These days I keep being asked by total strangers at the store, at work: are you ready for Christmas?

I am never sure how to answer it.  I am not sure what being ready for Christmas means.  Where I grew up in Eastern Europe our Christmas is a low key affair and it’s on Jan. 7.  We gather on Christmas eve and have dinner with family.  That’s it.  As for Santa he comes on New Year Day for us and brings a little package with a toy, some sweets and fruit and nuts.

So are you ready for Christmas?  Here is something for you to put finishing touches on those gifts for your dear ones.  It won’t cost you a penny to make these gift tags.

Supplies:

* Tags (cut your own from cardstock, or if you don’t have cardstock use cardboard from cereal boxes)

* Plastic grocery sacs

* Security envelopes (from all the bills and junk mail)

* Glue (glue stick, double sided tape, whatever you have on hand)

* Alphabet stamps or a sharpie to wrest To/From

* Twine or embroidery floss or yarn or any string like thing you have around

Technique:

Start by cutting the plastic grocery sac in strips and then making little bows out of it.

Stamp To/From and adhere the bow.

A variation can be made with using the inside of a security envelope.  Cut a triangle in a Christmas tree shape.  Cut about 2″ of twine and fold it in half and adhere it to the bottom of the tree.  Adhere the tree to the tag.  Stamp To/From.

And voila….you can now officially be ready for Christmas.  Happy gift giving, happy holiday season, spread love and joy and kindness!!