Homemade Christmas Can't be Beat!

With the concerns about our country's economy along with the desire to teach my grand kids a “different” kind of giving, my daughter, Terra, and I have decided to make some of their gifts this year.
Terra’s boys are 4, 6, and 8 so they are constantly bringing home papers and hand drawn pictures from school that they want to keep, so one of the gifts we are making is a box covered with wrapping paper that will match their room decor.

I bought 3 medium sized paper boxes with separate lids that I will wrap individually so that the lid stays separate from the box. My 6 year old grandson is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story movie so I chose paper that has that theme. The box lids will be wrapped so that the cut ends will be on the inside of the box. I will then attach lengths of grosgrain ribbon to cover these edges so they will look neat and crisp as well as decorative.





After wrapping I plan to use an Elmer’s glue and water mixture and brush it all over the entire box so that it will resist tearing during use. Once it dries I plan to attach some wide grosgrain ribbon and maybe some large buttons across the top for a bit of decoration.

These boxes will hold hundreds of papers and other cherished items my grand kids want to keep. They can be left out in the open because they are decorated which makes for easy access for mom or the boys.


The second gift my daughter is going to make is paper mache piggy banks. These are made by blowing up a balloon and draping newspaper strips that have been run through a solution of flour and water (which makes as paste) all around until the balloon is completely covered. You can add a snout and tail for a pig, or ears and whiskers for a rabbit. There are dozens of characters that can be made using this method. I used to make these when I was a kid.

Every year I try to find just the right ornaments to give each of the boys, but this year I decided to buy some wooden ornaments that they can paint themselves. Fortunately they are still at an age where they want to contribute to the tree decorations and are always very proud to have their piece hanging each year.

These are just a few ideas we have come up with that will make this Christmas a special one. To me, there is nothing better than a handmade gift, especially one made with love