Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas to Take Money, Stress Out of Christmas

As you look over the list of gifts you need this holiday season, an unsettling feeling starts. How will I pay for all these gifts? How about homemade gifts?

Gift-giving is meant to be a time for sharing how much you appreciate others, but rising prices and tight budgets take the feel-good vibes right out of gift-giving traditions. This year, take the money stress out of the holidays by turning to homemade gifts. Homemade gifts are a great way to show you appreciate someone while also adding a personal touch. Gifts don’t need to be expensive to be special. Get the family involved in the fun and you will be creating memories while making unique gifts for those who mean the most in your life. Patch explores the homemade holidays in hopes that you will find something to inspire you to enjoy the season more. Healthy options: Pack energy in a jar with healthy snacks like energy bars, dark chocolate…

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House and Home

Disorganized Beyond Belief

Columnist Lauren Kim says she's anything but a domestic diva.

If you’ve read any of my other pieces for Patch, you may know that I am anything but organized. This is despite the fact that I long to have an extra tidy and neat home, one where a neighbor could stop by unannounced and I wouldn’t be embarrassed to invite her in. My “home office” is still unpainted and is so cluttered with stuff that it’s nearly impossible to work there, and the “baby room” that my daughters no longer occupy still has their toddler beds in it, waiting to be disassembled and donated to charity. But I have made some strides in getting my home more presentable (and livable) this year. A window that has leaked for years has finally been replaced, and my husband and I added a beautiful new bay window to our living room this …

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