This is a good time of year to celebrate creativity. First came Halloween, where people strive to be creative in their costumes, yard decorations, and treats. My favorites are the “scavenger hunt” costumes, where people decide at the last minute to create a costume from whatever is available around their home or office. Those costumes save money and are usually quite clever.
The flurry of assuming disguises and alter egos is a worthy lead in to November, which is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It is a challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. There are write-ins and word wars and odd challenges to include in your novel. All those minds, worldwide, creating at once — you have to feel the energy! Then Thanksgiving, where a lot of creativity goes into making that one ultimate meal.
Which brings us to December, a month dedicated to celebrating creation and birth. But there are also lots of secular opportunities for creativity in December. From decorating the yard, to decorating the house, people make creative choices. Even cookies are decorated in December. And many people are right now racking their brains to come up with creative ideas for gifts.
These tough economic times are the perfect opportunity to go retro and come up with handmade gifts — gifts from the heart. Consider donations to charity in the name of your family members. Record bedtime stories to be played to nieces and nephews. Use simple sewing techniques to make a festive apron or potholder. Gather pinecones and melt candle wax over them to make fire starters. Give children thick pads of drawing paper and the BIG box of crayons. Make mood-setting mix tapes (CD’s or files for iPods) for: relaxation, energizing, party time, exercise, and romance. Collect favorite family recipes and record them on neat new cards to send to the college students and newlyweds. There are hundreds of other things you can do to show your love without spending a lot of money.
Go forth and be creative!