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I have to admit that sometimes I get stressed out about gift-giving during Christmastime. I want to do something nice for so many people, but to be honest, gifts for all my girlfriends just isn’t always in the budget. (And I also worry because I never want someone to feel the need to reciprocate, you know?) This year, I found a fun way to let my friends know I love them! It’s something simple and fun, and you can do it, too!
I love to give (and get!) Christmas ornaments so this year, instead of buying a Christmas ornament for everyone, I invited them over for an ornament swap. Each person purchased (or made!) one ornament to give. And, I hope I was able to give my friends more than just an ornament…we had a night of fun and fellowship.
I chose to make dinner for my friends, but all offered to bring something so you could certainly do the party pot-luck style…which would keep your costs down.
To exchange the ornaments, we each held a gift while we began reading “The Night Before Christmas.” I inserted the words “right” and “left” into the poem, and each time I said “right” or “left,” we passed the ornaments in that direction. Whichever gift you were holding when the poem ended was yours to open…it was fun!
Other suggestions include:
- only homemade ornaments (even if all you can make is a Bible verse written on a piece of construction paper.)
- A cookie swap. (Each person makes a batch of her favorite cookies, and everyone goes home with an assortment.)
- A crafting/cooking party. I almost did this: Have all the makings for beautiful sugar cookies ready to go and have a cookie decorating party. It would have been a great way to visit while having fun and sending friends home with something their families will enjoy. (A candy-making party would be fun, too!)
How do you stick to the budget when it comes to gifts for friends?