"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. " ~Author Unknown
Christmas in our family can never be dull with the tradition of a White Elephant Gift Exchange. For the last few years there has been a new twist to the exchange....the gift has to be handmade. That means no more pine-cones in a recycled popcorn tin (although some may argue this is handmade ). Add a little competitiveness that runs in the blood and get ready for a no-mercy, fun-filled evening. Unfortunately, I now Iive on the other coast from most my family, so I have not witnessed the exchange first hand in awhile. However, on a recent trip home I snapped some pictures of an example of what comes out of these gift exchanges. It still leaves me saying "How did you come up with that idea?".
My aunt made her own version of a family tree and personalized just about every detail. I don't even know what to call this family tree....except "Creative Family Tree"...with a beach theme twist. Any ideas? Anyway, the beach plays a large part in our family - we all love it, vacation there, and have fond memories. So she started by making a little oceanfront 'village'. Each section represents a different family. She has every single person on there and a shop/deck/church/hotel is named after what that family member does for a living, hobby, etc. We'll start with my aunt...."Joeleen's Junk & Beach Crafts". Obviously she is crafty so its quite fitting. I still look at this creation in awe. She said it took them two weeks full of afternoons cutting, painting, gluing etc.
So are you feeling up to making your own family tree...with a twist? Go for it and, of course, please share.... :)
Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!
