Here Comes Craftyclaus

This weekend marked (our) 4th annual attendance at a splendid little Holiday Craft Swap, and it was a good one. It’s a fun group of people we usually only see once a year (peppered with friends we see more often) — we eat, drink, and be merry, then we draw our numbers.

Yankee Swaps involve drawing numbers and then picking gifts in order — you can swap the gift you chose for another, or stay with what you unwrapped. There are some rules here — we allow multiple swaps of a gift, and you get to open the thing before you decide if you want to swap or not. There are nerves over what you’ll get/what you’ll give. There’s the anticipation of your number coming up next. There’s also the wheeling and dealing that happens as the numbers grow higher. Some people are always lucky (ABBY), drawing either high numbers or the hallowed #1, or She Who Gets To Pick Twice.

Even when I try to plan in advance, I always end up making my gift the day or two before. Last year I did an embroidery project which I actually worked on for quite awhile before the swap. This year I made mine the afternoon of the party: a homemade calendar mounted on a board with some elastic at the top for posting kitty photos (or whatever). A friend from work graciously traded whatever she unwrapped for my craft which made me feel warm and fuzzy. Sky spent 3932 hours making a little doll sized set of chairs and a table – I think our friend ended up doing some after hours trading for that one. That same friend made the craft I traded for: I’d been ROBBED of his present last year so this year I felt very vindicated. Craft exchange can get a little intense.

I also made this stuff called, kid thee not, Puppy Chow for Humans. It’s a treat that I’m often hoping will be at any given party, and this time around I realized that I’m an adult who can go to the grocery store so if there’s a party treat I always look forward to, I can make it. This power was a bit overwhelming. It means I can have a party at any time simpy by shaking some cereal in butter and chocolate. Here’s a charming photo of me posing with the ugly and delicious snack. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!