Soap for a Cause

My son's school conducted a number of fundraisers just before the holidays, which I think is great because it serves to remind us that Christmas isn't just about us -- that there are others out there who could really use our help. Being somewhat passionate about animals, my son told me that he was disappointed that his school wasn't raising money for animals. I asked him what he'd like to do about it. He suggested making more soap and selling his soap to neighbours to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund. So that's what we did. There are lots of terrific organizations in need of support year round. I'm hoping that I'll remember that when the Christmas season has passed.

Stories by Candlelight

Each year, without looking for it, a new Christmas tradition finds us. This year's new tradition is a combination of two old ones: holidays stories + candlelight= stories by candlelight. Have you tried reading by candlelight lately? Read by one candle only once -- to renew your respect for your pioneer ancestors. Then, to save your eyes, light all the candles you can find. If you can find beeswax candles, the scent and sight of them will dazzle you.

Not a Lot of Baking

When I was a kid, my mom used to bake about eight different varieties of cookies at Christmastime. She doesn't have a particularly sweet tooth, so cookies tended to only show up during the holidays. The dearth of cookies throughout the year made them extaordinarly special. I'd look forward to mountains of cookies, dusted in sugar and layered between wax paper in Mom's painted Christmas tins.

I still enjoy my mom's baking -- so much so, that I don't bother to do much of it myself. And, when my husband cited this statistic: 300 extra calories a day (translation: two cookies) over the holidays meant that most people's jeans will be uncomfortably snug in January, I felt justified in leaving most of the baking to the expert. This year, I decided to bake one kind of cookie. Very little discussion went into deciding which kind, because Anna Olson's Chocolate Almond Toffee Bars have been a hands-down favourite of ours since I discovered them four years ago. The only downside to them is that you have to let them cool in the refrigerator overnight. Well, okay, there's another downside: if you have an eight-year-old early riser in the house, your squares just might not make it to your pretty painted Christmas tins.

Free Toys

Remember those paper fortune tellers (also called cootie catchers) from when you were a kid? Well, they're still around. And currently, the children in my son's class are riveted by them. It never ceases to amaze me that in a world full of sophisticated play things, children continue to be entertained by the simplest of objects. Recently, I discovered a stunningly designed cootie catcher at the Toymaker website. A certain someone at my house will likely find it in his stocking on Christmas morning. Check out the other paper toys on this website, too. Perhaps you'll find a free (that's right!) diversion for that little person on your Christmas list.

How could I not?

Seeing as I'm not spending much time at the mall this year, I've found that I've had a little extra time on my hands (okay, maybe not). When I saw this knit pattern on Ravelry, I thought, How could I not? Granted, the orignal pattern is in a Norgwegian dialect, but I'm pretty sure wine corks are a universal language. I turned this little fella into a tree ornament by lacing some gold cord through his hat. He's now a story on a friend's tree. And, to make another one, I've discovered that I'll need to open another bottle of wine. A tragedy, to be sure.

Shine On

This tradition is simple and obvious. It's the darkest time of the year, making it the perfect time to appreciate candlelight. And if you decide to eat dinner by candlelight, it's a fairly foolproof way to disguise vegetables (and to set fire to the combustibles glued to the base of your child's candle holder --aagh!). My eight-year-old ate a squash curry the other night with nary a complaint. You can't object to what you can't see, I suppose. Perhaps that's why pioneer children ate more vegetables. They did, right?

The Not-Here-Next-Year Teacher Gift

There has been a lot of conversation around here about what to get my son's teacher. I come from a family of teachers, and they inform me that their staff room cupboards are bulging with coffee mugs from Christmases past. So, a mug is out. I've also witnessed that teachers get a lot of boxed chocolate and baked goods. My son's teacher is a runner -- fit as fiddle, thin as a pin. Scratch that idea. Teachers also get enough plants to open a small greenhouse business. Hmm. Do we want teachers to tend to plants or tend to our children? Because the whole purpose of gift giving, I think, is to communicate to someone that you appreciate them, the gesture shouldn't be, in any way, a burden to them. So, my son and I decided to give his teacher something that won't be around next Christmas: handmade soaps. These melt-and-pour soaps were so fun and easy to make, and I like the fact that my son played a huge role in their creation. It's his teacher, after all.

Other possible not-here-next-year gifts: hand-dipped beeswax candles, "busy teacher" bean soup, and handmade styrofoam block print note cards. What are your not-here-next-year ideas?