The Birth of My "Bad Days Boxes" And What Goes In Them

   I wrote my first blog in November of 2009.  And one of the first stories I told, was about my bad days boxes and bags and that I always give them to each household in the family at Christmas time.

Since that time, every now and then I'll get an email or private facebook message asking me to tell someone again ... what it is exactly that I put in my boxes or bags because they have something coming up and they'd like to put one together.



Now if you've been reading long...you know...I'm just not a shopper.  I have no desire whatsoever to walk my legs off shopping for something for someone when there's a HUGE chance they're going to take it back...

SOOOOOOOOOO...years ago...I came up with my bad days boxes and bags and I've loved giving ever since....but here's how it all got started.  (And by the way...the bag shown isn't even close to the one I put together...and if we don't forget...Kim and I will take pics of mine and post them this year...MY bags are over flowing with really neat things...and just look very enticing even at first glance.

Do ya'll remember...back in about the late 1990's and I can't remember exactly when it was....but it was during one of those major 'end of time' predictions...and we were supposed to have earth quakes and just horrendous things on this date...'before' the Lord got here later that day? And maybe it was the December we went from 1999 to 2000...I just can't remember.

But a few religions were gathering their people on mountain tops...and in valleys and caves.  They had brought their most necessary personal items...and gathered at places all over the world...to be in special locations...to wait for the Lord on this specific day.

Some religions were holding 'classes'...so folks would know just what to 'do' when the Lord came...just like if some of their people weren't holding their mouth just right or something...they wouldn't be 'allowed to go'.
Even in my own family...and although we've been taught that 'no man shall know the day or the hour'...but a couple of them were getting pretty antsy. 

Survival classes were cropping up all over the country...and people were being told to stock up on pop top cans of  tuna and other non perishable pop top canned foods and crackers...and flashlights and batteries...First Aid supplies...WATER :-) Even mom got in on the idea of 'stocking up and gettin' ready'.
One day just a week or so before this 'predicted date'...I ran by mom and daddys and daddy said mom was at the Dollar Store...and I was anxious to tell her something so I said I'd just run by there and try to catch her....so I walked in the door of the Dollar Store and there was mom at the checkout...paying for 18 rolls of paper towels...I said, "MOM...WHAT are you DOING? I thought you were so sure the world was about to end in a few days...WHY are you buying all those paper towels?" She said..."Well if we have earthquakes first...we may need'em." And she was laughing so hard and so was I and there were several ladies in line behind her and they were laughing. 
Mom had the best sense of humor and she'd get tickled at the slightest thing and just laugh until she couldn't hardly get her breath...
But one of my sisters was also really worried as this day approached and she was worried about having enough canned foods and necessary supplies...and she talked about the 'bad days ahead'. 
SOOOOOO...I'm not an early shopper like I read that some of you are...and I hadn't done my shopping for Christmas yet...even though it was getting right down to the wire...so I decided to wrap up my gift buying...by putting together "Bad Days Boxes" for each household in the family.

Since some of them were so sure the world was about to end...I put together SURVIVAL boxes.  I went to the book store in Paducah and bought a magazine on Survival for each box...and I bought flashlights, batteries, candles and matches, pop top cans of food...and just all kinds of really neat 'survival' things. And then I put in a couple of fun foo foo things like good chocolate and homemade cookies...in case we were still here a while and calming down to where they could all have some fun.
 
Those boxes were so popular that year...that I decided to make it a yearly thing...and since we had survived yet another predicted 'end of the world date'...I decided to make the boxes 'fun' after that time...and I've done them every year since that day way back in the late 1990's...
Some years...I do big bags...some years I do boxes...and just cram them with unique things...and I usually have a theme...

One year...the theme was "The Gift Of Laughter"...and I just put silly things in the bags...some of the favorite 'frivilous foods' for each person...and each bag got a couple of clean stand up comedian videos...I was SO excited about these particular bags...because Billy and I just LOVE the comedian Brian Ragan...he is so funny and his humor is clean and very family oriented...he's just hilarious... so 'everybody' got one of his videos...and others...

I've put in gag gifts...delicious candies...sometimes homemade things...coffee's and creamer's and books..videos..really unique things...the skies the limit really...and the bad days boxes are a huge hit with most folks.
Kim and Kev usually start commenting early and wondering 'what's going to be in this years bad days box'...because it's tons more exciting than a sweater or coat...or even some kind of big ticket game...because these are little unique things they would never think to go out and 'buy'...and they have cash in there to go out and buy whatever they want...when they want...

I'm not one of these people that goes out and spends a big wad of money on Christmas....SURPRISE!!! Most folks buy what they want anyway...and now that the kids and grandkids are older...we give each one a fairly generous money envelope along with their bad days boxes/bags...and they can go out and buy whatever they want.
Now I LOVE LOVE LOVE...doing the bad days boxes/bags...but I can't see walking my legs off for something somebody is just going to run right out and take back on December 26th...so I just don't do that.

I'm not big on going over board on decorating either.  That may be a lot of folks cup of tea...but to me you can get waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much stuff out and it's just tacky....just my own opinion. 

We put up our tree about December 10th ..give or take a few days...and I put a wreath on the door..and that's it...I don't like a lot of Christmas stuff setting around..cluttering up our home. :-) Ho Ho Ho...
I 'do' like the aroma of Christmas in our home...and keep a box of cedar branches on the porch to toss in the fireplace now and then...or I set a coffee can with cinnamon, cloves and water inside the fireplace and that heats and the aroma of Christmas fills the air....but that's about all we do....

Christmas has become a very sad time for Billy and me with my parents and his dad gone and his mom almost deaf and with early Alzheimers...and we're just glad to get it behind us...
All "I" want for Christmas is a FUNCTIONAL LOVING FAMILY...and a one more daughter-in-law and a son-in-law...and some BREATHING ROOM WITHOUT WORRIES!!! GOODNESS that would be heavenly....

Well...I've blabbed long enough about a bunch of nothing...because most of you probably go out and buy big ticket items..and couldn't give a rip about a hoaky 'bad days box'...but whatever...this is 'me' and this is what "I" do.. :-)

Peace and love from the canyon...I love you all gobs and thanks so SO much...for stopping by

This has been a birdseye view from Round Knob Canyon and the world of the Katydid...until next time...you are loved!

There's much more to see, read and explore if you have time... Love, Favorite Home Remedies, Health, Recipes from the Kitchen in the Canyon, Gardening and Such