Note from your Chief Mom Ambassador: A Christmas swap and our holiday giveaway

by Annie Douglass

How many of you love free stuff?

I certainly do. As a matter of fact, if I could give myself a nickname, it would be the “Freebie Queen”! I’m a member of freecycle.org (a community where people share and exchange gently used items for free) and I am proud to say that almost all of my kids’ clothes are hand-me-downs. Like any thrifty mom, I have a hard time saying “no” to practical things up for grabs.

To tell you the truth, I haven’t always been this frugal. But once I started to experience the joy of saving money, I became addicted. When one of my friends invited me to a toy and clothing swap party, I was in.

It was a really fun night! We all brought our gently used or unused toys, clothing—and other items to exchange with one another—and it turned out to be a great success. (I mean, who doesn’t like going shopping for free?!)

But the best part came after the swapping madness ended. Over delicious treats and coffee, we shared our ideas about Christmas traditions, recipes, crafts, decorations, and more. It was like being in a real-life version of Pinterest! We all left that night with a ton of creative ideas to make this holiday season even more memorable.

I enjoyed the swap so much that I would love to host an online “idea swap” with you. (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

Share your favorite holiday traditions, crafts, activities, or thoughts by leaving a comment on this blog post. As a special thank you, three people will be randomly selected to receive a surprise gift pack filled with green goodies. I can’t wait to hear your wise words! But hurry—the giveaway ends December 28^th. Click here for OFFICIAL RULES.

Giveaway ended Friday, December 28, 2012.
The winners are: Dawn J. from Redding, CA, Mary M. from Stephens City, VA, and Katie K. from Chicago, IL.

Annie Douglass
Chief Mom Ambassador

Susan

We go to church on Christmas Eve, then share a meal together and open gifts. Santa comes Christmas morning and we enjoy the entire day together as a family.
Cindy

Having a Christmas Craft Day — includes making fun ornaments, baking, and sharing our favorite appetizers!
http://twitter.com/Byrdy1999 Byrdy

our tradition is decorating cookies at my sister’s house the week before then we drop them off to various people…I love that!
http://mommys-freetime.blogspot.com/ Emmi

We have a tradition of opening one present on Christmas eve. It’s usually a pair of PJs. So this year my kiddos have a pair of Pjs and some Stompeez to open. I can’t wait!
http://www.facebook.com/jeannefuria.ozzimo Jeanne Furia Ozzimo

Making cookies with my mom
pam

the month of november we do a thanksgiving tree, each day we add 5 leaves (1 for each kiddo & parent) & by the end of the month the tree is fully bloomed with LOTS of leaves (things) we are thankful for!
Kim

My favorite craft so far has been the felt Christmas tree I made for my 15 month old.. I put it on the wall and made decorations with felt for her to stick on.
http://www.facebook.com/holly.weller.2012 Holly Weller

We have a tradition in our family , and that is every Christmas eve after dinner we sit around the tree, and Santas helper dropped off one gift per family member. We open it then get our cookies ready with a glass of chocolate milk and or cocoa and some carrots and celery for the reindeer. We set out our magic key so Santa can leave gifts since we have no chimney. We track Santa on the computer; then we tuck the kids in and take bets as to what time we will be awoken to celebrate Christmas!
Adrienne B.

We always have a small family get-together on Christmas Eve for reading classic Christmas stories, listening to music and reflecting on the year.
Shawnda Hicks

We make salt dough hand print ornaments every year to hang on the tree. Someday they till do the same with their children.
AuBig

Making our own Christmas cards and baking with my 2 year old daughter. This is something that my mom and I always did and now I get to share it with my kids!
Ladywolf85

Some of our traditions are…put Christmas cards we get on the front door, a star on the tree, and visiting family!
honeybees

Its all about creating memories so cooking with the kids, pumpkin chai muffins, cookies, cooking a roasted lamb and so much more. Laughter fills the air as we come together to celebrate christ, life and each other, and then i make the kids outfits so they can throw a play for our guest, they all dress up as there favorite christmas character and as we laugh play eat and after we make mosaic stepping stones for our family back yard every year we make one for our walkway so people can feel the love in our family when they come to visit there is a piece of our hearts they feel when walking up the walk way… Memories goes beyond life, Its the time spent that will make the difference on how a person represented there life, Its the little treasures in life that can make a person and what they have given priceless and memorable. so take each day appreciating every moment and the time you spent creating memories so your heart will be overwhelmed with happiness and filled with priceless love that goes beyond what this earth can give… Memories are forever.. Caution treat them with Care! Never take anything for granted, Every Word and Moment counts… Merry Christmas!
Heidi A

Every year my extended family gets together & continues to use the stockings my grandmother made when I was little. Now my kids get to enjoy the same fun I did. Between my cousins & their kids, there were almost 30 stockings on the mantel!
http://www.facebook.com/bree.brandescourtney Bree Brandes-Courtney

We loved participating in advent this year with our 2 year old daughter. Everyday she would open a little bag with an activity for us to do. We have fun pictures of building & sleeping in a fort, making snow ice cream & salt dough ornaments, looking at christmas lights, decorating the tree and lots more!
http://www.facebook.com/hollykrasna.wilson Holly Krasna Wilson

aside from the usual cookie making and holiday party’s we volunteer at a homeless shelter and have a childrens holiday party…
kamw

We all make our own ornaments each year for every person in our family.
Mary Manning

We are advent crazy. I make a candy countdown calendar for them, which my mother did for us. I wrap up 24 books and put them under the tree and a kid gets to unwrap one a night until Christmas. And the most fun is our Christmas activity countdown. We do some kind of themed Christmas activity each day until Christmas. Some are more in depth like making our own wrapping paper, making ornaments or when we make the grandparents gifts but some are simple like cocoa at dinner, driving to ook at neighborhood lights, coloring pages or spaghetti with marshmallows and watching Elf.
Kim

We make Christmas cookies/bars/treats for friends and neighbors. The kids were involved a little this year, but I expect they will continue to be more involved during the next few years. Otherwise, we are working to establish family Christmas traditions, so I am interested to see the responses.
http://twitter.com/zoehunter zoe hunter lee

This year we hosted our first family dinner with a huge amount of food, a present exchange and lots of decorated cookies. We plan on doing it every year hereforward, it was so much fun!! And delicious too..zoe lee madforfashion at aol.com http://www.everythingforana.com
Laressa

this year we are making a new memory, our new baby is due any day and since I am trying to have a VBAC I have to stay near the dr till the baby comes which means all five of us (hubby and 6,4,2 year old) moved in with my parents till the baby comes!
Amy M

We visit family on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and as able up to and throughout the New Year — have lots of family; BLESSED! I love to make cookies and candies for my friends and family. No matter what we are doing or whom we are with we always have a camera — love to take lots of pics! Most of all we are BLESSED to have a Savior born to save us!
Araina aquinones

Love. The time with the kids.
diana mathews

The first thing we do is go for mass at midnight and we come and have some milk..!
http://www.facebook.com/Needforspeed76 Dori Wedgeworth Yoder

Love it! I recently started making Mason jar “goodies” to share with family and friends, and its been the BEST! we all bring crafts and edibles ie chilli mix layered in a jar, various cookie mixies in a jar, candies, bath scents, candlesetc. We exchange and also bring lustscof our favorite freebie sites and share those!
teaswizz

We have a buffet style meal for the family, then do a family game night. Has kept the kids busy & happy!!!
Stefanie

My favorite tradition is having a cookie exchange party where I gather with friends and we share some sweet treats. It is always fun during the holidays. Also, every year I choose a child’s ornament from the Salvation Army angel tree and buy them a gift. It makes me feel good knowing I made someone else’s holiday special.
http://www.facebook.com/joanna.garcia.7315 Joanna Garcia

This year we did the whole baking cookies for santa thing and also left food outside for the reindeers we read Twas the night before Christmas and wait til morning to open presents and now are going to a shelter to give presents as well!
Mihaela Moeller

I learn to enjoy the little things of life, every day of the year, not only on Christmas day. The smile of my sweet little baby in the morning, my husband’s hug and assurance I am loved every day, but most of all, the LOVE of our Heavenly Father who sent Jesus so we learn what the meaning of LIFE is, and how to enjoy it every day.
Tatiana P

I am extremely pleased with Mom Meet and we have enjoyed sharing going green with our little ones. This experience will be passed on as our other traditions. Every year my sisters and I come from different states in the country to help my mother decorate the Christmas tree. I am completely in love with this tradition. We all have daughters and we are teaching them. My mom would let us pick out an ornament every year and it was great explaining to my nieces and daughter where each came from.
http://twitter.com/QueenOf_R_Home QueenOfOurHome

I love the idea of a Christmas swap ! A few friends and I did a miniature version this year and I plan to start a facebook group for other local moms to set up a much larger Christmas swap next year. I am also going to plan a “back to school” swap mid summer for gently used clothing. I think it will be a great way for our children to have more “new” choices to start off the school year without breaking the bank.

One of my favorite holiday traditions has to be the “Thankful Tree” each year we grab a few dead branches from a tree or bush, fill a vase with marbles, put in the branches and make paper leaves. We can each write down what we are thankful for and hang the leaves on the tree. When the season is over the leaves are easily stored in an acid free photo album to be enjoyed for years to come. It is a great way to see how the children have matured in their thinking and to remember specific things that we cherished each year.
Tracy

What a great idea!
Michelle

I would love this for my son Colton.
Nikki M.

We like to take recycled materials and make ornaments such as old cards, wrapping paper scraps, etc… The we give them to family members as gifts.
http://twitter.com/IcySupreme Icy Supremommy

My fav tradition is driving around at night looking at all the beautiful nights! I bake cookies and cupcakes as gifts for my friends every year! They love my red velvet cream cheese cupcake!
DebbieKL

Great idea! Good way to trade un-enjoyed toys for something more appropriate. For the last few years my 5 year old and I have been making handmade gifts for him to give everyone in his family. It’s usually something small, but I want to make sure he enjoys giving as much as receiving.
Jenna Lebowitz

The holidays are an amazing time to share and be kind to the earth.

Every year I am the dedicated clean up queen for all of the wrapping supplies. I go through and save all of the paper, boxes and bows to reuse for the next year. If the paper is too crumpled then I cut up small pieces to reuse for gift tags. Some years I make card sets from all of the used paper and this becomes my holiday gift for the next year. My daughter loves to help organize and add her own art to the recycled wrapping.

We also share an annual gift with our families and neighbors from our yard. We make lemon salt from our Meyer lemon tree. The whole family is involved from picking the lemons to making the labels.
Alissabeth

I remember Christmas cookies from my childhood. There was something about my grandmother bringing her tins of cookies when they visited.…or knowing where her secret stashes were when we visited her. I love baking and she has given me that love. I now share that with my children by baking her recipes with their assistance.

I’ve started a tradition with my children of using the Advent calendar. This year was just thrown together, but next year I intend for it to be more of an activity thing or do for others (donate a toy, etc.).
serilda

Our family does midnight mass to and we enjoy several days of cousins aunts uncles friends coming overduring the holidays we sing and play here there santa
http://www.storybags.org/ dawn m j

and never forget to track santa at http:www.norad.com — even my 12 year old looked up at the computer screen and said “there’s Santa” — awwww precious
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kimberly-Listrud/100000336648087 Kimberly Listrud

I like to decorate using as many found/ natural (from nature) things as I can. Use lots of pinecones, greenery for wreaths and swags, and even a branch for a mini tree.
http://twitter.com/AZBIRDLUV Cassie Farnsworth

We always cook home made pasta and sauce on Christmas in keeping with our family heritage and traditions!
http://www.facebook.com/rachel.d.79 Rachel D

I used to love love stringing popped corn with my grandmother. We also
used to make our own ornaments with a dough wed bake like cookies. Wed make food coloring paints and color everything. I love doing these things with my kids. It makes Christmas so much more meaningful and i feel like it brings us closer too.
Vanessa

For years, as children, my siblings and my mother would gather around the kitchen table to make ornaments for our Christmas tree. These are special ornaments, typical in Poland. They are stars made out of paper. You cut the paper certain directions then wrap it around a pencil and glue it shut, add string and let it dry. They are very time intensive but were a long standing tradition. This past year, I decided to surprise my mother. My daughter, brother and I sat around the table for hours and made Polish stars for my mother. She almost cried when she saw them, she was so excited!
http://www.facebook.com/melanie.palazzolo.1 Melanie Palazzolo

I am also a freebie queen. I just moved from the city to a small town and I am looking forward to helping other moms save and live green!!
http://www.storybags.org/ dawn m j

This is amazing — Kiwi being such a quality publication — it never ceases to provide a wealth of information ‚eco– crafts, recipes — the resources Kiwi helps keep one in tune with are unsurpassed–

Just this morning I pulled out a particularly festive page from the last issue (thinking well I have read it cover to cover and some) planning to make a snowflake with the page — we are sending (our group and my family) quite a few to the school in CT — lo and behold I happen to start reading the back of that page and noticed a short article that well I must have missed entitled “Grades of Green” and the site in the article and ideas therein are something I can use and am interested in — and I almost tossed it — or rather it almost became a snowflake —

Call me a dreamer, however; I believe we can share and care about our planet together and Kiwi helps me feel hopeful about our future and our children’s future.

Please thank everyone at the magazine for producing such quality journalism — they must work hard and long to create their magic — we all truly appreciate it and I am sincerely proud to be associated with your magazine.

Note from your Chief Mom Ambassador: A Christmas swap and our holiday giveaway

How many of you love free stuff?

I enjoyed the swap so much that I would love to host an online “idea swap” with you. (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

Moms Meet

Topics For Your Group

Moms Try

What Our Moms are Sampling

Blog Posts

Comments

What Our Moms Are Saying