My non-knit Christmas

I didn't get anything knit for Christmas this year. I didn't plan ahead. Of course, this is the first year that knitting was even a real option. I've only gotten back into it since the discovery of the world wide knit-web. Now I'm not sad that I don't have any lovely things to gift this year, but I do wish I had considered the idea sooner. My family is so hard to shop for. It's very stressful to give thoughtful gifts, especially when I have two little ones I have to haul around with me wherever I go. (That part is getting better as I am more honest with my husband about needing time out alone and I have a neighbor I'm swapping babysitting with.) I'm also on a pretty tight budget this year, as the kitchen remodel is continuing and is not completely covered by the insurance and we still need about $5000 to remove the tulip poplar. So, my kids are getting the lion's share of gifts, of course. My husband got his camera upgrade last month, so I am getting a small digital camera to make up for the lack of a truly portable camera to catch the daily stuff of running around with kids. I found a silver Christmas tree for my mom. She said she wanted one of the old ones from aluminum that you couldn't use lights on, just the spinning spotlight. I know it's too late for her to put up this year, but I just found it yesterday. My dad is getting a photo album, a fleece blanket, and a flower to plant. I'm giving my sister a fleece blanket and some money for the cattery at the SPCA. She works there and appreciates a donation more than stuff. As for everyone else, I bought a big can ($25) of Virginia Diner Chocolate Covered Peanut Brittle that I'm going to split up and I'm making truffles and cookies to go with it. Not very original, but I couldn't come up with a zillion gifts that wouldn't break the bank. Next year I'm making everyone ornaments. I did that the year Mamaw died. I took a flower from every arrangement at the funeral, dried them, and put the petals into glass ornament balls. Now every year, I put a reminder of her up on my tree, and so can everyone else. Maybe next year I'll do little knit sweaters and stockings and stuff. Also, my boy will be 4 1/2 and my girl 2 1/2, and that's perfect for child labor, I mean craft gifts!