Thursday, October 22, 2009

Homemade vs. Store-bought

I am a crafter. I make homemade decorations, accessories, hats & scarves, knitted baby blankets, baked goods, etc. Occasionally I give my crafts as gifts to others. I have noticed that the reactions of the recipients differ, and I often ponder this. Here's what I have come up with.

Homemade gifts are gifts of time, effort, and thought. Store-bought gifts are gifts of money and convenience. For example, it takes me several hours to complete a hat & scarf set, and an average of 2 months for a baby blanket! Although I spend less money on the homemade gifts, I feel better inside giving gifts that are useful and made to my specifications by my own hand. They are quality gifts with meaning behind them.

Those who understand this are always grateful. Those who do not tend to toss them aside with a barely audible, "um, thanks." I have noticed that those who understand it are usually older than I am, and those who dismiss it are my age or younger. I think my generation was spoiled and has spoiled our kids! Let's all learn a new craft and teach it to the kids in our life. It will be helpful for us and will teach them the difference between quality and convenience.

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