Stealing Ideas for Christmas

'Tis the season for catalogs, at least at my house. I prefer the internet and catalog shopping for gifts because with five kids it's much easier to sit in a quiet corner and find the perfect gift within budget then it is to go out to the stores and keep track of totals and balances. As a result my mailbox is very full this year. I thought I'd squeeze out some cheap and easy articles sharing my finds as the stack gains inches.

Domestications

This catalog is a good source of low cost linens and household niceties. I don't recommend it for items that require long term wear, but for seasonal items it's prices can't be beat. I'm thinking of making two investments in Christmas paraphenalia because our home becomes everyone's home over the holidays. I think it's important to create a real holiday feeling that makes this more than just a family gathering. My first potential investment is in a set of holiday china. The Christmas Charm set has caught my eye not only for it's simple beauty, but also for it's reasonable price. Continuing the "Home for Christmas" theme I'd like to start collecting special blankets and sheets for Christmas time. Our little family moves out of the bedrooms and into the basement, so that each nuclear family visiting can have its own room. I'd really like for them to be sleeping under something other than purple butterflies and pink daisies. I think Christmas linens would make for a more "guest room" ambience. There are many versions at Domestications. My favorites are here andhere.

Gooseberry Patch

This catalog has a hand drawn coziness that is wonderful for stirring ideas. While I devour this catalog cover to cover, I have yet to place an order. This year they might finally persuade me though nothing has leapt out at me yet. My favorite idea to steal are these Santa's Little Helper Aprons. All seven children get in the act baking pies on Christmas Adam. My mother-in-law is the family pie expert and she does such a lovely job teaching the kids about pies. I'd love to deck out her little helpers in official helper gear. I'm thinking some green felt and some basic chef's aprons from Sam's Club might be just the ticket. Gooseberry Patch also do a great job suggesting overall themes and offering items to support the themes. My favorite one for this year is their Gingerbread Men. I think that might be just the idea for pulling together Christmas Eve, but Christmas Eve is still brewing away. Finally, I think my family might appreciate a barometer of how I'm handling all this Christmas stress. This apron might be just what they are looking for. :)

Best To You

Best To You has done better for me in the past. I used to find just the right Christmas card and such here, but this year I was just unimpressed. The designs feel rather dated for the most part. The best item of Christmas decor I found was a gilded crown of thorns for the tree top, but it seems they are currently sold out. There was a nice outdoor creche that scratches a long term itch, but I think we'll stick with our light up version for now. The best idea for stealing is the Jesus' stocking ornament. They are out of stock, but that's just fine. I thought their version was rather undersized. I'd like to create a larger version, and begin working on ways to incorporate giving to Jesus into our family's Christmas celebration for everyone. Perhaps we could offer up parts of ourselves we have been holding back, or if that's too abstract for the little ones, maybe we could do something in conjunction with The Most Important Catalog in the World (more about that later). I'd like to see each member of the family set something specific aside as a present for Jesus on his birthday.

The Vermont Country Store

This is my goto catalog for nostalgia gifts. There's always something to make the boomer generation ooh and ahh. While I'm unlikely to purchase a classic tinsel tree I might invest in some old fashioned hard candy that I'm a little too lazy to make. I fell in love with their Mrs. Claus granny gown with matching cap. I still enjoy dress up, and it'd make for cute pictures Christmas morning.

Lillian Vernon

I've spotted a few things for little gifts, so I'll have to be discreet. Let's just say there are lots of items that can be personalized. Definetly worth a look.

Sam's Club Membership Matters

Not to brag, but at my Sam's they just wave me in. I'm there every week, and so I get their catalog. I was very impressed with how many great ideas they had. The most important one I'm planning to steal is decorating the tree with photographs. Last year we all brought special ornaments from our various family trees and created a joint tree. I think this year I'll have everyone bring Christmas pictures from the present and the past. We'll scan them, print them, mount them on red card stock and decorate the tree. Then we can burn all the shared photos to CD so that everyone leaves with a digital photo album that includes special memories of all of us. Yep, Kurt will be in charge of the technical stuff. They had terrific cheese guide that I'll be relying on since fancy cheese isn't on our ordinary menu. I'm thinking that a cheese plate might be a nice foil for all those pies Grandma Vi and her seven helpers will be baking.

Well, I suppose that's more than enough for now. Happy planning!