JANNEY: Christmas gifts get creative

I let out a horrible groan when local radio stations started playing Christmas music starting in mid-November.

The frost wasn’t thawed from my jack-o’-lantern when the Christmas decorations went up in downtown Newton.

Stores already were stocking decorations and Christmas cards when I still was buying treats for Halloween.

I hate to be the one to bemoan it again this year, but the commercialization of Christmas has gotten way out of control.

Year after year, I have been discouraged by our elevation of retail profits over Christmas charity, but when I read a man was trampled to death by a Black Friday mob at a Wal-Mart, I was aghast.

Our obsession over stuff in America, especially at a time noted for love and charity, has sickened me.

I, like many Americans, am on a pretty tight budget for Christmas this year.

I don’t want to be cheap, but I still want to show those around me I appreciate all they have done for me during the last year.

I started by making a budget for what I thought I could spend on Christmas and adding notations of what I was going to buy or make each person on my list.

Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson has a new Web site (www.governor.ks.gov/LtGov/pennypinch.htm) that offers money-saving tips, some that especially can be used during the holidays.

One of the links has a holiday budget calculator, which contains line items for food, gifts, entertainment and Christmas decorations. You can find this Web site at www.bankrate.com/dls/news/pf/holidaySpending.asp.

I am pretty crafty, so a number of people on my list are getting homemade gifts.

Homemade doesn’t have to mean cheap, but it does take some time and preplanning. Homemade gifts also can be something in which the whole family can be involved.

Last year, my sister, nephew and I made strawberry bread for my co-workers. My nephew, Philip, helped make Christmas ornaments, and we have been working on homemade wrapping paper using blank newsprint.

End rolls of blank newsprint an be purchased at the Kansan for 40 cents per pound.

Don’t forget to recycle when you’re done.

Homemade cards made using stamps, stickers, or paper or foam cutouts also can be a fun project for kids.

Presents that involve pictures can be inexpensive and add a personal touch to your gift giving.

Last year, I created albums of family photos for several family members.

I also affixed small photos of family members to a wreath as a variation on a family tree as a gift for my grandmother.

I have several similar homemade projects planned for this year, but I can’t reveal them because some of the recipients may read this column.

Your family can call a truce or exchange names.

Some extended parts of our family, such as cousins and significant others of loved ones, have agreed not to exchange gifts this year. In this case, a nice holiday card is a good substitute.

When I was younger and we had lots of children in our extended family, we exchanged names. Each person would pick a name out of a hat and only buy a present for that one person.

You can give the gift of time.

One Web site I visited suggested creating coupons for baby-sitting or house chores. I think this can be an especially good gift for children to give.

It doesn’t cost anything, and the children learn valuable lessons about giving and having a work ethic.

You could help someone else.

OK, I will admit I did drop a few hints about some stuff loved ones could put in my stocking, but I also gave family members a list of charities they could donate to in my name as an alternative gift to just buying things I probably don’t need.

In these tough economic times, when so many people are being laid off and in need, it seems only fitting we keep charities on our Christmas lists this year.

I really love the Christmas season. I love the carols, the food, the lights and the decorations.

I don’t think giving gifts should become a burden or financial hardship.

To me, a present given from the heart, not one with a big price tag, is the most valuable and truly emphasizes the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas.

Cristina Janney is news editor at the Kansan. She can be contacted at cristina.janney@thekansan.com.