To Craft or Not to Craft. That is the question.

It is the time of year when I begin thinking about Christmas gifts. I always start by trying to figure out whether or not I want to make gifts. This is always a big dilemma. Will I really save money by spending 150$ on craft supplies to make gifts for 10 000 of my closest friends? Or would I be better to make a list, and see what I could come up with in the 'ready-made' category.

There was a time when I combed the library and magazines for ideas on things I could make which would require few supplies, little skill, and yet would make maximum impact. Over the years, I have decoupaged, painted, baked, and hot-glued my way through the season. One year, I bought 100 pounds of rice, thinking that I would just quickly whip up magic bags. What was I thinking? A magic bag requires sewing. Sewing machines and I are not friends. We ate rice a lot the following year to use up the other 98 pounds.

I freely admit, that when it comes to making things, I am not very talented. For one thing, if there's any math involved (counted cross-stitch comes to mind), I get heart palpitations, since most crafts require some sort of math. Math and I are not friends either. Even if it's a scrap book, one must know how to subtract the amount of paper required from the amount of paper one started with, in order to figure out how to frame that picture just so. I have been known to conscript my husband into helping me translate crafting instructions. "How long does this need to be? How do you think I could do that? Oh, well, if you don't mind, I'd love it if you would cut that for me into the right length. While you're at it, could you make 100 more?" My husband loves it when I decide to do crafts for Christmas. NOT.

The other thing is my long-standing fear of watching someone open something I have made, and seeing them trying to figure out how to react on the spot. I see it in their eyes. "What in the world is this?" "Where in the world am I going to use this?" "Does my face look appropriately pleased with this 'WATZ-IT'?"

I' m telling you. Making Christmas crafts is stressful!

If I do learn how to make something, everyone in the studio audience gets one because I am so proud of the fact I put it together. But the inherent drawback of this technique is the boredom it generates. Been There, Done That Crafting should be the name of the 'how to' book I write. It will be a very small book. Five pages of crafts I have done. With pictures - mostly for the 'don't try this at home' results.

As a result of my many attempts at making things, my craft box (drawers) are a menagerie of little bits of ribbon , spare hot glue sticks, embossing powder, and left-over wood, which I will never look at again. Who would want to after making so many of the same thing?

In more recent years, I have defaulted to the more mundane, but less-anxiety-inducing, buying the gifts for the people on my list. I have also reduced my 'to-buy-for' list, so I don't have to think so much about what to give the second cousin of my husband's great aunt. I'm sure the second cousin won't really care if I give her something or not. At least, that's what I'm going with.