You're welcome. Thank you for starting this thread.

kabin:

Especially since I don't make chocolate chip cookies, lol, I make M & M cookies. I know, spoiled. he he

Hehehehehehe, I rarely make chipies either anymore, there are so many new choices out there and I like to try them all!  lol 

I saved alot of my coffee cans this year and spray painted them navy blue, then using my paints I hand painted winter sceans on the cans. (I've been told my winter sceanes I paint on the cans looks like a Grandma Moses painting. I usually spray a clear coat of spray paint on the cans after I get done painting them.

 I am going to fill the cans with a minestrone soup mix, a beer bread mix, a CD of some nice dinner music,and a votive candle. I make put my mixes in zip-lock baggies and then staple a nice topper onto the ziplock bag, giving the cooking instructions on the topper. I am going to make a label to put on top of the can that says "Cold Winter Night Survival Kit".

Miserly:

I saved alot of my coffee cans this year and spray painted them navy blue, then using my paints I hand painted winter sceans on the cans.

I AM on your list, aren't I???  

Great idea Miserly! If I drank coffee I would save them too. It seems those cans are just the right size. Anyway, sounds like you have some good ideas there.

Wow you are creative Miserly!  That is a great idea.  The kids presents are basically done. Depends what I give to my dd for her birthday in Nov.   Have some for dh. Have a bunch of dvds, etc for my inlaws. Since their and my moms birthdays are just after Xmas, I shop for both xmas and birthdays at the same time.  I will make a batch or two of my spicy nuts and cream cheese candies, maybe truffles. Have see what the demand is :)  for  family and friends. Our friends and I agree the kids get too many toys so we just get together for  a special time. Not sure what the teachers etc are getting yet. We have 3 family birthdays and a few kids parties before Xmas so one thing at a time :)

Making a small locker hook was nothard at all. I heated an awl on my kitchen stove and pressed ii through the end of the plastic crochet hook from both sides several times until it went all the way through. Then I filed the excess plastic till it was smooth again. Works like a charm.

kabin:

I think it's a wonderful idea to make food gifts, like pancake mix, for Christmas gifts.

I got so excited when I read "pancake mix"  I had to post.  I've done food gifts in the past, like cocoa mixes, flavored liqueurs, jams, etc,  but somehow it had never occurred to me that I could do a flavored pancake mix like the pricey ones they sell in the gourmet shops.  Couple the pancake mix with a nice bottle of maple syrup or a homemade fruit syrup of some kind, and it would be a swell holiday gift.  Thanks for the great idea! 

 I don't really have an big plans for Christmas. Our giving list is really quite small. We only need to do my mother, husbands parents, our son, and one aunt that is all alone. We only exchange cards with everyone else. For each of the parents and the aunt there will be a $25.00 gift card to a favorite store, plus a few dollar store finds like puzzle books, and such. For our son who is 19 he is at the age where we will not do a whole lot. Probably a cd, a Barnes and Noble Gift Card $25, Starbucks Card worth $10 and a little cash, perhaps a tank of gas. For my husband I would like to get one thing. A Wii, however I have heard they are going to be difficult to find this year just like last, so I am not sure that will work out.

My favorite thing about the whole season is the music, the decorating, the baking and the great seasonal movies. If we have those things and a good meal all is good. I grew up not basing my satisfaction on gifts. In our house a big Christmas was getting 3 presents each. We did not have a lot of money so the gifts had to count. One was usually a new coat, another was usually PJ's and the third would be a toy. Most generally one that we really, really wanted but not always. I never did get Marvel the Mustang. We had no where for me to ride him, but happily I survived.

hi kabin, one year my daughter went to the dollar tree and bought me a little box with a lid attached. On the lid she cut a pocket off of a pair of old jeans and hot glued this to the lid. In the box she went all over the house looking for old pictures of different ones of her and her 2 brothers, pics made at church, school, vacations, etc (well you get the idea). Now in the pocket she put a little note she wrote out. It said something to the effect of : mama i don't have much money so this is all i could come up with. But i know mama that you will treasure this for years to come and she signed it. Well in the box like i said were pics i hadn't seen in years. She was right. I still got this box with the note still in the pocket on top of my fridge and i wouldn't take nothing for it. It might to some people looked cheap but her heart was big as gold and to me it was worth more then money. jfe