pojo

I was raised by grandmother with no help from my parents and the state on 57.00 a month.

She couldn't afford much she went to the second hand store and but me a little walking doll with red hair and stripped dress with a broken leg she mended the leg with tape.

Which I still have that doll and I treasure it dearly too.

She told me this doll needed alot of care and love. She looks like my grandma too.

fktsewing

My favorite childhood Christmas was when I was 4 years old--I do not remember much about it, but my Dad bought my brother an International metal riding tractor and me my precious baby doll whom I named Susie Q----she was my constant companion and went everywhere with me. I learned to sew making her clothes. Little did I know how much comfort she would give me when my Dad passed away when I was 9 years old. I still have her and treasure her immensely

My favorite Christmas as an adult was just a couple of years ago. My precious son had moved to London, England the year before and I was really having a difficult time with it. He and his roomate (now his partner and my son as well) were coming home for Christmas and although I was excited, I just could not get present shopping done. So I started reminiscing about when he and his sister were little and the idea came. It was difficult, but we had a "childhood" Christmas. I found items for each person including my DH that were special to them when they were little--My son was into "HeMan" (he has all the figures & castles) so I bought the cartoons on DVD, My daughter was enthralled with Michael Jackson, so I bought her the "Thriller" albumn, my new son was into wrestling when it was the WWF (Hulk Hogan,Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man, etc) so I got him some figures and a ring just like the one he had as a kid. My DH--comic books and got his train set from his mom. My DD future husband talked about a record of the Wizard of Oz that he used to listen to until he wore it out. I had so much fun and no one knew what I was doing. To this day, that is the Christmas they talk about that they love and how it makes my heart sing.

StitchinJoy

There's a pattern here. The gifts are loving symbols of the giver. Because the giver is cherished, we also cherish the gift no matter how simple, plain or small.

Merry Christmas.

Prissnboot

What a heartbreaking story about your son.....sorry to hear about your loss. May God bless and look over your family.

As for homemade gifts for Christmas - when I heard about Black Friday antics at Walmart, I decided that if a gift wasn't made by me, it wasn't getting given. There are a few exceptions of course, but I stand fast to this rule, one being the Lenox First Christmas ornament that looks like a wedding cake. But the Walmart story that put me over the hump was when I heard that someone pushed a woman in a wheelchair almost into a wall because she wasn't moving quickly enough for him. That did it. Then of course there was the security guard that was trampled to death by shoppers anxious to get the Almighty Gift and save a buck. ENOUGH!!!!!

Making a gift for someone comes back to me tenfold when I get to see them open it, also to see them enjoy it after the gift has been given. It always remains mine. "Oh, Gina made this quilt for me, can you believe it?"

Not to sound corny, sorry if I did. Keep making those gifts - and when someone makes an ugly comment about your made-with-love gift, scratch them off your list - less stress for next year! Happy Meal Gift Card and they're done!

Prissnboot

A couple of years ago I did what I refer to as a Replacement Christmas. It just turned out that way.

My father bought a set of Noritake china about 40 years ago. The pattern has been long discontinued, and he and my stepmom were sick when the gravy boat broke. I found one on the internet and that was their Christmas gift. I only wish I could have seen them open it.

For my mother that year (my parents are divorced obviously), she had a Lenox set with 6 figurines - 1 was Santa on the sleigh, 4 pair of reindeer (all different) and Rudolph out in front. This set is not made anymore, and Rudolph broke several years ago. I found one on ebay and sent the link to my stepfather and he won the bid. She was shocked, and very pleasantly surprised. And when she's through using the set it's MINE!!! I LOVE Lenox stuff, always have.

Favorite childhood memory of mine - I guess I was about 7-8 and the girls across the street had a double sided chalkboard on a stand, it swiveled horizontally. I wanted one and told Santa about it - one of the last times on Santa's lap for me. I was kind of worried that he wouldn't know what kind of Chalkboard Michelle and Nicole had, but figured I'd take a chance. So Christmas morning I woke up and lo and behold, not only was there a chalkboard in the den, but Santa left a note on it! And do you know, Santa wrote just like my Grandmother?!

Merry Christmas to us all, enjoy your memories - the old ones and the new ones we make every day!

clair

My heart hurts for you. parents aren't supposed to out live their children, I love homemade gifts better than anything one can buy in the stores. If sister doesn't want your gifts Ouit giving her any thing at all , when she complains look he square in the face and say "I tryed and you didn't want my best, and I'am not into giving second best. then keep me in mind I'll take her rejects.

blahel

as we get older i think we realise that it is not things that make us happy...it is the things people do from their heart that touch us the most...

ptquilts

when I was little my mom made clothes for me and my sister. One year she had made us party dresses of velvet, mine was teal and my sister's was purple. That Christmas, when we came downstairs, sitting on the couch were two dolls, dressed in "civil war" era outfits, long dress, cape, and bonnet, made from the scraps from our dresses. Wish I still had mine - don't know what happened to it.

stevendebbie25

This reminded me of a doll I made one of my girls, it was those you turn upside down, the dress flipped over the head, there was another head underneath and the dress became a night gown, the one head was awake, the other sleeping. It was in a little sleeping bag. She kept that all growing up, beside her bed. What I found one day changing her bedding for laundry, her "baby blanket" was under the top blanket, she's hide that under her blankets and she was 12 yrs old. I told her she was being silly, and I took it away. She was upset, and I didn't know, but she thought I had thrown it away. I kept it (all my kids baby blankets and special things) and when she got married, I sent that baby blanket wrapped for her bridal shower, she was so shocked and super happy. It's in perfect condition, and she's saving it for her first baby sometime as it's alphabet blocks it could go boy or girl. I also saved that doll for her. Her dad made her a tiny wood chair (toddler size) and a wood baby doll bed, and we kept them and she'll be getting them all this year. Newly married she hopes to plan her family in a year, new home, she has space for her things now.
I have in a prominate place, front center, of every christmas tree the only ornament my husband made, wood burned detailed head of Santa on a slice of tree branch. My ornaments are almost all homemade, many are very fancy, can't buy these, not plastic from the store.

I also remember with 4 daughters, they always got Barbie's and accessories, and one year they put my son into this with 'Ken' to be dad. So 'Ken' locked himself (doll too) in the bedroom..he was away to the north slope working. My husband worked Alaska oil then, had to laugh, no one was making him play dolls. Hard raising one boy & 4 girls. Aren't these memories wonderful.
Thank you ladies, your bringing back wonderful memories for me, I hope I never lose them, all I have of our son now.

luckylindy333

One of my favorite memories is moving into a new house with DH and our two DS's. We had Christmas ornaments from years past but could not find them. So me and the kids made our own out of colored paper (paper chains) and salt dough with cookie cutters and paint. I kept those home made ornaments until they fell apart. Our kids are grown now but we never make anything together anymore. They both own quilts that I made for them. I know they love them and use them.