That sounds so fun!
2 Likes
Ok. Siri just let me know that there are 18 weeks until December 1st. I am officially busting out my Christmas Crafts:
I saw the 12 days of Christmas swap and was a responsible adult admitting that I simply can’t commit to such a large beautiful swap and succeed with my mental health intact so I’ve decided to do the ol’ fake swap routine and pretend that I am my partner so I can try to make things from my lists of winter holiday items I’ve wanted to do (for years!) and never got around to actually crafting. These diamonds are for a table mat (like for under a candle). Other ideas are a button garland for the tree, and the countdown calendar.
Edit to add fake swap notes:
Small
-
Table mat for under candle:
-
Pair of bell garlands:
Medium
1.
2.
3.
Large
1.
2.
Details of swap:
The idea of this swap is to craft for your partner 12 items based on their interests. You will make 7 small items for days 1-7, for days 8-10 you will make 3 medium items and days 11 & 12 will be large items. Please have a well stocked pinterest (or similar) and be detailed in your questionnaire to help out your partner.
Breakdown:
Days 1-7 small (7 small items)
Days 8-10 medium (3 medium items)
days 11-12 large (2 large items)
75% crafted items & 25% store bought.
(extras are optional and are solely up to you and your partner.)
Below are guidelines for size requirements to help everyone.
By Time
-Large = 3 or more hours
-Medium = 2 or more hours
-Small = 2 or less hours
By Price
-Large = $30 or more
-Medium = $10-$30 dollars
-Small = $10 or less
11 Likes
Cool idea! I really enjoy those bigger swaps but since I’ll be moving soon… yeah, not good timing for me. At ALL.
4 Likes
That’s a great idea! I saw more than one swap I wanted to join but like you I knew I absolutely couldn’t commit this time. I need to start working on my list!
3 Likes
I"ve nearly finished my first fake-swap item. Just have to sew it up then block it. 11 more to go!
This year fewer people in my circles are exchanging gifts opting instead for (hopefully) getting together (covid permitting) so following this swap plan is good for meeting my apparent need to craft things in red and green (and sometimes glittery) themes. lol
4 Likes
I love the idea of doing the swap for yourself! Will you wrap everything and put it under the tree? I definitely would!
4 Likes
Oh, now that’s an idea!
I think depending on what the stuff is maybe that would be funny. 
I could give smaller things to the husband who ALWAYS complains that he can’t think what to put in a stocking.(He’s good at thinking of regular gifts but for some reason just can’t grasp the concept of stocking stuffers, weirdie.)
So far, the things coming to mind are Christmas decoration-type things so I’ll want to put them out in the swap directed time-frame of the 12th-24th.
3 Likes
I ran the Fake Swaps Craftalong at the other place…there were so many that I could not join but I wanted to make things and give myself a deadline!
This craftalong is a steady reminder that the big holiday is really going to be here sooner than we think! lol
4 Likes
I have made my list for Christmas. I have a relatively small group of people that I give Christmas gifts too, and as the years go on I make more of them myself, which I love (especially as they are well received).
5 Likes
I want to make Christmas stockings for my two great-nephews…that is about it! We stopped gift giving years ago when everyone had kids and just bought gifts for their own family. We mostly do consumable gifts anymore…a ham for my brother, restaurant gift cards, etc. My sister bakes decorated sugar cookies for everyone.
4 Likes
Food traditions are the best traditions. People are generally very happy to receive them, and then when it’s finished it’s gone! No plastic crap that you need to find a place for in your house. I’d been taking over the family holiday baking slowly even before my grandmother passed, but last year when we had to celebrate our first Christmas without her, in our own homes instead of together, I sent everyone one of her classic bakes. It was so well received that I think I’m going to have to keep doing that forever. They weren’t as pretty as your sister’s cookies though, I think you posted a pic!
3 Likes
Especially as you get older or if you have a family, time is valuable. Many of our nieces and nephews appreciate that we can give them homemade food during the holidays or special foods. One of my nieces always looked forward to petite fours from a company…she ate them with my mom since she was two! After my mom passed, there was a period of time that no one ordered these. She mentioned that she missed them to my sister, so we ordered them for her and her family to start the tradition again!
3 Likes
My sister and I have been talking about contacting the bakery that baked a special kind of bread for our family when were kids. Maybe it’s time to finally go and do that. My family were regulars there up until the early 00s, they delivered a huge weekly bread order to the farm. Maybe it was a special order because I’ve never had that bread anywhere else. Worth a try!
3 Likes
I did some googling and I finally found a blog with a recipe for the legendary bread! We knew it as plas but apparantly it was originally called Platz (German for flat) and it’s a type of bread that seems to have been popular in the 19th century in the NL/German border area. The blogger had the recipe from her grandmother born in 1918. My great-grandparents lived in that area, married in 1914 and had my grandfather in 1919. So this recipe could be the real deal! My family was known to be resistant to any change so I guess they just kept up the tradition of ordering and old-fashioned bread for nearly a century even when the rest of the world stopped eating it. I never knew this backstory, just that I didn’t ever see this bread anywhere else. The recipe is a bit similar to that of the crust of vlaai (Rijstevlaai recipe )
List for this year!
Family:
- Try to bake Platz bread or find out if the bakery is willing to bake it for me
- Gemberkoek Oma’s Dutch ginger butter cake
- My sister and I have been thinking of having plates printed with grandma’s handwritten recipes. Failed to do this last year but will hopefully do it this year.
- Maybe also copy some of the hand-written recipes into a little booklet for everyone.
- Last year I made soap and included a bar in everyone’s package, but no one specifically mentioned the soap. I liked it, Mr. Imma didn’t, maybe it wasn’t a big success. The soap was a pandemic reference and I’m done with the pandemic, so maybe it’s time for a different type of box-filler.
Mother:
- Finish a quilt I started for my grandma and give it to her instead
- A new pair of hand-knitted socks since she seems to wear the pair I knitted her last year a lot
- Handmade card
- A tiny little purse or zipper pouch from fabric from my grandma’s scrap bag
- Handcream (bought)
Mr. Imma:
- He asked for a denim quilt, I’m not sure if it will be finished by Christmas
- I’ve bought a pair of christmas socks on sale
- He could use a new pair of flannel PJ pants
- I’ve wanted to do an advent calendar for us for a few years, but I’m not sure if he’ll think it’s childish
- Christmas stocking
Brother:
- tbd, probably something geeky
- Christmas stocking
Sister:
- tbd, she’s always difficult because her tastes seem to change. But she’s starting to get into sustainability so maybe something related to that.
- Maybe a tote bag? I have some cool fabrics that I think she would like.
- Christmas stocking
Friend #1:
- tbd, maybe some Christmas decoration that’s Halloween/cat/goth themed
- I bought a pair of Christmas socks
- Christmas stocking
In-laws:
- honestly, kind of done with that, don’t think they’ve ever even acknowledged receipt. They are a bit socially inept (no offence meant) so I’m not sure if they don’t appreciate it or don’t know it’s polite to acknowledge receipt. Never seen anything I’ve gifted them in their home afterwards (we don’t celebrate Christmas together). Maybe something simple, I don’t dislike them or anything.
Myself:
- FINALLY get Silent night cross stitch framed!
- Finish a Christmas embroidery kit that I bought for very cheap on clearance. It’s a nice DMC kit and our non-essential shops were closed from December to April or something so the Christmas stuff had to go asap.
- Maybe even stitch some more for myself!
- I also got those Christmas socks for myself! So Mr Imma and I and our friend will have matching socks. Yay!
- Finish embroidered tablecloth
- Winter-themed tablerunner, not specifically Christmas so can be used all winter
- Finish hexie swap quilt
Some elderly relatives:
- More handmade cards
LC friends:
- Even more handmade cards! Not stitched though, when I bought the embroidery kit I also bought a few large stamps and those will allow me to make a few dozen cards in an afternoon instead of stitching up one a week.
6 Likes
That’s a great list. Suggestion for the in-laws- can you just make a little more of the food gifts and include them on that list? If I recall from previous comments, they are not exactly generous of spirit when it comes to gifts so maybe it would be nicer for you if you don’t overburden yourself with your end of things? You’ll still feel Christmassy putting it all together and planning the presentation, etc.
2 Likes
The food gifts are all very specific recipes we eat in my family, not very common dishes, I have no idea if they would even like them. But you’re right that it would be a much lower effort and it would still be a nice gesture. Mr. Imma’s family is just complicated. I try to be friendly and not get involved in drama. My in-laws are divorced, but both are experiencing bad health and we don’t expect either of them to be around for more than a couple of years. So as bad as it sounds, we’re just trying to keep on good terms with them for as long as they have left & we accept they each have their own quirks.
3 Likes
In-laws can be tough even without personality “challenges.” 
As long as you feel content and Mr. Imma feels respected I think that’s the best we can do.
3 Likes
Yes, you’re right. We’ve firmly stuck to the Your Parent, Your Problem - method from day 1, which has made life easier. We all have friendly, light-hearted contact with eachother’s family members, but we each do the difficult conversations with our own parents. Especially my MIL kind of feels I should get involved in drama more, but hey, he’s her son, he’s a adult, if there’s an issue take it up with him.
4 Likes
For any of you who may have missed the LC Class threads, I thought I’d let you all know that I’ll be teaching an online class for LC, in a few weeks. We will be making a rainbow sun catcher and a beaded bracelet with a charm. Kits are available for the low price of $11 (including shipping in the US), + $5 for the class itself, that goes to LC, to help us fund things like Challenge prizes. The kits include the same rainbow suncatcher seen in the link below, while the bracelet kits are completely custom to each person. I have over 1,000 charms to choose from, and tons of high quality beads, so you’re sure to get something you love. These would be fantastic as Christmas gifts! And could help you get some holiday crafting done early. 
Signups were due to close today, but we’re going to extend them a few more days to let more people join in.
4 Likes
I updated my list! I bought the first few Christmas gifts the other day. Christmas socks! They were on clearance from last year and I could not resist. I have a few more ideas now. Has anyone started yet?
2 Likes