To Buy for a Birthday or Not To Buy for a Birthday

Birthdays. Who doesn't have them? I have reason to believe most people experience a birthday at least once a year! And in a big family, they come rather regularly.

Our family gives gifts on birthdays. We celebrate with the birthday child and they get a day off chores. One of us makes a cake and we all watch the person unwrap their gifts. Yes, gifts. Presents! I don't know about you, but I find it really hard to know what to give the birthday child every year on their birthday!!

Us children don't normally buy presents for each other. Sure, we may a buy a chocolate bar or something, but we don't normally spend a massive amount of money on presents. We usually make our presents by hand.

The reason I'm putting this post up is to encourage you that you don't have to buy fancy elaborate presents. A lot of the time things you made with love and put a little time into will do just as well!

I thought for this post I might tell you some of the things we've made for each other in the past.... and then in the comments you can share what you normally do for your family's birthdays. I'd love more gift ideas because Christmas is coming up as well and I'd love lots more ideas!

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So. Here is a list of the sort of things we have made in the past (and still continue to make!) for each other.

- Baking (particularly russian fudge or caramel or something like that)

- Vouchers for an hour's work in the backyard or tidying up the house, ten free hot chocolates for redeeming, maybe a voucher for doing that person's chores for a day or so

- I sometimes write a poem for the birthday person telling them how special they are, etc.

- Handmade items are always valued. Danella made me a jewellery box for my birthday once, and I still use it! It's only made out of cardboard, but it does the trick.

- Paper mache items are good too. Lydia and Danella made Mum a vase thing out of paper mache once which was really cool.

- Making playdough for the younger children is a great idea. I always find the youngest ones the hardest to get presents for, and bubble mixture is good too.

- The younger children are hard to get presents for - apart from Lydia! If we make her a necklace or give her a few stickers she's happy!

- If you have a few scraps of wood lying around and a little sister, doll furniture is a great idea. Seriously, a chair or table or bed is not rocket science to make out of wood! Often you just need a few dots of glue and maybe a nail or two to hold it together. It doesn't need to be elaborate, and you can sew cushions or bedding to go with it, but you'd be surprised by how thrilled they get when they see it!

- And while we're on that note, sewing things. Knit items, sew a soft toy, maybe crochet something?

Gifts aren't actually that hard to make often - you just need to get creative and think outside the square. What do you normally do for birthdays / christmas gifts in your household?