Oh, Christmas

Let people know if your HOLIDAY PARTY is going to be a t-shirt and jeans kind of shindig...because no one wants to be the overdressed asshole(s).  This is what we wore to a party...no one else was even remotely dressed up. 

OK, I'm done complaining for now.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but this year it seems a little forced.  I really am trying to get into the spirit...my house is decorated, we went downtown to hear Christmas carols, we attended a White Elephant party, I drank eggnog (eww)...but here are a few things that make me happy and will hopefully help your holiday gift giving this year.

My 'white elephant' gift this year was pretty clever if you ask me.  I bought an affordable lunch box from Old Navy and filled it with my homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares.  There was a little wiggle room left on top of the squares, so I filled that with Chocolate Chip Cookies.  It weighed a ton, but it was a sweet tooth's dream come true!

Old Navy lunchbox

 

I'm not a big, fancy ribbon or bow person, so when I wrap my gifts I like to add things to the simple ribbon I do put on the gift.  You can buy a whole box of cheap ornaments for under $5.00 at your local home goods store, or you can buy holiday candy or chocolate to decorate your gift. I normally choose Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark Squares because they are very seasonal.  You could also use candy canes...I'm not a huge candy cane fan because straight peppermint reminds of a foot scrub, but a lot of people like them.  = )

Here is how I wrapped The Husbands 'white elephant' gift:

Another thing I did, which may or may not become a gift for someone, wasn't super cheap, but definitely didn't break the bank.  A while back I picked up some 'made to look vintage' Vogue postcards for a dollar at Borders because they looked really cool.  I've been waiting for some picture frames to go on sale and low and behold Bed Bath and Beyond had a great sale on some wood frames.  They were $6.00 each, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.  I had to cut down the postcards a little, but overall they turned out really great.  This is definitely a gift you wouldn't be able to pick up anywhere, but has unique charm to it.  Enjoy!

Now I'm going to wrap all of our presents...maybe that will shock me into the Christmas spirit!