Navigating this gifting season.

Gifts wrapped in kitchen towel with some vintage bells. A simple and beautiful way of wrapping gifts.

And so, winter weather sneaks up on the doorstep of our homes and in front of our frozen windows, and with it comes the Christmas holidays. And we all know that apart from Christmas stars in the windows and lights on our evergreen branches, it means something else, something that sometimes burdens us and even worries us. The season of giving gifts. My sister always says the hardest thing for her in this time of year is choosing gifts because in today's world and time it seems that everyone has everything and it is very difficult to make the right choice. I agree with her. That's why for several years I've been choosing gifts that I can make myself, gifts that I'm sure are needed and will serve someone for many years. I do the same with gifts for my now two-year-old. It's hard to resist advertisements and flashy ideas of children's gifts, so beautifully and magically packed under some huge Christmas tree. But I avoid it knowing what kind of life I want to live with my family, what values I want to implement in my motherhood and parenting, what kind of relationship I want to have with this planet even.

Thoughtful gifting and making gifts is something in my mind every Christmas. Every Christmas I make a list of gifts I want to give to my loved ones. I start this list in November, sometimes even earlier. Why? Because I don't want to rush and buy something without purpose, something that will go to waste and something unwanted. I really think through about every person, about their wishes, their needs, about what they love and use daily. And I try to make some of the gifts too. Those are not big gifts, or expensive gifts. Small, simple things, small acts of love, small sparks of joy. For example, two years ago, I knew my brother wanted a thick blanket to put over his horse while horse riding, so I found one and gifted it to him. Last year I made some fabric tiny stocking ornaments with some personalized embroidery details for my sister and my brother. I knew my mom and dad needed some winter jackets, because they spent a lot of time outside with the animals on our homestead, so I bought them those. Sometimes I'll gift some wool socks, because who doesn't love cozy time in them? Books are always a nice option, especially if you know what book your person wants to have. This year, as I said we will focus on togetherness and activities over Christmas. I made myself a calendar in Canva with some beautiful seasonal illustrations, so I decided to print one for my sister too as a gift. Stationery supplies are a great idea for gifts for someone who loves to journal. Cookbook for someone who loves to cook. Gardening tools for someone who loves to spend time in the garden. Handmade dog leash for a dog lover. Handmade wool and fabric Christmas ornaments for a Christmas lover. Fabric mending kit for someone who loves to sew or do embroidery. Handmade fabric coloring pens holder for your child. Things like those. Things people will use and use, year after year. As for handmaking, this year I decided to gift my little one some children books, and beside that some sewn toys. I had some leftover fabric and decided to sew a little bear (I plan on sewing some clothing additions too), a little mouse with clothes on him and his bedding set, a bedding set for my little one's doll (because my dad made him a tiny wooden bed). I love to make things and watch people love those things I poured into my inspirations, ideas and love. That's the magic for me.

Planning on gifts and making decisions together with your family members. Christmas can easily become a season of unwanted and unnecessary gifts. With all the problems going on this beautiful planet, with our values of living through this holiday season with modesty and love more then clutter and stuff, we decided to avoid giving and receiving gifts this Christmas. We made an exception for our little one of course. I still want him to feel the magic and joy of finding something under the Christmas tree, but we remained calm, we planned on gifts early and we made plans together with our family members. It's hard to tell a child’s relatives to stop gifting bunch of toys, but it's also really hard to deal with unwanted things, toys that will not be played with or used daily.  So we focus on toys we know our little one loves to play with, on toys he doesn't have yet, on children books. All of them wooden toys, because we try to avoid plastic ones whenever we can. Invite the people you love to join you in not giving gifts or in choosing gifts if you are going to gift each other. Explain them your desires, your values, your lifestyle even. Let them understand you. Invite them to try something different to see how they feel about it and will they embrace it for next Christmas even.

You decide what gifts will stay in your home. I had a hard time at the beginning, when all the people in our families started gifting my newborn. I didn't know what to do with gifts we didn't wanted him to play with or even didn't wanted it in out home. Because, eventually it became clutter. He didn't play with them, they were collecting dust and making stress in our home. Then I realized, if they have the right to gift whatever they want, I have the right to with those gifts what I want. And it doesn't come from anger, misunderstanding or wanting everyone to live like me. No. That thinking developed from my desire to keep my values, my parenting style, the way of life and to manage to keep the simplicity that gave me freedom, presence, peace and happiness in my home. So what you do with the gifts you receive is up to you. I don’t believe that gifts should be a burden or clutter in our homes. But they will become that if we hoard them out of obligation. I simply ask myself will it be used often, will it be useful for years, do I love it, does it spark joy in me? If the answer to these questions is no, it should leave my home. For example, with our little one's toys, we ultimately decided to keep toys he plays with all the time, he uses in different ways, he can use for years even. Other toys he didn't play with often we've taken to grandparent's houses and left there. So when we come to them he has some toys there for playing.

I love adding some simple decorations on top. These vintage brass bells are so beautiful. And the can be used as ornaments too later.

What about wrapping gifts? If you have leftover paper, some old fabric in the bottom of your closet or even some canvas tote bags, you have your wrapping materials. I find those unique materials and different ways of wrapping so beautiful. Some of my favorite decorations to add on top of wrapped gifts come from nature and natural materials; little wooden bead garlands, tiny evergreen wreaths, paper stars, tiny Christmas bouquet, pinecones etc. That way nothing goes to waste, most of those material can be reused or even composted.

So, edible treats, ideas for gifts of experience, sewn mending kits, handmade fabric coloring pen holders, origami boxes made from paper filled with some dry flowers or stationery times, beeswax candles, candle holders, handmade cookies wrapped in some nice fabric with tiny salt dough star, sewn toys for the little ones in embroidered canvas string bag etc. Those are kinds of gifts I love to gift and I love when they are gifted to me. And I know that this year I want to prioritize sledding over the hill with my little one, over the hill I once raced over in a red snowsuit with a white woolen cap on my head. I want to prioritize winter walks with my sister and our dogs, along our winding paths and swaying pastures. I want to enjoy making cakes with my mom and preparing morning tea that I will drink with them while the fog descends outside and the frost touches the grass in our yard. I want to prioritize conversations with my husband by the candlelight and some TV show we will finally get to watch. I want to create magic in reading bedtime stories to my little boy while light reflections from our simple, small Christmas tree are twinkling on our foreheads.

Little suggestions:

• A gift guide for gifting the little ones.

• Read more on finding magic and simplicity while decorating for Christmas.

• This is the time of year where we are tempted to decorate more and buy more for our home, but for years now I found that everything I need is always in my home. And with decorating simple I found true joy and peace. Read more about creating simple and minimal home.  

• Where did the November go?

• Need some inspiration for creating gifts? Read more here.

• On creating simplicity with children toys.

• Also I've been writing some tiny tales over on Substack, on my page Notes from Meadow, so you can head there too.