Thanksgiving reflections

Thanksgiving is coming and I could not be more excited! I love Thanksgiving. I think it is my favorite holiday. Non of the commercialism, and all of the thankfulness and good cheer. I love being around friends and family for a feast and some football. I don’t really care about the football part, but my husband looks so happy watching the game and lazing with his ma and pa while the food is a cookin’. I enjoy the opportunity to just spend lazy time with loved ones. No real rush to get anywhere. I love that Thanksgiving is a relaxed day, and I don’t have to get all dressed up for the day. I can be casual and comfortable and just enjoy my blessings. I am officially thankful for Thanksgiving! While the holidays can be a stressful time financially, I have found that if you can master the art of gift giving frugally, you can enjoy every minute of them. There are many, many homemade gift ideas on the internet, and used book stores also have loads of craft ideas. Many of the popular magazines on the stands also have homemade gift ideas this time of year. Homemade stationary is almost free, and it is a very elegant gift. There are directions online for making homemade envelopes to go with it. There are many easy recipes for homemade jellies and jams, and also for homemade flavored coffees, which could easily be tossed in a cute basket with a couple of plastic spoons which have been dipped in chocolate and have a bow around them, and a couple of dollar store coffee mugs. Thrift stores are a great resource for homemade gifts. I buy glass jars there, and upcycle them at home to make some beautiful vase/candleholders. You can also find swatches of fabric at the thrift store for lots of sewn items. They are also a GREAT place to buy gift baskets for very inexpensive. Some of those baskets go for thirty or forty bucks in the store, and at a half price thrift store sale, you can find them for thirty or forty cents. The closer Thanksgiving gets, the sooner I have to start thinking about what I will be doing for folks for the holidays. I have some pretty good ideas, and most of the supplies already. My mother in law made a specific request, and that will take me a full day or two, but otherwise, I think I have it pretty under control. We are on a pretty frugal budget, and we only do gifts to those who are closest to us, and our tithing gifts. We really enjoy dropping an anonymous food box or sending a Samaritans purse gift. I only have about ten people on my list to gift for, and so, it is really not to overwhelming. Lotions, bath salts, and lip balms are all pretty easy and much appreciated gifts, which can be presented in a very elegant way if you plan wisely for a gift basket, etc. The dollar stores are a great place to find little wash rags or scrubbies to fill in, or if you are on less strict of a budget, you can find a locally made item at a local farmers market. If you have a paper shredder, you can easily make gift basket filler by shredding and crinkling used colored papers, and it is good recycling too. The end of November is going to be hectic, but December should be pretty relaxed right up till Christmas. Winter is in full swing (even though I don’t think it is technically winter yet), and I am ready for the holidays, thankful for my many blessings, and looking forward to what the new year may bring!