IT'S A FEELING!

We had a wonderful day yesterday.  A cousin and her husband who live up here in the mountains of our beautiful province, came for a visit and stayed for supper.  It's been quite a while since we saw each other, so we had a lot of catching up to do.  It was a fun afternoon and evening, hopefully we can do it again sometime soon!

But all weekend, prior to their visit, I was in a feeling- like- Christmas, mood!  Don't know what gets into my mind, my heart  - but get me near the end of October, and I get possessed with the Christmas Spirit.  I put on the Christmas tunes, I think, I plan, I plot; and much of that planning is centered around gift giving.

Not gift-giving as in heading out to the malls and spending huge amounts of money on  things that could be and is purchased all through the year.  No my gift-giving obsession begins with what I can make to give as gifts for Christmas.

My library of patterns, craft magazines and books come alive like no other time of the year.  The huge bookcases that I have spent hours and hours organizing, empty out onto the floor in mere minutes.  First I organize piles according to ideas that are floating around my mind based on the type of craft I feel like working on.  Those piles then get sorted again according to supplies I have to work with and then get sorted again according to time I have to get the projects done, and then again according o the recipient's likes and tastes.

And then I get to work...

Before I even start the projects, I have spent hours, sometimes days and maybe weeks, preparing, planing and thinking.

I am sure I am no different than anyone else who gives hand- made gifts for Christmas and I am also sure that it is quite possible that some recipient's have absolutely no idea the time and effort, and thought that goes into each and every gift someone like me gives.

I am not tooting my own horn - just saying!

Anyone can go to a store and buy something, not everyone can make something.   I get that - but if you can't make something you still can choose to shop for your gifts at craft sales or stores that support local artisans and crafters, whatever they make or sell.  You might find exceptional things to buy at these places, and in the process you are showing your support for someones time and creativity instead of lining the pockets of some huge corporation somewhere far removed from our own country.

I saw this on Face Book recently, and it is so true.



Please consider supporting local talents and creative peoples, whatever craft they may promote, whatever medium they may work in.  Don't make hand-made sentiment go by the way-side.....