I hate Christmas, I really do. I don’t talk to most of my MAGA family and I worked front-end in a post office. So in general it’s just all shite to me.

However, in the past couple months I reached out to my aunt who isn’t a diehard MAGA for help to get out of a really shitty situation. And surprisingly, she’s helped me a tonne.

Now I’m in contact with her at least every couple days and we go out for breakfast and stuff.

Now, usually I spend Xmas alone or with my partner. Don’t have a partner right now, and I find myself invited to my aunt’s for Xmas.

And I kind of feel the need to go. (I originally was going to cancel saying I’m feeling sick but have decided not to do that.)

I’d like to get them some cheap gifts despite having not a lot of money. I don’t just want to show up empty handed even if that’d be okay. I can spare a bit.

So, any ideas?

PS:

I have one idea for her, which will probably be a plant since I know she likes plants and gardening. But for the uncle and cousin+ his partner I kind of have no clue.

Under different circumstances I might do some art but I moved with very little and don’t have any art supplies which would be more expensive then the gifts at this point. So any art suggestions while appreciated are kind of out for now.

  • curbstickle@anarchist.nexusEnglish
    6·
    17 hours ago

    I’d lean toward making something. What depends on what youre good at/interested in.

    For example, we’ve been making Christmas cards. Its just random designs on watercolor paper. Then you cut that paper out into shapes, and take some cardboard to go underneath, and glue it onto cardstock. This particular idea comes from Andrea Nelson, simple watercolor tags and cards.

    The results are great, and a personally written, handmade card… Well to me that beats out most cheap gifts because it has thought and intention behind it.

    You can also make ornaments (there are some great ones like a marbling paint bath for cheap wooden ornaments from craft stores, taking cheap ornaments and repainting them with more details, cheap craft ornaments and doing a chalky finish, felt and glitter, whatever) or whatever else. We do a lot of crafting and repurposing here, in case you couldn’t guess.

    Maybe you could bake some bread, make cookies, a pie, etc.

    You mentioned a plant - what about a cheap planter with some custom work on it?

    Maybe some dining room placemats if youre good at sewing?

    Mugs with the mixings for hot chocolate?

    Diy air freshener with some essential oils?

    It doesnt have to be a lot of money, complicated, etc to be a great gift. One year I printed up an old map of an area my parents lived in, and traced specific roads and important spots I knew about in twine on the map (with a decent bit of glue obviously, then mod podged the whole damn thing).

    So, what things are you into creating? How could that be related to a gift that shows your appreciation?