Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas for Neighbors

Sometimes there are so many people you are expected to give gifts to at the holidays, mostly because they bring a gift to you. Neighbors definitely fall into this category, especially when you barely see or speak to them during the year. Here are some ideas for holiday gifts you can make at home for your neighbors. Many of them can even be kept on hand for when someone unexpected drops by with a gift.

Homemade Jam. With fresh fruit in abundance during the early fall, this is a great time to make batches of jam to give to your neighbors at the holidays. Although it may seem complicated, making jam is hardly more difficult than preparing fruit for anything else such as a pie or cobbler. Once the fruit is prepared, you just add sugar and pectin, put the mixture in jars and boil them in a large pot to seal the jars. Tie a ribbon around a jar of homemade jam and attach a gift card and you have a lovely homemade gift for your neighbors.

Monogrammed Note cards. You can make beautiful, simple and easy sets of note cards for your neighbors that will be greatly appreciated when the time comes to write holiday thank yous. All you need is a set of alphabet stamps, ink, a circle punch, patterned scrapbooking paper, coordinating cardstock, adhesive and envelopes. Simple cut your paper to note card size and fold in half. Stamp your neighbors' initial on the cardstock and punch out using your circle punch. Then adhere to the front of the card. A set of five or ten of these homemade note cards with envelopes makes a lovely neighbor gift.

Marble Magnets. Personalized marble magnets are becoming and increasingly popular homemade holiday gift. A set of six coordinating marble magnets in an origami box or tied in cellophane or tulle makes a perfect Christmas gift for your neighbors. Clear, flat marbles are often sold in bags of 100 so this is a great project to do in bulk. For this project, punch images from magazines, scrapbooking paper etc. using a 1/2 to 1 inch circular punch (the same size as your marbles), or use printed monograms or your neighbors' names. Glue the face of the images to the flat side of the marble using extra strong, clear craft adhesive. Once the glue has dried, glue a disc magnet the size of your image to the back. Your gift is ready for packaging.

Treats. Everyone loves treats, and it is always helpful to have some around for unexpected guests. A plate of baked goods such as cookies, quick breads or muffins would make a wonderful gift. Many people bake several types of Christmas cookies and make up plates with all types to take to their neighbors. Candy or chocolate-dipped items are also popular. Make your own specialty or use one of the ideas in my article Easy Homemade Holiday Treat Gift Bags.

If you're not feeling creative enough for the above ideas or have run out of time, read my article called Clever Last Minute Gift Ideas for quick neighbor gifts you can put together at the grocery store.