Choosing gifts

The choice is between which mistake is easier to correct: underdoing it or overdoing it.
– Timothy Geithner

Brett enjoying the blanket I made him in 2011

I’ve been planning Christmas gifts for a while now. When you get in the habit of making them that tends to happen. They take time. And part of that time for me is gathering the supplies.

I watch the monthly ads for the different fabric and craft stores. I know when it’s better to use a coupon for one item or when I should wait for a sale on a set of items. For example Jo-Anns will have a 25-40% off sale on knitting needles. But if I wait till they aren’t on sale I can use the 50% off coupon that comes in the mail each month. Which works great for a single item. But I need a whole bunch of a certain notion right now so I’m super excited that Hancock Fabric is having a 50% off sale on all sewing notions this weekend. If I waited until mid-December to start working on presents I’d never be able to get the deals on supplies that I do.

I grew up making Christmas presents. Starting around mid-November you made double sure to knock before entering any closed room because the odds were high the person on the other side was working on a present.

I might buy a few things now, but I still like to include something hand made. It does make choosing what to give more difficult because my crafting abilities do have their limits and time is always an issue (although I’ve gotten better at finishing before Christmas Eve the last several years). But it makes the whole process more fun.