HOLIDAY WITH A NEW TWIST

Do you ever run out of ideas for the holidays? Try some of the following suggestions:

1. Instead of giving expensive gifts, draw names and give cute T-shirts or sweatshirts. (Be sure the message on the shirt fits the person to whom it is given.)

2. Make a gift for a family member. A wood carving, a rag doll, a fancy pillow for a little girl’s bed, a small scrapbook and film, a special meal, etc. (Let your imagination work overtime.)

3. Offer to read to a child on a regular basis for the next year.

4. Offer free babysitting for a limited time.

5. Offer two or three car washes for your busy family members.

6. Give a free vacation trip to an early teen grandchild. (Be sure it is to a place where he or she will have fun.)

7. Provide payment for a trip to summer camp. (Give a certificate and provide the money when the time comes.)

8. For children or grandchildren who have recently moved, give a prepaid telephone card so they can call the friends they left behind.

9. Prepare a family tree and copy it for each family member.

10. Bake “cookies-of-the-month” for families.

Talk to your family and friends. Pick their brains and come up with your own unique ideas for making this holiday less expensive but more fun! Be sure your family is in agreement with your plan to do something different.