Xmas 2012

I have had to get Xmas shopping and wrapping done early this year because pretty soon the movers are coming in to pack up our lives. This year I decided on a simple red, green and brown paper wrapping scheme. We have so many people we are saying goodbye to and wanted to give a wee gift as a thanks for all the love. This can get expensive so these are the things I did.
For the boys (and a big heads up to Sam from Hey Cherry for alerting me to them) I bought super hero mugs from Checkers (R15.99) and a pack of traditional humbugs from Woolies (R24.99). I didn't even wrap these gifts as they look so nice just as is.
For the girls I had little ceramic swans cast from a Bakelite swan jewelry holder I found in a thrift shop. The mold was a little expensive (R300) but after that initial outlay the little swans were fairly reasonable to cast. I asked the kind people when casting to create a little hole in the bottom of the swan (for drainage) thereby changing it from a jewel holder to a tiny planter. I slipped succulents from my own garden for these. Admittedly this took some pre-planning as the molding process and growing process does take time. These I did not wrap these either.
For the kiddies I tried to keep it small and creative. The gifts there include little notebooks, paints, pencil crayons and other make-and-do items. I decorated their packages with the lovely classic candy canes from Woolies (R10.99). I find as a mum, that the kids get so spoiled at Xmas, that I am always grateful when there is a little something that is consumerable, that they can make and not something that has to be stored in their often too small rooms.

I found these great little "stiff drink" tickets at The Space in JHB, and have attached them to the adult gifts where suitable. After the year we have all had I thought we needed those.