Category Archive

Christmas

Holiday gift ideas that you'd actually WANT to give (or keep!)

Secret Santa gifts that you’d actually WANT to give (or keep!)

It’s the unofficial holiday we all love to hate: BLACK FRIDAY! For some of us, this whole post-Thanksgiving weekend is going to be all about the deals and getting presents at the lowest prices we can find. It’s actually a pretty good time to find some of those inevitable white elephant and Secret Santa gifts, too.

I’ve included gifts in a variety of price ranges since there’s usually a limit or minimum when it comes to these round robin-style gift exchanges.

How to get your hands on some crocheted Christmas balls

How cool are these crocheted Christmas balls!? They were made and uploaded to our Flickr pool by Homie KissKus. Do you want to know how you can DIY, or get your hands on these cool crocheted ornaments? Check it out…

Shame kept me from sending single parent Christmas cards

Why over a decade of holiday seasons have come and gone without a Christmas card from us is complicated.

Actually it’s not! It’s because of shame; plain and simple.

I ended up feeling like I didn’t have a “right,” or we weren’t “enough of a family” to send one out. Like it was a feeling that we weren’t complete. Like somehow we were less of a family because there wasn’t a second parent, or even another child. Just me and her. Just. Only.

Tree Day, or our Christmas Before Christmas tradition

Tree Day, or our Christmas Before Christmas tradition

The end result of our Tree Day is the best of both worlds:

We get to have Christmas our way, with the just two of us, and when the real Christmas rolls around a couple of weeks later, we get to spend quality time with our families. It also serves to make the erection of the Christmas tree decorating its own special ritual, when it could be seen as just a chore.

How can I have a great big long-distance holiday?

We’re a young military family that anticipates a move soon, so we won’t be going home to visit family this Christmas. This isn’t the first time (nor will it be the last), but this year is different… It’s going to be our daughter’s first Christmas, and we very much want to include our parents. I need some advice about how to have a great big long-distance holiday! Any suggestions would be much appreciated, especially from anyone who’s done this before.

How do deal with gift-giving as your families and finances change?

Now that our brothers are over 21, do we still get them presents? And how do we tell them we don’t want them to use their limited funds to get us anything? And can we not get them presents while still buying my younger siblings presents? And what about when our siblings have kids too? We can’t afford to buy 10 kids quality presents as well as all of our other people! Plus, I don’t want our kid coming home with a truckload of gifts. How have other Homies dealt with family gift giving as their families and finances have changed?

Homies for the holidays: A festive peek inside your decorated pads

I was searching around for something to replace a Doctor Who angel Christmas tree topper (I waited too long and they’re sold out now, boo) it occurred to me that I’d LOVE to see what other Offbeat Homies have for their holiday decor.

How kitty sweaters, virtual fires, and friends saved the day I had to work on Christmas day

Last Christmas was a lonely one for me. I was separated from my family and I had to work. My heart was broken. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. After my Christmas fate was sealed, I told my group of besties about how sad I was about missing my favorite part of Christmas for work. We then decided to have our own Christmas celebration after my shift was over. The name for our shindig was not original, but it meant the world to me: Friend Christmas.