Christmas For My Gal Pals

I've spent the past few weeks prepping the Christmas gifts for three of my close girlfriends with whom I exchange gifts each year.



The four of us get together for a girls' night out dinner 3 or 4 times a month. Except this month it's been just too busy to pick a date night each week with all the hectic activities.



Two of the gals are retired (one is in her 80s the other 60) and the third gal pal is just a year older than me.



Typically, I do identical gifts for each of them. It's easier to do it that way - the gifts are nothing elaborate - more useful than trinket.

This year, I selected booklet-type calendars.  I find these to be nice for jotting down a few lines about what happened on a particular day - kind of like a journal/diary.  I use these each year and occasionally like to sit down and read back through certain years to keep perspective on my life.



The calendars have a beach scene on the cover and have monthly divider pages with additional beach scenes. I decided to add a personal touch by adding their name on the front cover and made each of them (identical) bookmarks with a beach theme. I used vintage beach images from Bumble Button Antique & Vintage Graphics. She shares some pretty amazing images. I used these cute girls, the sea shells and the lady lounging on a sand bank.


I read a magazine article recently that said if you write down three good, positive things that happened to you each day, it helps with depression. Even if it is just something you smiled about, or some kind gesture you do, or someone does for you.



So I added the phrase "3 Good Thoughts Today" on one side of the bookmark . . . just for incentive.   I just used chipboard and applied the printed graphics with a thin coat of Mod Podge.  I thought about coating the bookmarks with Mod Podge but after trying it on a spare bookmark I found it wrinkled up too much and looked horrible. I was in a hurry to get these done so left as is.



I punched a hole in the top and tied a piece of blue and green ribbon - beach colors - to the bookmark and to the spiral spine of the calendar.

The girls will also each be getting a Belgium chocolate bar - wrapped up in a piece of white photo paper with my artwork added.



They'll also be getting a small LED flashlight for bedside storage - I have one in my bedside drawer and it comes in handy more times than I can count. And if they happen to already have a bedside flashlight ... hmmm, you can never have too many flashlights WITH BATTERIES!






The flashlight package I bought for each of them also came with a headlamp - with 4 settings! It will be a bit of a laugh I'm sure, but each of these ladies is single and I know when I was single and in need of a third hand to hold a flashlight for some project it would have been nice to have one of these.  Instead I had a "Snake-Light" that I'd wrap around my neck, or contort in some way to shine the light where I needed it. Trust me, they'll thank me later.



So, there we go, all their little gifts all boxed up in a pretty, reusable storage box with a bow.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

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