First of all, we all have certain definitions and expectations of what Christmas is. Of course most basic reason and definition of “Christ”mas is that we celebrate birth of Christ. (A fact that is far too often overlooked which we will talk more about in a moment.) Review following list of typical Christmas events and chores and consider in these areas what your expectations for season, and of yourself.

•Making up a gift list •Shopping for those gifts •Making, wrapping, mailing gifts •Making cards •Writing cards •Holiday baking •Getting and decorating tree •Decorating house •Putting up Christmas lights •Helping with school activities •Helping with church activities •Volunteer or charity work •Traditional holiday events (concerts, plays, festivals) •Special holiday cleaning •Preparing for houseguests •Preparing company meals •Hosting parties •Planning family gatherings •Preparing for holiday travel

Now that you’ve mentally determined your expectations, what are your resources? How much time do you have available for these extra activities? Do you work full-time or part-time outside your home? What everyday commitments do you already have? Are there other people in your family to whom these things are important and who would be willing to help? That last sentence is really an important one to analyze.

Dilemma: You have an expectation that Christmas just isn’t Christmas without having hundreds of lights gracing outside of your home, trees and bushes. But you have so many other to-do lists that you expect your spouse to take care of lights--(after all, your father always took care of that when you were growing up.) Your husband never grew up with lights on exterior of house and it just isn’t that important to him.

1. Photo transfer coasters: You can transfer photos onto many mediums, from fabric to wood. T-shirts and tote bags are popular, but why not try something really different? Purchase a set of stone coasters (You know, super-absorbent kind with cork on bottom.) Then, buy some photo transfer sheets at any craft store. Some transfer sheets allow you to print your digital photos directly onto sheets, while others allow you to photocopy a printed photo.

2. Photo Mouse pad: This is an excellent, useful gift idea for all of techies in your life. Many photo development stores (online and off) offer mouse pads printed with your favorite photograph. Another option is to buy mouse pads with an opening to add your own photo. These are nice because you can change out picture over time and they generally look as good as or even better than printed ones.

3. Photo Calendars: Photo development stores offer a variety of calendar designs where you specify your 12, or sometimes more, photos and they print and bind calendars for you. However, these are some of easiest gifts to make yourself if you have a computer and a photo quality printer. Most greeting card software offers calendar templates or you can purchase specific calendar-creating software. These make great gifts that your family will ask for year-after-year.