Exchanging Christmas Presents

Our family has a big gathering each year a few days before Christmas. When I was right out of high school is when we started doing this.  It was always at my mother's until the mid 80's when me and my sister took over having the gathering at one of our houses. 

The gathering includes grandparents (my nana is the only surviving one left), my parents, my 3 siblings (- my sister this year) and their families.  It doesn't sound like that many people but their are.  I think their is 42 people in all.  That is a lot in one house! 

When the families started to increase in number of people we started having the children draw names for each other and the adults would draw names, also.  We all did buy presents for our parents and grandparetns. 

When my sister was diagnosed with cancer she saw things in life differently.  She felt that we had lost the meaning of Christmas.  I had to agree with her.  We both knew that everyone could afford to buy for the entire family.  But we both knew that we could.  We knew how to make things; sew, make homemade candies, baked goods, canned goods,all kinds of crafts, knitting, crocheting and basket weaving,  hunt down those bargains in stores all year long, and we knew we could do it cheap. 

We encouraged family members to make things for each other or go to the dollar stores.  For instance, my son and his wife last year took pictures frames they got from Goodwill and decorated them, put their family pictures (they had a family friend take of them, and had them printed up at Walmart) in them, using brown paper lunch bags decorated with Christmas designs and folding the top of the bag down with Christmas stickers. 

My sister-in-law gave us woman homemade stationary she made from recycled paper.  (I have the directions in one of my posts here on Gather) she took pretty ribbon to wrap around the middle of the stationary.  She used small gift bags to place them in. She gave the men double knitted gloves that she made.  She got the yarn from a lawn sale for hardly nothing. 

Those are just a sample of things we do for gift giving.  Last year, I got a large homemade candle, the stationary, a beautiful black and gray crocheted headband and scarf, homemade cloth 6 piece placemats, basket of canned pickles, relish, raspberry jam, salsa, and canned dilly beans, knitted fuzzy slippers (which I love), and a collage in a huge picture frame of me and my family when I was growing up.  I got other things also, but those are the things people made for me. 

Our Christmas gathering is more about being together.  We have a slideshow each year of me and my siblings when we were growing up (not the same slides each year), sometimes it is videos of past Christmases when our children were small or before they were born.  Everyone seems to enjoy watching this after we have eaten our festive meal, opened presents, and ready to relax. 

Even though my dear sister won't be with us ever again for Christmas the tradition is still going on.  She will be in our thoughts. We will laugh and cry when we watch the slideshow and video this year.  She is going to be the star this year at our gathering.  I can't wait for them all to see the video I have put together.  Her children, my parents, my siblings,and her husband will each be getting a video of their own as a gift from me. 

Do you exchange presents with your family?  Do you draw names?  How much do you spend?  Do you make your own gifts?  Where do you have family gatherings? 

Thanks for reading my article.