snuck away to write a quick post.  The kids are within ear shot and my line of sight so I can be there in seconds if anything goes awry in my living room/doctor's office.

I used to write lists of presents I needed to buy, who gots tins filled with cookies, what I needed to do and places we planned to go, not to mention the christmas cards that needed to be signed, the envelopes that needed to be addressed, and the tags on the presents that needed to be written from us and "Santa". All these things gave me a severe case of writer's cramp.

I still do the lists just so I think my life has some semblance of organization before it all goes down the tubes by 8:30 am.

One Christmas in recent years I started using address labels so I just need to update my list of addresses each year. Of course last year when I ran out of labels, I shouldn't have thrown the packaging away because I have no idea what kind of labels I used.  Hence, this is why my Christmas cards (which I've had before Thanksgiving) are still not sent out. Today, I'm heading to Staples with the crew (3 kids ages 4, 2, and 5 months).  God help me.

Since we've had kids, I figure everyone wants to see how cute the kids are much the kids have grown so we just do photo cards with a short message. No more signing cards makes Mommy sing hallelujah.

That only left the gift tags to give me a mild case of writer's cramp.  To bad Em can't write much more than her name (and that endeavor would take up the entire gift tag) or I would give that task to her.  Only children would find pleasure in tasks that I hate doing (like using a dust pan and brush to clean up the mess on the floor from every single meal).  I always sign all of our names on gift tags to family and friends since I feel weirdly formal writing "From so-and-so Family". 

I had a Vistaprint livingsocial deal to use up about a month ago and I figured I could do something with business cards so I could get out this task to.  I made gift tags with the "To" part blank and then signed all of our names in the "From" part.  Next year I'll make ones from Santa since Em will probably be old enough to be even more aware of all the technicalities of Santa's visit.  I don't want her to realize there isn't a Santa because she recognizes my handwriting.  After writing a few gift tags, I can see me getting sloppy and forgetting to "disguise" my handwriting.


Here is how they turned out:

So now all of the annoying little things are much simpler until next year when I am bombarded with questions about how does Santa do this and that (thank goodness we haven't had to deal to much with that yet) and I have to make up lie after lie on the spot which I stink at.  I know I will forget my own lies and I'll be found out.  I can't even remember to find our generic "elf on the shelf" a new home each morning so remembering what fibs I've told the previous day isn't going to happen.

How do you make the holiday season easier on yourself while still keeping up with family traditions?

Guide to Holiday Gift Giving: Part II

-->DIY Inspired Gift Giving
Keep in mind that it is about the quality rather than the quantity of gift giving. It's the thought and the love that is put in to a gift and not about the money spent. Some of my most treasured gifts have been those that have been handmade because those gifts are the ones that come with a story attached. It is these gifts that have evoked emotions in me and therefore when I think of them, see them, or use them, they make me feel something. Usually they make me feel cherished because someone cared enough about me to take the time to craft something just for me.

1) If your a savvy sewer, knitter, or crocheter you can create quilts, pillows, dolls, needlepoint,
scarves, and hats.
2) You don't have to be skilled in the kitchen to create cookie mixes, soup mixes, jarred jams,
butters, breads, and oils. Put them in pretty tins or jars that can be picked up cheaply at
dollar stores.
3) Create your own homemade soaps or lotions.
4) Research your family tree or compile an oral history of your grandparents or great-grandparents lives. I compiled my grandparents' stories about their lives and had them bound at Staples. In the back I added PA Dutch recipes since my grandparents are Dutch.

5) Write something for someone (write and illustrate a book or frame a poem for your loved
ones).
6) Write a song and record it or burn it onto a CD or burn a CD with a friend or relative's
favorite music.
7) Offer to be someone's personal servant for a day (especially if your handy around the house
or an organizer junky).
8) IOUs or coupon books can be personalized by you.
9) Use a photo album with magnetic pages to organize clipped recipes or recipe cards and
present it as a gift.
10) Create a scrapbook with premade pages (made by you) to which the recipient only needs to
add pics.

11) Do something fun (a family outing or vacation).