I discovered this handy little ebook in an online search and have found it to be a great resource of free Christmas sheet music.  It has well known Christmas carols and many that are not so well known. It’s called The Caroler and can be found at…
http://www.christmasgifts.com/christmas-music-book.html

It has the lyrics, sheet music, and a midi recording of each song–everything you need except guitar chords.

One drawback is that it only has older songs that are  in the public domain. The newer songs like The Christmas Song, Jingle Bell Rock, etc. are still under copyright so you will need to purchase them.  A fake book or songbook of Christmas songs is going to be a better value than individual sheet music unless you truly need only one song.

The music of the season is truly one of life’s great meaningful pleasures.

Deborah

P.S.  Do you know of any free Christmas music goodies? Please share them with us in the comments section below.

Here are a few pointers for getting the right gift for the right person.

• Know the Person – As with all gift giving, think about the person you want to give the gift to.
  • Has the person expressed an interest in playing an instrument?
  • Are they desiring a specific instrument?
  • What is the person’s musical experience?
  • What style of music do they love?
  • What are their reasons for wanting to play?

Choosing a quality instrument

If you are not familiar with musical instruments, this will take some effort, but don’t let that discourage you.

• Know Your Limitations and Get Help-
  Ask lots of questions of knowledgeable musicians who play the instrument you are considering. Be sure to ask them about facts to look for and brands they recommend.
• Online Reviews-
  Do an online search for reviews. Include the word review along with things like the type of instrument, brand, and/or model. Amazon and are a great resource for personal reviews from people who have owned the product.
• Return Policy-
  Make sure there is a good return policy just in case the instrument is not a good fit.
• Use Gift Cards-
  An instrument can be a very personal decision. A gift card allows the recepient to choose what is best for them.
• Avoid buying used or from online auctions-
  If you are not familiar with an instrument, you may want to avoid buying a used instrument or buying from online auctions. Stick with a reputable company with a good return policy.  Even the new items on the online auctions can be suspect. Many are poor quality instruments imported cheaply from overseas.

Instrument Ideas
Here are a few instrument ideas and resources for finding them.

• Simple to Learn Instruments-ukelele, dulcimer, recorder, harmonica, kazoo and many percussion instruments
• Instrument Families
  • Brass – trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba…
  • Woodwind – flute, clarinet, oboe, sax…
  • Classical Strings – violin, viola, cello and bass
  • Other Strings – guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, dulcimers…
  • Percussion – Snare drum, drum set (standard or electronic), xylophone, glockenspiel, world percussion, handheld percussion…
  • Keyboard – piano, digital piano, keyboard

An additional tip, if you can afford it, add music lessons as part of the gift. If you can’t afford to add lessons, do some research and give them the name of one or more teachers to contact. Instruction books and videos can be helpful, too.

Hoping you have musical holidays,

Deborah

Don’t worry if you don’t know much about music, you can get some advice from someone who is.  Ask a lot of questions and you can grow in your musical knowledge, too.

Here are some musical gift ideas for you to think about. (Stay tuned for more in depth discussion about some of these topics in future posts)

• Musical Instruments
• Music Lessons
• Accessories for Instruments
• Music Magazines
• Sheet Music
• Books about Music
• Biographys of Musicians and Composers
• Music Themed Gift Items (tote bags, clothing, jewelry, nick nacks, etc.)

Resources:
Here are some trustworthy businesses that carry musical items

• The Woodwind & Brasswind – Don’t let the name mislead you. They carry a full array of instruments and accessories not just wind instruments. I’ve purchased from them for over 20 years. Plus they have a 110% low price guarantee and free shipping for orders over $49.
• Sheet Music Plus – A large selection of sheet music, songbooks and guitar tabs.
• Amazon has many musical options and offers free shipping for orders over $25 (for most items)
  • Books About Music
  • Musical Instruments
  • Music Gifts
  • Music Magazines

Hoping you have a very musical Christmas,

Deborah

SERVICES: This year I am altering my brother-in-law’s pants and helping my sister get set up to sell stuff on eBay.

REPURPOSING: I do this two ways. I give quality gifts from things I already own and I take things I own and remake them into something unique.

This year I took half-zip pullovers my son has outgrown and made backpacks for the kids.

I also add decorative elements to items to personalize them and make them more interesting. Last year I used pieces of roof flashing to create a unique decorative front on a simple blank journal.

MEMORIES:  I  have my grandmother’s old everyday dishes and want to decoupage her picture and other collage items on it and give it as way to remember her.

I also want to create a scrapbook with the recipes my grandmother cooked most often.

Another idea on my list is to use decorative family tree charts I purchased on Ebay and fill them in with all of the names we’ve found so far from our genealogy research.

GROW IT: We have a small city garden and I enjoy canning. I like to think of things to make that would make good gifts like salsa or jelly. I have also done this by buying produce at the farmer’s market when it’s in season and cheap and canning that into something good.

Fresh herbs are easy and cheap to grow, but expensive to purchase. Put together a small herb garden in a planter and give away the whole thing. You can also grow them yourself in larger quantities and make a small swag or wreath of different herbs to make a nice fresh gift and can be hung in the kitchen and used for cooking even as the herbs dry.

It’s best to buy the seeds and planters during gardening season for the best availability and price.

DOWNLOADS:  If a someone has an interest in a particular subject, you can download free articles, ebooks, podcasts, videos, etc. on that subject and give them as a gift in print or CD/DVD format.

The printed items could be bound in an inexpensive binder or report cover or a coil binding from an office supply store. My library lets me copy 200 pages a month for free and I hear a lot of libraries have a similar service.

I am doing this for someone who is interested in starting a business as a life coach.

Have a Merry Christmas,

Deborah

Deborah

PS: You can still receive “Getting Personal with Your Christmas Music” for free. It’s my chapter from the ebook Saving Christmas. Go to www.ourmusicalhome.com/savingchristmas.