Christmas in Shafferland 2016

Know what I wish? I wish we could have you ALL over for a big blog bash this Christmas. Wouldn't that be fun? Sitting around in the living room, watching Hallmark movies {because of course} and drinking coffee {I did make some stellar hot chocolate for you coffee haters} and soaking up all the Christmas decor. It would be such fun.

But since we're spread far and wide across this country {and world}, I'll just invite you to a virtual tour of our Christmas! In full disclosure, the house isn't quite done. The living room tree, which will be our live tree, has yet to be purchased. We'll take care of that in a few days, but meanwhile, I wanted to show you the rest of the house in all its cozy beauty.

I also noted as I decorated that all our decorations fit so perfectly in here. More perfectly than our old house, actually. I've told Ryan more than once that it's so odd to me how two houses that can be so similar in square footage can handle furniture and decorations so differently. Layout matters, I guess!

As I show you the pictures, I'm going to share a few reasons why my decorations are special to me. Our home will never be in a magazine, and I don't have a marked style across the house, but every single thing I put up has a memory attached, and that matters to me.

We'll start with some outside decor. A little tree Lynne gave me for Christmas one year, when I was still working at the station:

 The red lantern is the one we talked about on Spill the Beans last week: the one we got at a discount because it was missing most of its glass!

 Gifts from Ryan's mom. Ryan's step-dad made the little tree. Isn't it so cool?

 The door that used to belong on my grandparents' garage. I painted a chalkboard on it and got my Christmas art inspiration from Pinterest {of course}.

 My old little red wagon. One of the most complimented parts of our landscaping.

And now...inside!

After 16 years of having a galley kitchen, it was so much fun to have a bigger kitchen to decorate this year. And yes, I put a full sized tree in our kitchen. I did that because that window is the only window that looks out over the street, and I wanted passers-by to have a pretty view! I made this my s'more/gingerbread ornament tree. I've been collecting those for years and love how they make a perfect kitchen tree!

I also have these little shelves, which conveniently LOOK like a tree. :)

 Our coffee cup advent countdown is ready to go! Well. Almost. They're actually currently empty. So maybe not so much on the "ready to go." But they will be by December 1!

 Up close. I am so excited to have this little {okay, big} addition this year. This will be something new for us, and I'm just really excited!

Even though the tree is not up, we do have a few things up in the living room to make it festive. Two things here: the "Joy" canvas we painted at my mom's 80th birthday party this summer {love having that memory to get out every time I decorate} and our cards from each year framed. {I actually have this year's card already framed and displayed, but I took it down for the picture so I wouldn't give it away before I mail them out!}

 My friend Amy {from WBCL} gave us a dated Christmas frame as a gift one year, and we loved it so much that we get one every year. Last year we waited too long and almost couldn't find one! EEK! Not making that mistake again. Our 2016 frame is purchased and in hiding behind the 2015 frame. We do a photo together each Christmas day that we put inside these frames. And yes, I am aware that in 30 years, we are going to have a lot of frames in this house!

 Stocking time!!!

Our bedroom has a newly themed tree this year. Last year, right before Christmas, I had the chance to review a set of Adorenaments from Family Life Today. I loved them so much that I bought two more sets {there are a total of five sets available} and I used the three sets I have to decorate our bedroom tree. I love it that this whole tree is focused on Jesus and His names and attributes. This might be my favorite tree this year!

 The whole tree is in metallic tones and I love that, too. And I just love falling asleep to a beautiful tree every night. Christmas is the most lovely season.

In our bedroom, I also have my grandparents' Bible {the one in the photo on the front of my Advent book!} and a little cloche jar filled with figurines my Grandma used to have in her house. I also have a white ceramic nativity scene not pictured here, because Ryan was repairing a broken arm on Baby Jesus when the photo shoot occurred. But the nativity used to belong to my great grandma, and my mom painted it. So it's sort of a whole family history thing going on.

Our bathroom is probably one of the least-decorated rooms. {Things to work on for next year. There is a wooden Christmas tree in there and these little Isabel Bloom figurines I inherited from my former roommate, Angela, right before she died. She knew how much I loved Christmas, and she wanted me to have them. This year {actually two days from now} marks five years since she's gone to Heaven, and I still am so thankful for the impact she had on my life. I'm grateful to have these small reminders of her to display in her honor each year.

Our guest room has some Christmas cheer, and of course I have a million ideas swirling in my head for future years, too

More Isabel Bloom figurines, some vintage ornaments my mom gave me a few years ago, and one of my "joy" decorations. {Since that's my middle name, I like to get decorations that say that.}

 The little box in front came from a centerpiece at my niece's wedding this summer. I love it!

 My favorite little nativity. I found it in a tiny shop out in Greensburg five years ago when I went out there for Thanksgiving. It is just darling and I've never seen another one just like it. I debated on whether or not to buy it, and I'm so glad I did.

 The shelf in the guest room. :)

 This tree has no sentimental value. It's just red and silver to match the room. But it's so cute and cozy.

Our guest bathroom doesn't have a lot of decor {yet}. But I turned it into a Colts themed room!

My office is probably the least decorated room. I have a little ceramic tree in there {one of the great vintage ones that everyone used to have. Mom painted mine!}

Next year I'll put more in there. :)

But I will say that it's a pretty great start to Christmas in Shafferland. Looking forward to getting our live tree and setting it up together. Ryan and I enjoy doing that each year, and when we do, I'll let you see the results! :)

Thanks for touring our little humble home. Hope you enjoyed it!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* After our busy weekend last weekend {hosting a craft night on Friday and all day shopping extravaganza on Saturday}, we literally had the restiest of all the resty Sundays. Church, leftovers, naps, football, scrapbooking, and of course, Ryan's traditional Sunday evening fare of chips and salsa/queso. Boring blog fodder but one sweet day.

* Monday, I decided to bake some cookies for Ryan, and they turned out to be pretty delicious, I must say! Maple cookies with frosting. Know what was NOT delicious? Tripping over my computer cord and whamming my foot into the ottoman. Ryan and his co-workers diagnosed me with at least one broken toe, and he taped me right up. I hobbled around for the rest of the night before giving up and reading. That seemed safe.

* Tuesday, I did my first podcast interview! {If you missed it, Ryan and I are continuing Spill the Beans every week, but I'm adding an occasional interview podcast to it, and I recorded the first one that day!} That night, we hosted Tuesdays at the Table with some of the very first friends we ever made as a couple! It was a fun night!

* Wednesday was a cold, rainy, miserable day on the outside, but I had a warm and cozy day on the inside while I traveled all around our old hometown of Marion, seeing friends and delivering copies of the Be Still book to people who were doing a little Christmas shopping! It was so much fun to see them. I came home to find the Christmas ornaments I ordered to commemorate our house sale/purchase had arrived, AND Ryan was kind to let the TV stay on Hallmark movies all evening - even if he did mock them. ;) That's just a banner day all the way around.

* Thursday, of course, was Thanksgiving, and this year we spent the holiday with my family. It was a comical day, for sure, as family gatherings always tend to be! When we were done celebrating with them, we went to Ryan's family party for a bit, but it was mostly done by the time we arrived. We had a couple little snacks and came on home to fall into our food comas!

* And when I woke up from my food coma on Friday, hoping to spend the day decking the new halls, I woke up with a crazy sore throat and aching all over. WHAT!?!? Where did THAT come from!? I was MOST unamused. So instead of decorating, I was stuck on the couch, sad that I was too sick to care about anything. By evening, I did feel well enough to at least take down all the fall decor, and Ryan and I spent a quiet evening at home.

* Fortunately, I felt much better yesterday, so while Ryan worked, I began putting up the Christmas trees, and I made a surprising amount of progress, considering I'd lost a whole day of work! When Ryan got home from work, he helped take down the outside fall decorations, and then we went to dinner with some friends - and laughed so hard my face hurt! Definitely a much better day!

The Saturday Six

One.

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I will be the first to confess I have not (yet) jumped into the adult coloring craze. I don't avoid it because I think it's ridiculous. Quite the contrary, actually. I barely have time to write and scrapbook. If I start coloring...well, I'll have to start giving up sleeping or eating, and I am not prepared for such a sacrifice. HA! But my friend Sarah Forgrave did a (written) interview this week with an author/artist of a coloring/devo book, and I found it fascinating to read about how she get into creating these books and how coloring fits into her time with the Lord. So I thought I'd share the interview with you! :)

Two.

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Earlier this week, I shared my list of Christmas gift ideas, and after I did so, I found this amazing list of clutter-free ideas. These work for anytime...not just Christmas. Hmmmmm. I seriously think that next year, Ryan and I might overhaul our entire gift-giving philosophy.

Three.

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During my 4 years of working at WBCL, I drove an hour each way every day, and two of my four years landed during those Polar Vortexes. {Remember those?} Driving, especially for a girl like me who doesn't even really like to drive on a bright, sunny day, was excruciating. The worst part was all the drivers who apparently felt invincible and went sailing by me, and then a bit later, I'd creep past them where they'd landed in a ditch. So when I found this list of tips for winter driving, I thought I'd share them ahead of the winter driving mess.

Four.

White/neutral Christmas decor is all the rage, isn't it? And it's definitely beautiful and timeless and all that. But sometimes color can be beautiful, too! Loved this room by Jessica over at Four Generations One Roof. {Lynne and I interviewed her back when I worked at the station. She and her husband and their kids live in the same house with her parents and grandparents, and she blogs about how they live as four generations in one house. Fascinating!} Anyway. I love the color choices in this room!

Five.

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I had planned to have my house half decorated by today, but alas, I woke up sick with some weird sore throat/flu bug yesterday. NO idea where I got it. I was fine on Thanksgiving! Anyway. I spent the entire day on the couch, part of it legitimately crying because I just wanted to start putting Christmas up! One of the trees I'm most excited to decorate is my Adorenament tree. I don't have all these sets, but I have three of them, and I am so excited to put them on a tree and have one that is actually dedicated to Jesus! :) {Since, you know, He's the reason for the season.} Family Life is running a sale on them, so I thought I would share in case you're looking for a new tree theme!


Six.

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So it turns out I have an almost name twin who also loves to write. How could I not read her debut book, Choosing Real? Bekah Jane Pogue and I have many things in common...parting ways mostly because she lives near the ocean and has two kids, while I live in the middle of cornfields and have a cranky cat.


But as I read Choosing Real, I realized we've been learning many of the same lessons along the way, and she's captured them very well. First I have to tell you that her style is uber-conversational. Reading this book is absolutely like sitting down on the couch beside her (and she even describes her huge L-shaped couch, so you can even see yourself there) and pouring out your soul over a plate of chocolate chip cookies (which she includes the recipe for, by the way).

Bekah loves the same things I love, and they're probably the same things you love, too. Parties and showing love to others, giving and receiving gifts, loud laughter and well-scripted days. Order. Beauty. Predictability.

But she's learned along the way that life usually follows a very different pattern. Her dad died long before she thought she'd have to say goodbye. Her husband didn't always come home with the gifts she hoped he would. Her kids brought lice into the house. Relationships sat in tension sometimes. And she vulnerably says she didn't always react to those moments in the right ways. She freaked out, overreacted, and shut down. (And who among us hasn't done one or all of those things over something along the way?)

Yet in each of those moments, God spoke to her heart and taught her, ever so gently, to choose the reality of her life before her rather than the elusive dream that just wasn't going to come true. He asked her to find herself in Him, not in being the perfect, coolest mom, or the best party-thrower on the planet. He urged her to be real before Him and to understand that He didn't expect her to create this perfect faith. He expected her to just be Bekah and let Him grow her faith.

Here's what I loved about this book. Bekah doesn't ask you to give up Pinterest. She doesn't ask you to stop planning parties or searching for ways to make meaningful moments. She does ask you not to let those things define you. She asks you to choose real. Real is what is before you. Real is sometimes messy. Real is sometimes unplanned. But real is what you have, and if you allow it to be, it can be beautiful.

I laughed and cried in this book, feeling the giggle-moments alongside her and feeling my heart break for the things that hurt her as she walked through them. And as a fellow planner, I have to say that I loved the reminder to choose real. To choose what lies before me. To let God make the moments and only be responsible to live them as best I can.

The book comes out in ONE WEEK, on December 1, so if you order it now, it'll be a few days before it arrives, but it's a great addition to the Christmas season, when we tend to pursue perfection instead of choosing real!

* Barbour Books provided a copy of this book to me at no cost. All opinions are my own! *

Our Thanksgiving

Before I take you on a tour of the Shafferland Thanksgiving, I have a little bonus for you! I mentioned in a Spill the Beans episode a while back that I'd been given the opportunity to do a little interview hosting, just like I did back in my radio days! I'm excited about this, and just as a reminder, it doesn't interrupt the flow of Spill the Beans. It will still keep on keepin' on with Ryan joining me, stories galore, and a lot of fun.

But The Conversation Cafe will pop up now and then too, and in this podcast, I'll have a chance to introduce you to new friends! My very first episode is up today, and I think it's an appropriate day, because my guest is Melissa Hernandez, the owner of Simply Bliss Boutique, and since it's Black Friday, you can listen while you wait in crazy long lines! :) And if you get tired of crazy long lines, you can hop online to shop Simply Bliss!

Hope you enjoy episode 1 of the Conversation Cafe, and I know you're going to love Melissa! :)

Click here to listen.

And now...wanna see Thanksgiving? {Are you even out of your own turkey coma?}

I am because...I don't like turkey! Ha! I bet you can't tell here which plate was mine and which was Ryan's:

This year, we spent Thanksgiving with my family, and Mom put together a delicious lunch! {Ryan vouched for the parts I didn't eat.}

I don't remember what led to these faces, but here we are!!

Have I even told you that I apparently broke a toe (maybe more than one) this week? I get around pretty well most of the time, but I wore cute boots to Thanksgiving and that was a mistake. Back to elevation I went.

 And that's my "bring me my coffee and get out of my way" face. 

My sister Skyped in from Kansas:

And apparently, when it was time for the group pic, Dad wanted to hide.

I thought Julie and I needed a new picture together:

And of course, I can't go without saying again how thankful I am for Ryan and how well he loves me - AND my whole family. He is a blessing!

I told him yesterday that I so well remember the Thanksgiving of six years ago, when I just didn't think life would ever turn around for the better again, but God had a beautiful plan waiting. I am thankful - for the season of hard and the season of beauty!

PS!!! I almost forgot to tell you I bought that shirt from Simply Bliss. I thought it was a good choice for the day!

Happy Thanksgiving/A Little Christmas Shopping

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

I'm not going to presume that just because a day has been declared the day of thankfulness that all of you are swelling with profuse thanks today. I've had some years when I would have dearly welcomed a one-day hibernation until this day passed. It was too hard to pretend to be all happy and thankful when life was hard, and I don't even like Thanksgiving food, to boot!

So if today is that day for you, if your heart is heavy for whatever reason, I send a little bloggery hug your way today. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to struggle to be thankful. It's okay to know you have a million things you should be thankful for, but somehow you can only focus on what brings hurt.

But can I encourage you to find a moment sometime today when you sit until you think of one thing you are thankful for? Genuinely, legitimately thankful for? And then give thanks. It may not change everything, but it might just bring a measure of joy that you hadn't known was still inside you.

I know I told you this last week, but it bears repeating: I am thankful for all of you. You travel this way {some of you every day} to check in on the latest in our world. You love us. You encourage us. You welcome us into your lives with your comments or your own blogs, and I am thankful for you.

Someone else I'm thankful for on this day is the guy who has come to make an annual Christmas shopping trip way more fun than it should be. {Also...every day. He makes every day more fun than it should be.}

But anyway, yes, we did our Christmas shopping last Saturday. We awakened to the first snow flurries of the year, which seemed very appropriate for a Christmas shopping day. It was actually a pretty miserable weather day for driving around and running through parking lots and hauling packages, but that didn't seem to stop the greater population of Indiana from venturing forth to all the stores.

We started with a breakfast date, because everyone knows you can't shop on an empty stomach:

We concluded we looked terrible. TERRIBLE. But then again, it was early.

I was a bit ridiculous with my organization. I had made out lists of everyone we needed to shop for, and I had the whole thing sticky-noted and color coded and hole-punched! I took some ribbing from fellow customers and workers alike, but I stand by my system!

Ryan takes his shopping seriously:

We knocked out a lot of our list that morning {those stories are on the podcast if you missed it}, and then we stopped for a little lunch and blew back to our car:

You should have seen Ryan's hair.

We did more shopping, and at the end of our push/shove through an overcrowded Costco, I told Ryan I just needed a cookie. JUST GET ME A COOKIE.

{Also: somebody get me some lipstick!}

We had the best little date in the back corner of the Panera. Fresh brew and a snacklet.

I was thankful for the cookie, too, by the way.

Ryan, thanks for a fun day out, for dropping me off/picking me up at the doors and carrying the bags. You are a great shopping partner! :)

And thanks for all you do every day. I am so thankful for you! :)

Pumpkin Bread

So....Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Just a little PSA in case you forgot. And of course, Thanksgiving is the holiday of all things turkey. And cranberry. And sweet potato. And pumpkin. Maybe pumpkin pie isn't your thing. {Texture issues, anyone??} But maybe you do love the pumpkin flavor, and you need something different to try to get your pumpkin flavor without the texture issues.

If so, I'd like you to meet pumpkin bread.

It's the perfect side dish. Or dessert. Or breakfast. Or appetizer. Or snack. Or gift.

Also, don't you hate it when you get ready to make pumpkin anything, and you realize you are out of pumpkin pie spice? And let's face it: this close to a major eating holiday, you do not want to drive to the store park on the back forty, traipse inside to the back of the store, and stand in a 30 minute line to buy the tiniest bottle ever of high-priced spice. You just don't.

That's why today's recipe is a two-for-one special. Delicious bread and how to make your own pumpkin pie spice.

I have blogged about the pumpkin bread before, but I thought it was time to update the pictures and make it a little more Shafferland-y, and this time, I'm adding the spice recipe, too.

I made this a couple of weeks ago for Ryan's work buddies. I took brunch to the hospital for all of them, and this was the "dessert" of the brunch. They cleaned it right up! It's delicious when warm with some butter melted on top. And while we're talking about butter, I should forewarn you that this is NOT one of my healthy dishes. This is just a good comfort food that should be eaten in great moderation. :) Sometimes fall just requires a good comfort dish void of a calorie count. Amen?

Pumpkin Bread
 * 3 cups sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 4 eggs
* 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see below)
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup water
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with water. Pour into two well-sprayed loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cut into slices, serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

* 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon allspice
* 1/2 teaspoon cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

A Few Tips:

* Again, yes, I know this is not anywhere NEAR clean eating. Yes, I know you could find a healthier version. But this one is delicious, and every now and then a girl just needs comfort sweet bread.

* You could try subbing some baking Splenda for some of the sugar, but I will tell you that I made some zucchini bread not long ago, where I did just that, and after a couple of days, the bread was bitter and terrible. It tasted great when it was first baked. So experiment at your own risk!

* You could also try swapping out some of the oil for applesauce, but I haven't tried that, so I don't know how much it would alter the taste or texture.

* I did use brown eggs and wheat flour. Does that even really matter with that much oil, egg, and sugar? Probably not, but let me live in my delusion.

* I really do love to make up several loaves of quick bread and keep them in the freezer for times when I need a last minute snack or dessert for something - or a gift for someone.

* Ryan loves quick bread for a snack or for breakfast, so I try to make some for him now and then, since he's so good to be a great sport about all the clean eating dishes every other day of the week.

* I found a little container at the dollar store that is about the size of a spice container, and I use that to store whatever leftover spice mix I have. You could also use an old pumpkin pie spice container if you have one.

Craft Night at the Garage!

Podcast Tuesday!!!


We've got stories from Christmas shopping and some Thanksgiving "Would You Rather" fun to share with you this week. Enjoy!

Click here to listen.

Last month, my friend Amber hosted a craft night for her birthday. I mentioned in my "What I Learned in October" post that I really had a great time, and I miss nights like that. I even said I might do a night like that. You know. Sometime. Whenever.

But in the spirit of our Tuesdays at the Table gatherings, I decided to toss out the "someday" and just pick a date and send some invitations. I was terrified, actually, because things like this bring out the junior high in me like nothing else. What if I plan a party and no one comes? {I know I'm not the only one who stresses over that.} But I decided to be brave and do it anyway.

I wrote the invitation on the chalkboard in the garage and texted it to a handful of girls that I thought might be interested.

I knew it was last minute and a very busy time of year, but I thought it might be helpful for them to get away from home for an evening, work on some things for Christmas, or finish up some other craft they never seemed to get done at home. I asked everyone to bring a snack to share and told them they could come late or leave early if they needed to, but the garage would be open from 5-11 p.m. If they wanted dinner, they were welcome to bring something for themselves, but the provided food would just be snacks to share. Low-key and easy.

{Ryan even offered to wrap gifts for anyone who had presents purchased that they didn't want to wrap. I don't think anyone had shopped yet - but I was impressed by his offer!}

The day of the party, I changed the chalkboards out to welcome the guests and display the menu. {I just added the food as each person brought something.}

We borrowed a few tables and set them up around the garage so everyone had plenty of space to work.

I didn't ask the girls if I could use their pictures, so I won't, but we had the best time just hanging out and working on projects. I ended up having four girls come over {and one brought her daughter}, and they were busy! A couple of them worked on a wreath, one made some Pinterest projects, and one worked on lettering some art for a sign. I scrapbooked. :)

And Ryan? He had his own table and project: fixing an extension cord he cut in two with some hedge trimmers. Yes. You heard me right.

And then he kind of forgot to pay attention to what he was doing and he put two matching plug ends on the cord. Whoopsie.

I wore my Christmas shirt, which, incidentally, I forgot I had on earlier that day when I went to the bank, and I got some very interesting looks from a gentleman in the parking lot.

Despite the utter DOWNPOUR happening outside all during the party, and the fact that most people got soaked going in and out, we had a very fun night. The snacks were delicious, the company was fun, and I think we all got a decent amount of work accomplished.

I'd love to do it again sometime. The space is perfect for it, and it's a bonus that Ryan brings his own crafts and joins us! :)

Christmas Gift Ideas!

Hey everyone! Welcome to Black Friday week! :) Last year, I had some requests to share ideas for gifts, but it was already so close to the Christmas season that I didn't have time to really give it the thought I wanted to. This year I worked ahead! I've been compiling this list for most of the year. Hope you find some fun ideas. I've tried to make it broad in subject matter and in price range, because I know the budgets and people you shop for are probably quite varied!

For Those Who Have Everything:
* New Pictures. Parents, grandparents, and others who have everything they need always want updated family photos for their frames. Hire a photographer {or barter with a friend who happens to be good at taking pictures} and give new family photos for Christmas. And if you really want to score with parents/grandparents, offer a photo session itself as a gift for the whole extended family.
* Photo Books. If you like to scrapbook {digital books do count!!} and have time to do so, put together a little photo book of the family gatherings, special parties, or even just snapshots of daily life.{Bonus: Picaboo, the site I use to make ALL our photo books, is running a 12 days of Christmas special right now with new deals every single day. Shutterfly, the site I use upon occasion for other photo gifts, usually runs a lot of sales around this time of year. Actually most photo sites do, so check out your favorites!}
* Photo Calendar. I promise not every gift on this list will involve pictures, but they do tend to make great gift components! You can make photo calendars on various sites online, and most sites let you add birthdays, anniversaries and other important days right into the calendar before it's printed. And if you hobby in photography, use your own beautiful pictures of scenery {or whatever you photograph} to make calendars for friends who might enjoy that more than people pictures.
* A Day Out. If you need a gift for someone who doesn't have the need or room for more stuff, offer the gift of your time. Plan a special outing for you {or your family} with your recipient. A meal out, a movie, a play, some shopping...whatever would bring joy. You do the driving and the paying for whatever the day entails. Memory-making can be a wonderful gift!
* A Donation In Their Name. Not everyone would embrace this, but for those who have it all and would rather give to someone in need, offer a donation to an organization they love and let them know you helped in their name. {And if they are ridiculously opposed to recognition, you can keep it anonymous to the organization, but at least let the person know the funds went to a good cause!}

Jewelry.
 * Origami Owl. Hands down, the most complimented piece of jewelry I wear is an Origami Owl locket my mother-in-law gave me a couple of years ago for my birthday. It goes with everything, dressy or casual, and she filled it with charms representing what she sees in me, which was as much of a gift as the locket itself. {This is a consultant-based company, so you'll need to find one to order.}
* MudLove. Based in Indiana, this company makes unique pottery jewelry and donates some of the proceeds of each sale toward clean water projects in Africa. I own 4 pieces of MudLove jewelry and one of their mugs, and I love them. Plus, you know, it's for a great cause!

 Warm Fuzzies: 
* Electric Throw. I know, I know. Everyone buys a throw blanket for a gift when they don't know what else to get. But a couple of years ago, my mother-in-law got me this Sunbeam electric throw blanket, and I adore it. {Although the price is high online, you can usually find this in a store on a good sale. I've looked.} It's a must-have for cold people or cold climates - or couples who cannot agree on temperature. The cold half can use this!
* Scarf with Pockets. A few years ago, I happened upon one of these in a store and bought it for a friend. She told me last winter it was one of the best gifts I ever gave her. Who knew? The link above is to an Etsy shop that I just sort of found, so I have no knowledge of the seller, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. {If you are crafty, you can make it yourself!} The scarf is long and warm with big pockets at the end, so you can slip your phone or keys into it or just keep your hands warm while you're out! Great for teachers who have recess duty, crossing guards, outlet mall shoppers, those with dogs who have to go out, etc!
* Coffee Cozie. A couple of years ago, my sister gave me a crocheted coffee cozie {because, well, DUH!} and it has been one of the best gifts! I keep it in my purse at all times and use it as an extra insulator when the cardboard wraps are not enough, and I always use it with frappes, because they don't give you a wrap for that, and those things sweat! I also wrap my spare camera lens in it when I have to carry it in my purse and it has no protection Great little gift! {Link is to an Etsy shop I found - no knowledge of seller.}

For the Kids:
* Snowman Kit. You can make your own version of this if you don't want to purchase one, but this is fun for kids in snowy climates: a snowman kit! All you do is add snow! A fun little non-electronic gift to get kids out and having fun when the snow comes! {Kids in warm climates can use it on sand snowmen!}
* Road Trip Binder/Bag. I blogged about this a while back, but this is a fun idea for making something for kids to play with in the car {whether on long trips or shorter runs} that doesn't involve a movie or electronics. It can also be fairly cost-effective if you're on a budget. 
* Quality Books. I am OBVIOUSLY a huge reader and when I was a kid, 90% of my Christmas list every year was books. True story. There are many options for quality books you can gift, but I'll use this opportunity to put in a shameless plug for my RIDICULOUSLY talented friend, Brent Vernon, who has written and illustrated some kids' books. I love them! {Says the overgrown child.}


Food:
* Introduce a new place. Sure, people love to get gift cards to their standard favorite places, and offering that to them shows that you pay attention to what they enjoy. But if you have uncovered a new place, especially if it's a little local dive, that you think someone might love, give them a reason to go! Offer a gift card along with a suggestion or two of what you love there. {Ryan's step-mom did this for my birthday when I moved to Kokomo...her favorites at all the local coffee shops, and gift cards to each one. BEST GIFT.}
* Meals on wheels. If you're buying for someone who is older or can't drive or is facing an upcoming surgery or anything along those lines, research what sorts of food delivery/meals on wheels options are available and give a gift card to that. It will be highly practical and well-loved. This is also great for people who are nervous Nellies about winter driving {ME!!!}, because I hear we're in for a fun winter in the Midwest!
* Food of the month coupon. If you are good at baking, why not give a gift to someone that allows them to enjoy your treats year round? Gift them {fill in the blank} along with a note that they can expect a refill every month on the 25th or something along those lines. It also gives you a great excuse to see them regularly!
* Box of pantry staples. When I was single, my mom always gave me a big box of pantry staples at Christmas. Bag of flour, some chocolate chips, single serving pasta kits, laundry detergent...just a smattering of things she'd pick up throughout the year on sales to give to me. It was a HUGE help in the winter months of big bills. This is a great idea for a college student, single person, or anyone struggling to make ends meet.

Subscriptions or Services:
*Amazon Prime. This might be over your budget, but if you're buying a big gift for someone, I hear this is a great idea. My sister actually received this as a gift and loved it. In addition to fast, free shipping, she has access to all kinds of goodies she didn't have before. {This also works well as a gift for the people who have everything and don't need more clutter...but they like to shop on Amazon for regular-need purchases.}
*Bulk Store Membership/Gift Card. We received a gift card to Costco earlier this year, and since we don't have a membership there, the gift card was our ticket in the door. It was so handy to be able to get some things we needed in bigger quantities. If you know someone enjoys shopping at a membership bulk item store like Costco or Sam's, gifting that fee would be great! {Note: Ryan also found a KILLER deal for a Sam's membership through Groupon. So don't think that such things are out of your budget even if they are on a regular basis. Groupon can really come through!}
*Housecleaning. Whether your recipient is a new parent, about to have surgery, travels a lot, or just deserves a break, gifting a service like this can be a sweet respite from mundane work! Or along the same lines...paying for some snow removal, lawn care, or other such help can be a big treat or a big financial relief!
* Massages and manicures. Whether it's something they already do regularly or something you want to treat them to, getting a gift card for a haircut, a massage, a manicure, or some other form of pampering is a great idea.

And Last, But Not Least...
I'm not a fan of tooting my own horn, but I am really thankful to have had the opportunity to publish two books (so far) in my lifetime, and I happen to think they would make great gifts!

* My Advent devotional, His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift turns six years old this year, and I love it that so many of my friends and family continue to use it as a family reading every year. And many have given it to their friends and family for Christmas gifts. It's written as a daily reading for December, and you still have almost 10 days before December arrives, so if you want to purchase it soon, it should arrive in time to begin on December 1!  {Kindle and Paperback editions are available on Amazon.}
* And my brand new book that just released this year, Be Still: Learning to Know He is God, is another book that can be used as a daily reading or can be read straight through as a story. I am excited about this little book and the impact it's been making on the people who have shared their reading experiences with me. It's available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback, and if you're local, I have several copies that I could get to you directly to save you shipping!



Those are my ideas! Hope you've found something that sparks a little help for you, but please feel free to add your own ideas in the comments! {Whether they are gifts you received that were creative and useful or gifts you gave that you want to share....tell us!}