Inexpensive Homemade Christmas Gifts for Families: Keepsakes and Memory Makers

Since I began the series I have found more and more families that have decided that they would not exchange Christmas gifts, but they love the idea of making something for everyone. There have been a few gifts that I have been given that rank up there with precious, because they are thoughtful, even though, not expensive. I tried to prepare some here and hope that you will add some in the comments area to share with others.

A Binder of Love

Christmas is about love, family, and hope. You can create traditions for your family, or even a group of friends, and the gift is inexpensive but priceless. Email or mail, with a return envelope, a memory page to each person that will be included in the binder. Ask the recipient to write a memory from a past Christmas, growing up, a funny occurrence, or family get-together. You may have to call some of the family members that are unresponsive and transcribe what they say. Create a bookbinder with typed versions, or photocopied versions of the stories in each person's tabbed section.

Everyone will receive a binder with all the stories. You can decorate the front by creating a collage of family pictures and covering it with plastic. Clear contact paper really is nice for this. Some binders already have a plastic covering that you can insert pictures.

If you are at all computer literate, create the collage and print out on high quality paper. These albums will be cherished in years to come. We didn't have as much written materials on our parent's childhood, as we would have liked. As the end was immanent we rushed to get some information down, but missed so many opportunities earlier.

This idea came from my sister in Florida. She also sent a birthday calendar one year that had everyone's birthday on it. I was extremely handy for remembering birthdays, until I put it in that special place so I wouldn't lose it and promptly forgot where that was.

A Family Tree

Another gift that will be forever cherished came from one of my crafty, thoughtful nieces. She used one of the family tree photo holders and created a tree of heritage. This had little framed ovals that you slipped a picture in and were hung on a metallic tree. At the top of the tree she copied pictures of grandparents and put them in the holder.

She next put baby pictures of our parents, and then baby pictures of each of the sisters of the family. I was so cute as a baby that I couldn't help but keep the tree in a prominent place and point it out. I want to put, just kidding, but I do think that my baby picture is adorable. The reason that I put it in a prominent place is because it is cherished for the pictures it contains.

Give a Gift of History

My sister, the mother of the family tree gifter, chose to copy and frame old family pictures. It was simple to find them on one side of the family. Those people posed for pictures at the drop of a hat, and even though it was early 1900's there was a large amount of them to choose from.

I was given one picture that answered a lot of questions. We always tried to figure out whom my beautiful daughter looked like. Her father and I were both dark haired and tall. She is petite and blond. Since there is no mailman or milkman in my past, it remained a mystery. When I looked at the picture of my grandfather as a youth and his many brothers and sisters, I saw my daughter. There was the spitting image of her. At the bottom, the name Aunt Minnie, identified the look alike. This amazed me. My daughter had always been called Minnie, not because of the aunt, but because her voice was high and squeaky as a child and she sounded like Minnie Mouse.

The other side of the family was difficult to find, but she did include a picture that captured our family past. The gift hangs prominently on the wall.

You don't have to spend a ton of money for a cherished gift. Thoughtfulness is always the key. I wouldn't take a million dollars for these items. Okay, that is a lie. I would sell them in a tick tock for a million and get my sisters to reproduce them for pennies. They really are cherished though and worthy gifts for anyone to give.