Wow Becca! Those are some amazing ideas! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing! I do think a lot of presents add to the magic and love that you are super frugal, and stick with a theme. Way to go!

When it comes to making presents, I find it works well to have a theme. For instance last year’s theme was reading – each child got a set of bookplates (printed off the internet), a couple of hollowed-out book safes (using old books I was just going to get rid of anyway), a library bag, a reading pillow, and some book marks. All were made using materials I already had on-hand. This year’s theme is the beach – each kid is getting a beach bag, beach mat, wet bag for wet swimwear (made out of an old shower curtain – oh yes, I even reuse my shower curtains!), a seahorse softie, and a stingray softie. Again, all using materials I already have on-hand. Doing this allows me to put a lot of presents under the tree, without actually spending a lot of money on it. They get the magic, and I get to keep my bank balance intact.

Thanks Kathleen! And what a fun thing to do with your sister! And check out some of those survey sites. I haven’t used them all, but hey, some offer money just for signing up apparently!