Don't Forget the People you Know

Although I believe making items for charity is important, it is also important to not forget to make things for people you know.

First of all, don’t bother making things for people who aren’t going to appreciate a handmade gift. If the recipient isn’t going to appreciate the time you spent, save that time for someone else and just purchase a gift.

Second, there are other people in our lives besides friends we see regularly and family. There are the people who we really appreciate, yet tend to forget. I am thinking of people like those at a doctor’s office or vet’s office that always take good care of us. It may be a cashier at a store or a waiter at a restaurant. These are people you probably won’t take the time to make a sweater for, but a small handmade gift is unexpected so it is a double treat. This year, I took ornaments for the employees at our local pet store. This is a small store (5 employees) where we get our cats’ canned food. They have been great. When we are ready to get the food, we call them with our order (on Monday), they order it for us and it is set aside and ready for us when we arrive that weekend. They are always friendly and ready to help answer questions. The ornaments I made were really quick to crochet, but when I delivered them, the recipients were so excited and touched. I once took a little jack-o-lantern to an afternoon doctor’s appointment that was on Halloween. The doctor’s face sure did light up. These are quick projects, but that little something often brings a great big smile, especially to someone who has been having a bad day.

The most important person to remember and make items for is… YOURSELF. If you see something you want to make for yourself, you have permission to stop making items for charity and other people (unless someone is paying you for it) and make something for yourself. This may seem obvious, but for some of us, we need permission to do that. At one point, I would feel guilty if I was making something for myself instead of charity. I had to consciously give myself permission to spend time on something for me. I have come to the point that I can take time to make something for myself and not feel the slightest bit guilty.