If you’re anything like me . . . now that the holidays are approaching . . . you’re in full “wracking my brains“ mode! 😉

By that I mean – trying to come up with good ideas for Christmas gifts.

I’ve always said it would be a snap to shop if only I were independently wealthy. But alas, there will be no cars, nor boats, nor diamond rings for my family this Christmas – again! LOL

Having a holiday budget is far from a bad thing, though. We all know it’s the thought that counts. You just need to be more creative.

In that vein, I thought you might like to see my favorite gift given, a couple of years ago.

This Christmas version of a “money tree” was a delight to put together for my Mum & Dad.

Click photos twice to enlarge.

Because they have 6 adult children buying gifts for them, each year it becomes more and more of a challenge to come up with a new idea. They certainly don’t need more knick-knacks or gadgets!

A couple of Christmases ago, I decided to give them money, but I wanted to do more than just put it in an envelope. Money trees are nothing new, but I thought a Christmas money tree might be fun and a little out of the ordinary, too!

So, I found this pretty tabletop tree with the idea that they could “re-use” it as a holiday decoration in the future. It’s showy but doesn’t take up too much real estate when in storage, and that makes it perfect for their needs.

I gathered an assortment of bills in different denominations, rolled each one, and tied them to the branches with gold curling ribbon. As you can see, a dollar coin with little green bows served as the tree topper! (Yep, that’s Lady Liberty holding her torch.)

For the final touch, I printed a small hangtag that read:

“Sometimes money does grow on trees!”

See you tomorrow for Show and Tell Tuesday!

Hugs,