Christmas From Nothing, by Maggie Lindsay

A beautiful Christmas home for pennies.

59 pages of makes. Every make-do decoration, with what you'll need, the steps, the timings and what it costs.

I grew up the fourth of six bairns in a two-room fisher cottage in Fife. There was never money for Christmas, so we made it: driftwood stars, paper chains, clove oranges, holly off the kirkyard wall. This book is every one of those makes, written down properly so you can do them this week.

Digital PDF. Nothing ships. Your book opens right after you pay. 30-day guarantee.

Christmas From Nothing by Maggie Lindsay, cover

59 pages · Digital PDF

Hello from Maggie

Right, put the kettle on and sit yourself doon.

I'm Maggie Lindsay. I was born in 1950 in a two-room cottage on the harbour at Pittenweem, in the East Neuk of Fife. My father was a creel fisherman and there were six of us bairns.

We never had money for Christmas, so we made it. Stars from the driftwood, chains from the newspaper, oranges studded with cloves hanging off the pulley. And my mother had that wee house shining like a palace.

I still live in the same cottage. The whole family still comes to me at Christmas. And I still make nearly all of it from nothing. Here's how.

Maggie

“It's no' the money. It's the making.”

What's in it

Every make, start to finish.

Paper

Chains, stars, snowflakes and garlands from old books, sheet music, brown paper and yesterday's newspaper.

From the larder

Dried orange slices, clove pomanders, cinnamon bundles, salt dough ornaments, popcorn strings. Oven temperatures in °C and °F.

From the shore and the hedgerow

The driftwood star, shells, pine cones, and a wreath for nothing.

Light for pennies

Jam-jar lanterns, where fairy lights really belong, and a window the whole street can see.

A tree for nothing

Dressing a whole tree in your own makes, or making a branch tree or wall tree if you've no tree at all.

Wrapping, the table, and keeping it

Brown paper and string, a table for pennies, how to store it all, and a week-by-week making plan for December.

Look inside

Real pages from the book.

Tap a page to see it bigger.

What is inside

10 chapters, 59 pages.

IntroductionPut the kettle on
Chapter 1The Christmases We HadA two-room cottage, six bairns and not a penny to spare
Chapter 2Your Kitchen WorkshopEverything you need is already in the house
Chapter 3PaperChains, stars, snowflakes and garlands from what you'd throw away
Chapter 4From the LarderOranges, cloves, cinnamon and a bag of flour
Chapter 5From the Shore and the HedgerowWhat the sea and the hedge give you for nothing
Chapter 6Light for PenniesJam jars, fairy lights and a window the whole street can see
Chapter 7A Tree for NothingDressing a tree with what you've made, or making a tree from nothing at all
Chapter 8Wrapping for NothingBrown paper, string and something from the larder
Chapter 9The TableChristmas dinner dressed for pennies
Chapter 10Keeping ItTaking it all down, storing it right and planning next year
A Last WordIt's no' the money

How it works

Pay once. The book opens. It stays in your email.

You pay

One time, through Gumroad, the shop that handles the sale. There's nothing to cancel later.

The book opens

Right after you pay, you get a button to your book. Tap it and it opens on the phone, tablet or computer in your hand.

It stays in your email

Gumroad also emails you the same link. Keep that email and you can open the book again any time, on any device.

Not good with computers?

You don't have to be. If you can open an email, you can open this book. There's nothing to install and no program to learn. If you get stuck, hand your phone and the Gumroad email to anybody you trust. It's one tap for them.

The offer

Christmas From Nothing

$14

The full book, 59 pages, 10 chapters
Digital PDF that opens on any phone, tablet or computer
Print any page, or the whole book, at home
One payment. Yours to keep.

Get the book, $14

If it isn't for you, ask for your money back within 30 days through your Gumroad receipt.

Questions

Before you buy

Is this a printed book?

No. It's a digital book in PDF. Nothing comes in the post. You can print any page you like, or the whole book, at home.

Will it open on my phone or tablet?

Yes. Phones, tablets and computers all open a PDF on their own. There's nothing to install.

I can't find my download.

Look for the email from Gumroad about your purchase. It has a button to your book that works any time, on any device. Check your spam folder too.

Do I need special tools or a craft shop?

No. A kitchen, scissors, string, flour and an oven. Chapter 2 tells you what you've already got and what to start saving now.

Can I make these with the grandchildren?

Most of them, yes. Paper chains, salt dough and orange slices are bairn-friendly. Where something needs an adult, the book says so.

Is the type big enough?

Yes. It's set in a large, clear type with plenty of space, and you can zoom in on any screen.

Who is Maggie?

Maggie is the AI-presented character from the YouTube channel Maggie's Wee Cottage. The makes, quantities and timings are real and practical; the family memories are told in her voice.