Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Christmas Gifts for Mom and Dad

Getting back to Christmas gifts...

For our parents, we normally do purchase gifts. Why? Simply because, more often than not, they don't spend on themselves even though they have no children living at home now.

Usually we get the moms something they "are in to".
For Philip's mom, that could be just about anything. My mother-in-law has a wide variety of things she just loves and she's a very crafty person. We've gotten her everything from yarn to rose bushes to decorative rocks!! She's always been thrilled and put it to quick use.

My mom won't buy herself anything. She really loves pretty things for her house though. We've gotten her clothes to what-nots to magazine subscriptions.

Philip's stepdad retired from John Deere and so I start early each year looking for some kind of unique John Deere "stuff". Amazingly, it is very easy to find!

My dad is a man who like oddities. The wierder (?) it is, the better he likes it. We've gotten him everything from a can crusher to a basket of pickled vegetables to different kinds of hot sauces.

Most of the time, we spend less than $10 for each parent, which is a grand total of only $40. If I'm patient, I can find many things on clearance or at dollar stores which stretches those dollars even farther.

My advice on buying gifts for your parents, whether it's for Christmas or some other holiday, is just to be observant. Now that I'm a parent myself, I fully understand that I don't want my children to go out and spend their hard earned money on me. I am just as happy with a small gift, whether purchased or handmade, that they put some thought and love into.

Next time I'll discuss gifts for our married and single brothers and sisters.

Blessings....

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