[OneMoreTime]

A few years ago, we had the most MARVELOUS thread where everyone was pitching ideas for how to give the really neat gifts for the least possible expense for those of us with pinched budgets....

I don't recall every last thing -- there was someone who makes and sells homemade candy orders every Xmas and she gave us all her recipes and instructions. If anyone wrote those down or remember which member she was, please help us out if you can....

People talked about decorated homemade sugar cookies on a dollar store xmas platter or attractive plate, swathed in colored or clear saran wrap, tied up with curling ribbon at the top to secure it.

And of course, people talked about all the inexpensive wrappings -- and also how a glam-looking wrapping could give even a modest gift a lot of POW.

We talked about clever ways of taking commercially Xmas-wrapped individual candies (red & green & silver), and fill to mounding in inexpensive clear red & green plastic bowls, and again wrap & tie to secure.

I had gone to a dollar store and done "aggregate gifts" where I picked at least 3 items for each person that had a coordinating theme. Like for my daughters -- kitchen hand towels, pot holders, fancy latching kitchen canisters. They were both so excited as all were in a color theme. The next xmas, a bit more flush, My mother got a dollar store blue painted grapevine basket/tray filled with her favorite jams and marmalade. She wasn't keen on the tray and didn't use it for a long time, but recently, I saw she had propped on a cabinet as background for what was being displayed. It looked like it had been bought special for that!

For my granddaughter, I bought her a number of art things, a pair of mittens ... and something else I don't recall - tho it turned out to be her favorite. For my son-in-law, I bought him a book on world statistics and also a journal for recording his own reviews of movies he watches.

Any more ideas? Recipes to share? Fun things you have given as gifts in the past or plan this year??

Teri