With Christmas right around the corner, I thought I would show y’all what I have been working on for my family’s Christmas presents! (Don’t worry, my family has been warned not to check my blog until after Christmas, and I know they won’t see this.)

So if any of you have read my last years post (for those of you who have been around that long), you’ll know that I tend to make a good portion of my Christmas presents by hand.. I also made a post two years ago (my very first Christmas blog Post) about all of the presents I made by hand for my family. (See pictures below)

This year for Christmas, I’m doing a mix of hand-made, home baked, and some store bought presents. Half of my family is getting my time consuming hand-made presents, and the other half are getting baked goods, and a few are getting store bought presents.

In addition to gifts, my Christmas cards this year completely fit this years theme of 2020! I had cards with just regular snowmen on them, and the card was honestly a little dull. So I added some musical notes, a face mask, six feet indicators, and wala! A card fit for 2020!

Now onto the presents! My mothers present was honestly my favorite to make.. For those of you who are into ‘Harry Potter‘ and have watched the ‘Fantastic Beasts‘ series, you’ll love this one! For those of you who haven’t seen the movies or don’t like them, let me just explain this present to you as a magical creature who loves to steal coins and other shiny things to stuff in their pouch. 😉

I haven’t found any eyes to put on it, and yes, it’s hand made by me. 🙂 This was really fun to work on and with all of my classes being online through zoom I’ve been able to crochet and listen at the same time! Which is exactly how I made this next present for my Grandmother..

Over the years, I have crocheted a hat, a shawl, a blanket, and a pair of mittens for my grandmother. And yet she still has insisted that something was missing.. She has been telling me for the past two years that she needed a pair of crochet socks so that she can be ‘covered from head to food in yarn‘. Sigh… So this year, I have made the final piece of the puzzle (at least until she decides she ‘needs’ something else for her ensemble). Of course, socks aren’t the only thing I’m giving her. I also found this cute little shop in town that sells handmade items from people in town, Michigan, and the US. Everything is made by hand, and everything is made within the U.S. so it’s all local! (More or less..)

My grandmother has a few old sleds from her childhood that she still puts out for decoration every year. However, these sleds are old and are falling apart. So when I seen this sled (pictured above) in the shop (made by someone right here in Michigan) I knew it was meant for her! Not only did I find this little gem in a local shop, but I helped a small business owner make money, and therefor put money back into my small town, and I supported the making of handmade items! Of course, I may not always be able to shop local for everything, but I try my best to shop local when it comes to things such as Christmas and Birthdays.

My brothers gift was the only one I got from online shopping, and although I am not a fan of the company ‘Amazon’, I had a gift card that needed used up and what my brother wanted could be found on there.. You see, my brother has been getting big into the idea of homesteading lately, and he has been obsessed with the idea of building a cabin in the woods and disappearing from the modern world. (This has been a complete 180 from him wanting a smart house that did everything for him, or him wanting to go off into space and live on Mars.) Of course, being the supportive sister that I am I got him a book on how to start a homestead in the woods.

Of course, I am also giving him a few hand-me-down books from my own homesteading collection that I have already read and memorized and don’t mind parting with. But I also think that he deserved a book of his own. I’m not sure how this fascination with Homesteading started with him, but I’m sure his little sister had some influence after many years of talking about farming/homesteading… Oops.

So that’s what I have so far for everyone’s Christmas presents. Baked goods will be made after college finals, I still have to find my dad a gift, and my work family will probably receive some edible goodies as well.

Comment below if you’re excited for the Winter Holidays (whatever it is you celebrate)! And as always, smile, have an amazing day, and let me know if you’re handmaking anything for someone this holiday season!