by Joan Hall

Created on: September 07, 2008

Each Christmas, my sisters-in-law and I exchange small, inexpensive gifts. The first years I would purchase candles and other gifts that fall into that "safe" category. After a few years I started sewing and crafting. My first gifts were very simple crafts. The ideas were often found at fabric store where they offer the "take me, I'm free" directions for crafts. As I gained more confidence I started trying more sewing crafts.

Now each Christmas my gifts are anxiously opened by the recipients. They know that I took the time to think of projects that are useful and personal. They also know that what I have made probably did not cost a lot, but that it comes from my heart.

This past year I made a very special gift for one sister-in-law. A few years ago I bought my first embroidery machine. My sister-in-law loves to go to yard sales and often picked up table linens. Earlier last year, a box of assorted napkins she had collected was in my possession. I cautiously asked what she wanted embroidered on them and her reply was that I could do whatever I wanted with them. She wanted to be surprised. So a few weeks before Christmas I went to work. I went thru all my embroidery designs and found some that fit her personality and hobbies perfectly. The others I monogramed with her initials.

When gifts were passed out last Christmas,in addition to the embroidered linens my sister-in-law received the same gift I made all the others, a personalized sniffle kit. It was a small pouch I had sewn, then embroidered "sniffle kit" on it. Inside I placed some little comfort items for those days when they were not feeling so well: herbal tea bags, tissues, lip balm, small pieces of chocolates and so on. To be completely honest, I wasn't quite sure how these gifts were going to go over but they were a hit. My sister-in-law then saw the other gift from me. I think she had forgotten about the napkins/linens because it had been a few months since she had given them to me. She had told me I could get to them whenever I had the time. The look on her face as she went thru each set of napkins was all I needed to know that this gift was going to be one of her favorites that year.

A month or so later I received a thank-you card from her saying she had a brunch for her friends and used the assorted napkins I had embroidered. She was pleased to receive many compliments on her table linens. So now each fall I go thru my craft magazines and search the internet for new, creative gift ideas. Anyone can buy a candle, right?

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