A Family Homemade Christmas From A Parent's Heart
Tammy Embrich

The time of year has arrived when everyone is scampering around the shops and malls in a tizzy trying to find just the right gift for that special someone in their lives. The holiday season has become more commercialized as it's ever been. Wouldn't it be nice to see more families have a simple homemade Christmas without all the stress?

Just thinking about it gives me 10 fun ideas the whole family would enjoy, especially from a parent's perspective. Enjoying a homemade Christmas with your children can be fun, educational, and entertaining. Children need to experience the true meaning for the season and I can't think of a better way than sharing and giving homemade gifts.


1) Homemade Christmas cards. All you would need is a computer, printer, and some sort of card /stationery software and you're ready to go. I print out newsletters myself every year for the holidays. You could do this or make your own cards. Get the kids involved, they'll love helping with the various designs. Also you can always have the kids make them with crayolas and colored markers on construction paper.

2) Homemade Christmas ornaments. Decorating your tree with homemade items can be both fun and economical. You would be surprised at how much money you would be saving. Get everyone together (Dads too), and make some holiday traditions and memories.

3) Baked items in festive tins for gifts. If you are financially challenged this year, these would be practical gifts that would always be appreciated. Have the kids help make them up special for family and friends. And yes, the made from scratch recipes are always the best.

4) Croteched items. Now this is more for the Moms of course unless you have a teenage daughter that would be interested in crocheting. You can make various gift items including potholders, scarves, afghans, and angels, just to name a few.

5) Craft items. For this, the sky is the limit. You can make all sorts of crafty novelties, including holiday placemats, stockings, gift bags, paper snowflakes, pine cone ornaments, beaded ornaments, and many more projects.

6) Traditional holiday recipes, such as main dishes, pastries, breads, cookies, and pies. Get the whole family involved including non-immediate members. If you're hosting this year, have your guests bring one homemade item per family.

7) Photo albums. Making photo albums is always fun. Your kids will love helping with this project. Gather up all those old photos that have been stored in your closet for years and put them to use. If you have a large amount of photos, you can make up many small ones or standard sized ones if you choose. Be creative with borders and backgrounds. You can also use quotes with each photo. Also various quilting patterns can be used for the outside of the albums.

8) Scrapbook of memories. For this you can save special bows from gift packages, gift tags, gift wrap, festive stickers, tree garland, holiday cards, and letters to Santa, just to name a few. Get your children coloring pictures. You can also use some of your favorite photos. A family tree is also another great idea. Gather creativity and imagination from all family members.

9) Homemade decorations for your front window. I used to really have a lot of fun making things for our window when I was a small child. All you would need is construction paper or poster paper, scissors, crayons, glue, and glitter. I always had fun with the glitter.

10) Recipe books. This project can be a lot of fun when you include recipes from various family members. You can share stories that go along with each recipe and also add photos. For this, you will want to use all the family favorites that have been passed on from generation to generation. These are great for gift ideas.

Make these activities a family tradition year after year. You will be making memories that your children will reflect on for years to come and also teaching them the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

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