Gifts don’t have to be expensive, just thoughtful

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/12/2017 (3204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gentle Readers: Every year, I get letters from people of all ages who are unprepared for Christmas giving.

Either they lack funds, they lack ideas or they’re attached to people who hand them money or credit cards and tell them to go buy their own.

Here are some of their last-minute letters, and my best advice for them. Happy shopping and/or creating gifts this season!

 

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I’m 23, single and don’t have enough money to buy presents for everyone on my Christmas list.

I don’t know what to do, and it’s late to even shop. I’m a good baker, so I thought I could bake my best friend her favourite cookies. I have less than $75 total for 13 family members and friends because I have to pay my rent for January. Please help. — Broke Girl, Winnipeg

Dear Broke Girl: There is nothing nicer for friends and relations of all ages than getting a box of home-made cookies with loving words on the handmade tags.

For $50 you can buy enough flour, sugar and butter, spices to make cookies for everyone, and in just one night. Have a friend or two over for a cookie baking party and you’ll be amazed how fast you can crank them out, using both racks in the oven.

Borrow cookie pans from friends and go crazy. Red and green sprinkles make the cookies festive. Six to 12 cookies is enough for each person.

Turn the radio on to some Christmas music and have a fun time of it. Dance. Sing! It could be so much fun it becomes a Christmas ritual.

With the other $25 you can buy containers at the dollar store, such as boxes or tinfoil baking dishes, or simply wrap the cookies in Christmas paper with a big fragile sign on them. Red ribbon is a nice touch.

Homemade cookies are a big winner because they are so personal. And people don’t care if their gifts are the same. “Where’s my cookies?” becomes the excited cry around the tree.

 

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I’m really mad at my husband, who once again has left my gift to the last minute and wants me to go out and buy something for myself and put it on his credit card.

He is a wealthy man, without a clue. His secretary used to buy all his gifts, but I put a stop to that for mine.

Last year, he pulled this credit card thing for the first time, and I went out and bought a new washer and dryer. He sulked about the cost of it for weeks.

This year, he reluctantly handed me a Christmas card and his credit card for a gift and told me not to go crazy this year.

What should I do? I know this is late, but please answer this before Dec 24. I am furious! — Buying My Own Gift Again, Southdale

Dear Buying My Own Gift Again: Accept and enjoy your reality. Why not buy yourself a beautiful piece of jewelry that you’ll be excited to wear and to show off? And be glad he isn’t with you, as he would be looking over your shoulder and trying to get the price down.

Take a happy girlfriend with you, and have fun with choosing exactly what you want. That’s the thing about Christmas giving and receiving: it has to be fun, not a chore.

It’s a bit late this year, but next year on Dec. 1, give your husband a short list of things you would love as gifts and the stores where they can be found.

Just accept that he’s good at making money, but he has no imagination; he wants to please you, but needs your help. It’s a waste of life to get mad about this. It is a first-world problem.

 

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My brother and I are 11 and 12, and come from a big family. We’re writing this together to you because we don’t know what to give our mother.

We are both pretty good artists and she has asked use to use our talents to make her something. So far we have nothing!

Our mother gave us a box of art materials for each of our birthdays this year and I know she’s disappointed we haven’t used them. She even gave us frames.

Do you have any suggestions for something we could do fast? We also have Christmas money for cheap gifts. — Need Your Help Please, West Kildonan

Dear Need Help Please: Use your money for other members of the family, but give your mom what she wants.

Paint pictures of each person in the family, suitable for framing. Make them head-and-shoulders water-colour paintings of each family member, including the family dog or cat. Keep them secret from her as they dry.

Frames make it more fun. They don’t have to match. They could be hung on the wall in a grouping people would see at an art gallery. People who come over will get a big kick out of them, and so will your mom.

Present your mother first with a large painting of her and your dad, which both of you worked on and have signed at the bottom. Then give the smaller ones of the kids, including you two and the animals.

These will be gifts no one will ever forget. You don’t need to do doubles of everything. You and your brother can divide up the people and pets between you.

If your mom cries, it’s because she’s touched, not that the paintings are bad. Believe me, she’s actually very happy. Have some tissues on hand, and give her big hugs.

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6