Damn you, Christmas! 1*

[blamebrampton]

So, I spent last November to May with minimal work, and Mr B has not been working for the last 18 months. This has been less than financially optimal, I calculated how much money we were down over the period: it was a Very Distressing Sum. Happily I charge such an egregious amount for my services that we've been able to keep going without too much stress, but I have been Making Economies.

And, being a crafty type, I thought to myself: why spend a fortune on gifts when I can make them!?

Which is why, a week from Christmas, I have a huge pile of gifts to finish making and a massive blister from hot glue on my thumb. Cold water really does work, though: three hours of alternating water and ice packs last night shrank the size of the blister by about 60%.

I am SEWING the rest of the gifts. Maybe a spot of knitting.

And if you are not in Australia or New Zealand and are yet one of the few people I have been organised enough to get a card to (a ridiculously small number, sorry!), let us pretend we are Italian and Christmas goes through until 12th night, at which point La Belfana will arrive and clean our houses!


* It's ever so likely there'll be a 2 …

Comments

[quatrefoil.livejournal.com]

I usually write the bulk of my Christmas cards on Boxing Day - I very rarely get time to do it before that. I figure that if people want to hear from me at Christmas they'll still want to hear from me in the New Year. And the card only rate goes to the 31st of December (ask me how I know).

[takarai-karin.livejournal.com]

Or, we can pretend we're Russian and our Christmas is in January :3

You're making me worry though, please find time to rest your fingers :/

I'm looking forward to Christmas but dreading it cause I've a condition and am only allowed to eat a limited list of things. Christmas would be filled with family members coaxing me to ditch my proper diet while I try not to snap at them with 'and I'll be the one with a colic not you!' T.T

Haha why am I tl;dring in your journal... Sorry bout that.

[maevemist.livejournal.com]

Not sending Christmas cards is my gift to the environment as is having a charmingly brown lawn and a dirty but not so dirty it's feral car.

I used to love Christmas and all of its gift giving opportunities and then this year I have changed employment industries to work in retail, now I wish Christmas would go die in a fire. lol (not really I still love all the bits that don't involve customers.)

[stellamoon.livejournal.com]

Oh goodness, you've been very busy! And will be even busier yet!

Please share a little bit about what gifts you have made/are making. I'd love to have a handmade-only Christmas sometime. My talents don't lie with knitting or sewing though. I CAN sew, I'm just not great at it and don't enjoy it much.

[raitala.livejournal.com]

Hmm, now I feel a bit guilty about not letting you write a comfortable 30k 'page turner' and forcing you to write every waking hour for the last two weeks. But not that guilty. Have you seen The Hobbit yet?

[nenne.livejournal.com]

Here Christmas lasts until the 13'th of January. That's the day all the Christmas decorations must be taken down. If not there will be poverty in the household for all of the new year. Just pretend to be Norwegian, we allow even more time than the Italians.

Also ouch! *blows on blistered finger*

[phoenixacid.livejournal.com]

*pats your finger*

Good luck with the cards! Hee!

[fragrantwoods.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of crafted gifts, but the reality...I did scrapbooks one year for two grandmothers. I thought I would tear my hair out/lose my mind/injury myself with fancy scissors/glue my fingers together.

Bless Esty, my go-to for handmade, personalized gifts. Although it's not free, I figure I come out even in what I would have spent in materials and aspirin.

I'm all about celebrating the spirit of the Russian Orthodox Christmas, for the extra days. The Italian version sounds lovely, too!

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

Commenting merely to say "Yay, Befana!".

[teganscrush.livejournal.com]

I'm still hoping that somehow, house elves are real and willing to travel in exchange for warm socks, perhaps a tshirt and Xbox privileges when kid is at school.

I need to mail my cards tomorrow; its been ridiculously busy lately, but a few will get them on time. And writing this, I realized I've never had your address to SEND a card. That seems wrong.

[ladyjaneva.livejournal.com]

ouch to your finger! hope it's gone now and won't get infected!!! One only realizes how much one needs a certain finger when you can't use *stares a bit at thumb*

And doubly ouch for Mr B's past 18 months! Didn't realize that Australias economy was bad too. Our news are swamped with Greece and Italy and Spain, I literally cannot hear those country names anymore.