The Christmas Cards That Weren't

I had very high hopes for our Christmas cards this year. I've never gone the professionally printed route (mostly because I'm too cheap... LOL), so each year I spend hours designing the "perfect" Christmas card to remind all of our far-flung relatives what our family looks like ;) This year was no exception-- I laboriously selected the photos, created a layout, and tweaked it over and over again until I was happy (I always have a hard time being "satisfied" with my own work, but this one I actually liked!)

But then, the unthinkable happened. When I hit "print," our printer gave a cough, shuddered, and collapsed. (Well, okay, maybe it wasn't that dramatic. More like, I pressed "print", walked away (fully expecting it to do its job like always), and returned 5 minutes later to find a stack of photos with hideous white streaks across them!) One way or the other, after much research, troubleshooting, and weeping, our printer was declared deceased-- and the soonest we could afford to replace it was AFTER Christmas. :(

This meant that December 25th came and went with nary a Christmas card in the mail. This in itself is, unfortunately, not a new thing for me-- I am known to deem it acceptable as long as the cards are in the mailbox by December 31st! But when the calendar changed to 2013, and my Christmas cards were still giving me the stink eye from my computer, I gave up and went to Plan B-- New Year's cards!

Granted, these are not nearly as fancy-- I literally threw them together (on Microsoft Publisher) in less than 15 minutes! But the best news is, with a blank inside, they double as "thank you" cards for all of the gifts and cards we have received! I think I may have just started a new tradition!!!

So here's my big holiday tip to you: if you want to cut extra stress before Christmas, skip the "Christmas cards"-- just mail a New Year's thank-you card that contains the annual family picture/relative-reminder as well! Hooray!!!

So what is your holiday card M.O.? Do you design your own Christmas card, or do you fork out the money and let someone else handle it for you? Do you adhere to the traditional schedule of pre-Christmas card mailing, or do you (accidentally or on purpose) choose to wait until a different time to send your annual letters?

Christmas Gift Ideas for $10 or Less!

So, if you're Mark Zuckerberg, or Bill Gates, or Kim Kardashian, or anyone of those insanely rich people out there, you might want to skip right on by this post. But if you're on a budget (and who isn't, these days? well, except for those extra-loaded people on the Forbes Richest Billionares list), and DON'T have an unlimited amount of money to spend on Christmas gifts, then this is for you!

No matter what your Christmas budget is, ($300 a person? $30 a person? $3 a person?) it always seems to be a challenge to find the right gift in the right price range. (And I'll be honest, my budget is a lot closer to the lower end of the spectrum.) So here I'm rounding up a collection of gifts that have caught my eye in the last few weeks, for $10 and UNDER!


For the Little Adventurer:

$9.99 with FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING from Amazon.com

What little explorer wouldn't like a six-function whistle that also contains a compass, LED flashlight, magnifier, thermometer, and signal mirror? Walmart also carries a four-function version for only $4.95!

For the Little Snow-Bunny:

Only $8.99 on Sassy Steals (originally $18.99!)

Every little cutie needs a winter hat (well, unless you live in the Caribbean or Hawaii...), and what better winter hat than one that's (nearly) as cute as they are?

For the Fashionista:

$7.29 with FREE SHIPPING on Amazon.com

Any style maven will love this totally on-trend bubble necklace-- available in your choice of red, pink, rose, black, yellow, or turquoise (actually more like emerald green-- which happens to be Pantone's 2013 Color of the Year!)

For the Car "Buff" (pun intended):

An even $10.00 at Walmart!

Every true auto aficionado likes to keep his ride shiny-- be it an 78 Chevelle or a 2013 Viper! Help him out with a Turtle Wax car care kit (and maybe throw in a certificate for a "free car cleaning"-- or at least some assistance-- from you!)

For the Aspiring "Cake Boss":

$7.00 on Walmart.com (with FREE in-store pickup!)

Got a little (or big) person that likes to bake or decorate cakes and cupcakes? This Wilton 18-piece decorating kit has all they need to get started-- for only 7 bucks at Walmart! (The website says it's "Online Only", but my store has it in stock-- if yours doesn't, you can still get FREE site-to-store shipping!)

For the "Foodie":

Only $4.50 plus shipping on Etsy!

Forget those giant tins of mass-produced popcorn... here's some homemade sweet-and-salty caramel popcorn that will please even the most discriminatory tastebuds!

For the Anglo-phile:

$8.00 + $2.50 shipping on Etsy

Yes, I know the shipping puts it just over the $10 threshold... but seriously, who could resist this gorgeous "Keep Calm and Carry On" keychain? (Though, if you buy more than one-- say, one for you and one for someone else-- shipping is only $1.25!) Oh, and if you'd rather personalize it with a name or different quote, you can do that, too!

For Your Little Pirate (or Princess, or Astronaut):

$2.99 plus shipping from Amazon

Give your kiddos the gift of imagination with a dress-up costume they can play with year round! Amazon has a great selection of inexpensive costumes that will keep your little one's creativity revving high!

For the Techno-Geek:

A very affordable $2.96 + $2.44 shipping on Amazon.com

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but these touch screen gloves will let them use their iPod, iPad, iPhone, or any other touchscreen device while staying bundled up and warm!

For Everyone Else:

You know the drill: "if all else fails, buy a gift card." For the most "bang" for your buck, go with a Dollar Tree gift card-- you can purchase them in any amount from $5 to $100!!! Just think of all the goodies that $10 would buy!

Hope this helps those of you who, like me, are still working on your Christmas gift lists! ;) What is your favorite under-$10 gift (to get, or to give)?

P.S. I have no connection whatseover with any of the people, companies or websites whose products I featured here, nor do I receive any financial remuneration from your purchase of said items or from said sites. :/

Kiddy Craft: Pop Tab Christmas Tree Garland

Why string popCORN for your Christmas tree when you can string pop CAN tabs? My 4- and 5-year-old kiddos had a blast making these sparkly, colorful garlands for the Christmas tree! (Okay, I made one too... they're not just fun for kids!)

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

A good stash of pop (AKA soda, or Coke, for all you Southerners) can tabs
        (Someone gave us this little fruit container full, and we only used about half of it for 10 feet of      
        garland)

Thin ribbon, twine, or yarn (We used green ribbon to match our blue-and-green tree decor!)

Willing helpers!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut ribbon into 4-6 foot lengths, and tie a pop tab onto one end.
      This length was short enough to string, and long enough to wrap around the front of our tree. If you need longer pieces, you could splice two finished lengths together. We kept them shorter and just draped them around the tree at different levels to simulate one long garland wrapping around and around.

2. Thread other end of ribbon through both holes of a can tab, then slide it along the ribbon till it touches the first one.

3. Keep stringing until the ribbon is full, then tie a knot around the last tab!

4. Drape your sparkly, eco-friendly garland around your Christmas tree! TA-DA!

Psssst... this craft is not only fun, but it's CHEAP! (Free if you already have the ribbon!) I used one 12-foot spool of ribbon that I got at Joann Fabrics for 70% off, so it only cost me $0.49! (Oh, and it's eco-friendly, too, since you're recycling the pop can tabs!) ;)  

P.S. I hope to show you the whole Christmas tree Friday! ;) It's my favoritest tree EVER, and not just because my kiddos made the garland for it!