Christmas: gift suggestions ....

... for those wanting to give something unique that gives throughout the year.

1. A subscription to mater et magister Catholic homeschool magazine. This quarterly is packed with great information for novice and expert homeschooler! There is always a unit study as well as articles about teaching the classics, literature and incorporating good books into your curriculum, handcrafts (written by yours truly!), nature study and reviews of resources. This magazine is really worth every bit of the subscription price. It is also the only Catholic home education magazine on the market.
2. A planner/calendar from Family-Centered Living. These planners are wonderful -- they are well-laid-out and include saint of the day, prayers and meditation pages, all major feasts and liturgical year celebrations as well as the traditional two-page spread with lots of space for noting appointments. There is a "man's" and a "woman's" version -- I got my dh the "man's" version and he LOVED it! I've used this planner for a few years now and really like the way Michele has it laid out. The planners are 5.5" x 8.5" and come either spiral bound or hole-punched. There are some cool add-ons: menu-planning pages and lesson planning pages!
3. Linda at Sacred Heart Books and Gifts has a marvelous selection of home-education and Catholic resources that will make fabulous gifts. I check her website and want one of everything (or pretty much anyway). Through the end of November, she's discounting things even further to clear inventory. Her prices are as good or better than Amazon's and free shipping for orders over $25 (in the lower 48 states).
4. Couldn't let a "gift giving list" go by without plugging my own book: Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family contains over two dozen original designs based on a dozen fantastic family read-alouds -- read the books and make the projects! How fun is that?????
5. As Jennifer comments below, a subscription for a family to Magnifikids would be a GREAT gift and each month the family would remember the wonderful donor.

As I come across more great gift suggestions, particularly geared to Catholic home-educators, I'll post them here! Most of these suppliers will be Catholic home-educators trying to make a living while teaching their children at home -- let's support our own!