16.11.14

Gifts: Handmade, Heartfelt

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- stop and think for a minute -

What's your focus over the Christmas?  What are your top 3 priorities?  I doubt shopping makes anyone's top 3, and yet how do we spend our free time leading up to Dec 25?  Yep.  At the shops making use of extended trading hours.

Whilst the giving of gifts is definitely one of my favourite parts of the festive season, I have challenged myself this year to take baby steps away from this culture of crazy spending. These are some of the ideas I've come up with so far to curb the (dare I say) habit.

1. Handmake gifts
If you have the time and energy, handmade gifts speak louder than anything buyable.  You may not have a knack with knitting or sewing, or even any crafts at all, but everyone can bake if they put their mind to it.  How about a jar of cookies with a bow around it?  Or, if you're handy with woodwork, you could conjure up a picture frame or a little box for trinkets!  The possibilities are endless.  Pinterest is only the beginning.

2. Buy local
Sourcing your gifts from local makers not only supports your community, but can be a much more relaxing and sociable way to buy gifts than vying for a parking spot at a big centre.  In Perth there is a bounty of creative markets in the run up to Christmas (e.g. Made on the Left) & I'm sure wherever you live there are similar events.  The tags pictured above were hand drawn by Little Sketchy & purchased for a measly $6 at a local stall.  Compare these tags to a generic card... I know what I'd prefer.

3. Shop online
Okay, so your brother wants some new jocks for Christmas.  You can't exactly make them (please don't), nor are there many local jock artisans around, but you can definitely still avoid the rat race by buying them online.  Get your list together, purchase early enough so you don't need to pay for express shipping, and spend the time closer to Christmas doing more meaningful things than zooming around the shops.



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