Secret Santa Stockings

What are secret santa stockings? Just that...And they're simple too. My favorite stories are those of St. Nicholas leaving gifts in people's stockings out of kindness. Can one man in a sleigh make it around the world with a gift (or many) for every child? The child in me says 'of course' and 'well, duh'. The reasonable woman in me who looks at where these stories began know the lore is much more rich than the bribe that Santa has become today. I much prefer St. Nicholas, or Kris Kringle who dropped coins in girl's stockings so they could have a dowry(not that they should need one, but its a good safeguard), and who made toys for the children of the village. What really inspires me is not the gain from these people, but the kindness that drove their actions. There are still people in the world who believe in giving for the sake of giving. There are people who give of themselves everyday, while asking for nothing in return. To me, that is the true spirit of the Holiday Season-to keep it holy, not to keep it ego-centric around the 'right' religion of the day. So, what do I do about it? Since I have brow-beaten my friends into filling my stockings for years to come, and I fill theirs for them as well. I have moved to a new level. This year, I am combining two said gifts of love, the stocking and a stress relief kit that I learned of in a class. If you search 'stress relief kit' on the internet, you'll find dozens to hundreds of variations for this. I'll go over some of the basics here that make my stockings Christmas-y. However, these stress relief kits can be made and put into small pouches anytime of year. Yuletide Stress Relief Kit 1) Hot Tea- a person never knows how strong they are until they get into hot water. 2) Hot Cocoa- a person never knows how strong they are until they get into hot milk-it's stickier. 3) Hugs & Kisses- it takes many to get through the tough times. 4) An eraser-for life's mistakes 5) A band-aid-for life's boo-boos 6) Lifesavers-for when you need to be rescued 7) A sucker-for when you feel the life is being sucked out of you. 8) A Candy Cane- for when you need to get a handle on things. 9) A bell(or two)-for when you need to be reminded to believe. 10) A string-for when you are at the end of your rope-tie a knot and hang on (optional). Variations: A penny-for positive thoughts Marbles-for when you feel you have lost yours Anything else that fits in the stocking and holds meaning to the gifter/giftee. The simplicity, put each item into an 8" felt stocking, a 4"x6" pouch/baggie(or whatever size you have on hand), and write or print the list of items in it with their meanings. The key is to give this gift in total secret, to someone who has known hard times, often in the recent past. If it cannot remain secret, its best to keep it as secret as possible for as long as possible until the recipient guesses that you did it. Then just say "Yes, I did." If they ask why, the answer is simple: "I thought you could use it," or "I was just thinking of you." I find the gift of caring is one of the best gifts one can give, and it should not be done with ulterior motives.

Stress Relief Gift Bags

I'm in the middle of sewing fleece/flannel blankets for children to sell for extra money since I've become unemployed, so this year's ideas will have to be creative. In addition to creative, I have to mail many gifts as my little brother and his delightful family moved to Florida. If I didn't have a job when they moved, I might have followed. Alas, its too late for that. Since I have a big thing for the stocking tradition of Christmas, its my favorite, I have decided that stuffing stockings for friends is a great Christmas idea. I can't say all that's going into them, but there are small inexpensive things that fill stockings pretty well. One thing I'm putting in is a stress-relief kit, or a small 'care package.' One was created for me as part of a group I participated in and it still touches me. I wish to touch others this way. So, I'm taking the scraps from the blankets I'm making, and I'm sewing flannel pouches with drawstrings and filling them. What do you put into a 3"x5" bag? All sorts of things: lip balms, cuticle cream, foot cream(tubes under 4"), small hand lotions, etc...or you turn them into an "I care/stress relief" kit and you put in the following: 1) A Band-Aid for life's boo-boos. (This is where you splurge on the peanuts band-aids, and your kids, if you have them, will thank you.) 2) An eraser-To erase your mistakes. 3) A penny-Heads up--For some positive thoughts/thinking 4) A string--for when you are at the end of your rope-you know the saying, tie a knot and hang-on. 5) A lifesaver candy-For when you need to be rescued. 6) A Hershey's hug-for when you need a hug 7) A Hershey's kiss-to kiss it and make it feel better 8) A Marble-For when you feel like you've lost yours. 9) A Bell-To help you hear the Christmas angels messages 10) A sucker--For when you feel life is being sucked out of you. These are only a small sampling of what you can put into this bag, but they do stay small. I'm including tea bags, for when we get into hot water, that's when we really learn how strong we are. So, if you get one of these from me, know that I've been thinking of you. If you don't it means I've been thinking of you in other ways. If you didn't get one, and you really want one, go make one and make one for someone else while you're at it.