When Money’s Tight, the Fun Doesn’t Have to Be

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An oldie, but goody, so I decided to bring this back. We all know young couples and teenagers need (and mostly prefer) money at Christmas. But giving money doesn’t have to be boring! Read on to find out how to add a ton of fun to a bit of green bling on Christmas morning!

Back in 2013, our family was going through a rough patch. Construction (family business) was pretty much at a halt, and my youngest son and my daughter-in-law were in college. These adult kiddos of mine needed green in their red stockings, not more sweaters, video games, hoodies, and jeans.

But I didn’t want to just hand them a wad of cash, or worse, a check. Where’s the fun in that? So I put my imagination to work.

When my grown-up kids arrived for our Christmas get-together, I tied a piece of twine around their wrists. I told them the twine was to remind them that when they saw twine on a gift bag or box, it was important and they needed to

PAY ATTENTION!

100_5945Clue number one. Burlap string tied to boxes, bags, and bows.

Watch for it!

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They caught on soon enough. Look carefully at the jar on the left, right below the Mr. Goodbar..

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Look at those GRINS! I’ve never seen a Mason jar full of candy elicit such a response!100_5936

And dollar store picture frames either. Who woulda thunk it??? Happy, happy, happy!!! They also recognized the Pony Express Rider, Billy the Kid, and the cute barrel racer in the picture frames. I wonder what that says about my younguns? I think my daughter-in-law still has the cute frame on the right at her house. Maybe it brings back memories of our fun Christmas when there wasn’t many big packages under the tree, but lots of little things to unwrap and search for.

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The stockings even got in on the fun. Candy canes, gum, and S&P shakers sporting their twine, and a bit of green bling..

StockingsThe funniest part of searching for all the twine and burlap bows was when My Cowboy realized there was quite a bit of green rolled up and tied to little gewgaws. He became very concerned until I assured him all green bling is not created equal. George made his appearance along with Abraham, and Alexander.

Things have changed a bit, and we now have FIVE grandchildren that makes opening Christmas presents pretty wild and fun at Christmas. But one of these days, I might have to bring back the burlap and bows Christmas. After all, in a few years, there will be five teenagers gathering at my house for Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours!

 

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In the mood for some Christmas reading?

Check out my Christmas novellas, Destination Christmas and The Evergreen Bride.

New Release!!!

Destination Christmas is also included in my Calico Trails Romance Collection, so this is the best value!