Decking halls, avoiding malls

I realized that it's been a while since I posted here, which is kind of ironic. This is the time of year that I'm busiest making all sorts of things for Christmas. But I'm too busy making things to actually take pictures and blog about it. We're in serious Christmas mode around here. All the holiday preparation takes a lot of work and planning, but it's also fun. Last weekend we went to get our Christmas tree, and I spent a few solid hours decorating it. I also spent a day baking cookies. (Yup, a whole day of baking. More on that in another post.) Those two activities took almost the whole weekend. Wow. And I still need to finish making and buying gifts for at least half of the people on my list.

Something that I think about, nearly every year, is that it would be fun to have a handmade Christmas. I'm not talking about making every single thing, from food to gifts to decorations, by hand. Let's not get crazy, now. But I'd love it if everybody in my gifting circle of family and friends agreed to make gifts, rather than buying stuff from a mall. The gifts could be anything, as long as they were handmade. It could be something made of materials such as fabric, or wood, or ceramic, or beads, or paper, or paint-- anything the creator decided to use for materials. Or how about food that's made by someone who's a great cook? Or framed photos from someone who takes amazing pictures? I think there are endless possibilities for this. For me, this would achieve two things that are always on my mind at Christmastime: giving meaningful, well-made gifts that put the focus on quality rather than quantity; and avoiding shopping at the mall, which is the last place I want to go at this time of year. (Although I'm happy to go the rest of the year. I like a good sale as much as the next girl.) I don't like the crowds. I don't like finding a place to park. I don't like waiting in long lines. I always get hungry and thirsty, and then I have to deal with the food court. Let's not even get into how much I dislike the food court.

And at Christmas, the mall seems to be filled with a lot of really cheap, crappy merchandise. It somehow causes otherwise smart, savvy people to buy things they would never otherwise buy. Like polyester penguins that sing and dance to the same Christmas carol, over and over again. Am I the only person who thinks these things are just beyond tacky? Am I the only one who envisions a landfill brimming with singing penguins and reindeer and Santas and snowmen?

I would never say that we should entirely give up exchanging gifts. Just that it would be nice if more gifts were chosen with care. And given with genuine thought and consideration for the recipient. For the past 3 or 4 years, I've made a lot more effort to buy from locally-owned and operated shops. I also go to craft shows whenever I can--there's almost one every week at this time of year. And I make good use of online shopping at places like Amazon and L.L. Bean. The shipping is free, I can shop in my pajamas, and I don't have to find a place to park. Perfect.

This year, a friend of mine asked if she could purchase a doll made by my mom. This sweet little doll is going to be donated to a toy drive in my friend's office:

I think this is a great idea - giving a handmade gift to a toy drive. Now, why didn't I think of that? Something to add to my list of anti-mall ideas next year. (Thank you, Sarah!)