What Gifts Can You Make for Christmas? 15 Unique No Fail Ideas and Instructions

In my article, "Christmas Presents can be a Family Affair" I talked about several homemade gifts that are special and unique or ways you can give them your own unique touches; making the recipient of your gift realize how special they are to you. Not only that, but you get to spend quality time with your children creating something special, the gifts and the memories. They make great gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, and instructors (for example karate, gymnastics, dance, and piano) and my babysitter loves them! Of course I add a gift card or two to her's; after I have to keep her happy.

Here are a few ideas that just about any one any age can do for the December holidays:

Create your own greeting cards. Everyone has the greeting cards from last year. Pull out your scissors and the new Crayola Tools that enable you to cut out shapes. You or an older child can also use an exacta knife. Cut out all those things you love about the previous few year's cards; the stars, the snowman, the Santa's, the houses, whatever you like. You can even cut out the statements on the inside or visit a quote site on the internet or Bible verses of your own choosing. On solid colored or white paper, you can use cards stock or scrap booking, I find the cardstock works best and I can get 50 with envelopes for just a $2.99 at Hobby Lobby. Pull out your craft glue, lay out the fronts of the cards and start glue. Want to add more dash and flair? Use paint markers or glitter glue sticks.

Create your own wrapping paper. Brown paper bags from the grocery store. Cut out the bottom of the bag and then cut down the side so you can lay it flat on a counter. You can use paint markers, poster markers, cookie cutters (for stencils); holiday stickers, (stay away from glitter it knocks off and gets everywhere including your guest hands when they open the present). You can also use tempura paint and use sponge shaped holiday stencils to sponge paint. Go free hand and you will be surprised by the creativity that everyone will have. Even the little ones can do it.

Create your own gift bag filler. I have mentioned this one before, tear out those colorful, waxy pages from your magazine. Put them through your paper shredder (make sure to empty the container first) and create your own colorful gift filler. You can use it in boxes, in shipping, and in gift bags. Use it to line the baskets or gift tins with.

Soap: beginners may want to start with a kit. Or you can purchase soap bars in a package, melt the soap down and add a little aroma therapy in the form of essential oils and pour into molds to let sit. After solid wrap in colorful saran wrap and seal with holiday stickers. My grandmother, who taught me my frugal-ness even, told me how she could take the last bits of leftover soap that no one uses, melt them down and add fragrance to make new bars.

Candles: Kits are best for beginners too. But you can purchase wax (I recommend soy, it burns cleaner) and fragrances. Melt the wax down slowly, add fragrance and place in a baby food jar to solidify. Before pouring insert some candle sticky it holds the wick in place. Insert wick and then pour.

Calendars: don't make these ho hum, but WOW WOW. Many can do this on their home computers. Create a collage of photos on the calendar page. Scan poems or old photos to make it more fun and include them in the collage. On special dates include the information such as Melinda's birthday or Rick and Lisa's anniversary. One grandmother was in the hospital for a very long period of time, she said on of the things that got her through was looking everyday at the collage of special and everyday events that her grandchildren had done. Many of the pictures went back years.

Family Tree Collage: Grab a photo frame with lots of spaces in it, pictures from past and present and a nice paint marker color is your choice. Write the family tree information on the mounting board and mount the pictures inside. You can bring tears to a grandparent's eyes.

Recipes courtesy of RecipeZaar

Peppermint Cocoa (as good as Starbucks maybe) Crush 3 peppermint stick candy in food processor until fine powder. Add to 1 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 cup non dairy powdered coffee creamer, and ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa and pulse until mixed. Add ¼ cup mix to ¾ cup boiling water. To make it with a dash-use a shot of vanilla liqueur with it and top with whipped cream. For the kids, leave out the liqueur and top with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Spiced nuts: don't purchase them for $4.00 lb or more

Heat over to 350. Spread 2 cups nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts or peanuts) on baking sheet and toast for about 6 minutes until they are fragrant and the color deepens. While baking create seasoning: In medium size bowl mix 2 tbls sugar, ¾ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp all spice, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. In a saucepan mix 1 tbs water, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tbs canola oil. Warm it until it makes glaze. Pour toasted nuts into saucepan with glaze and stir it around until coated. Pour nuts and spice mix into plastic Ziploc bag (larger freezer type) and shake. Store in tightly sealed container - out of everyone's reach. I have gone to wrap these for someone to find them all gone!

Bookmarks: You have some options: order whichever set from Oriental Trading that you like, my daughter likes the winter glitter bookmarks. The children color in the spots that don't have fabric glitter outlining the picture and then tie on a ribbon to the end. The kit is $3.95 and includes 12 bookmarks and ribbon. You can also create color sheet pages yourself on the computer and laminate them or use contact paper, hole punch the top and tie a ribbon in yourself.

Fudge: We all have a favorite fudge recipe. I have learned which one my family likes, have you? Maybe I will post my secret recipe - when I write my cookbook. In the meantime go ahead and use the ones on the back of the Eagle Brand milk can.

Christmas Ornaments: Walk through the stores. Our favorites are the wooden ones you can paint and add embellishments too. Celebrate special events from the past year and express them through the ornaments. Create a baby's first Christmas, Grandpa's 65^th birthday, John and Nicole's first married Christmas etc. or just have fun.

Holiday Placemats: Children can do this quick and easy, you may even want to have it around for holiday parties or dinner. Oriental Trading is the place to go for these foam placements. They come in a pack of 12 for $9.95. You weave alternating complementary colors through a foam base. Everything is precut so it's easy. Glue down ends and then decorate with the precut Santa or Snowman. The Snowman can be used all throughout the winter, so it's my favorite. The foam is easy for little hands and can be wiped off after dinner so you can use over and over again.

Scrap booking pages (not photo books): become a scrap booker. Buy sheets of paper and embellishments. Sit down at the table and spend an evening creating scrapbook pages for friends and family. You can put them in a small book you can purchase or carefully wrap in a box. You won't believe the oohs and ahhs you will get.

Supplies to keep on hand:

Discount store baskets and tin

Holiday/Winter Material

Ribbons

Mason Jars or Baby Food Jars

Magazines

Paper bags from the grocery store

For any of the food and drinks be sure to print out a label with instructions on what to use and ingredients. Store in mason jars, baby food jars, tins, and plastic decorative "goody" bags with ties. Jar lids can be covered with holiday cotton themed material and ribbons. For soaps and candles, place cloth in between the lid liner and the lid top. Decorate lid top. This way people can take the lid off and enjoy the fragrance and/or keep it sealed to use at another time.

My picks for Holiday Craft supplies:

Hobby Lobby is one of our favorite places for creating/making our own Christmas presents because you can casually roam the aisles and make your choices.

JoAnn Fabrics, if you have the superstore. If it just a normal fabric store with some odds and ends it may be worth the look to see if there is anything you want like baskets or ribbons, but only the superstores really carry any crafts of value.

Michaels is another one of my favorites, however, they are sometimes prices a great deal higher than the others.

Tuesday Morning sometimes carries crafting supplies and kits as Big Lots. It's a hit or miss with them but sometimes it's worth the trip. And if nothing else you can pick up the tins, containers, baskets or ribbon you need there for a fraction of the price.

Some words of warning:

Make sure to set a budget, it is very easy to spend more than you can afford or want to when you are making multiple presents at one time. Also, because there are so many choices available to you and your children it is hard to narrow them down. I admit, I am a store's worst nightmare. I choose all the things we want and then narrow it down before approaching the register. Keep three things on the side, just in case your total allows for more.

Sign up for Hobby Lobby or Oriental Trading discounts. Michaels has them also. You will get coupons in your email box almost every week, sometimes regular mail. You can spread out your purchases over time, by going to multiple places and using the discounts available. I am lucky; Michaels and Hobby Lobby are very close to each other. I stop in get what I can and leave.

Be sure to browse the discount aisle. You will be amazed what you can get there. I got several weekly planner books with notes for only $1.00, googley eyed animal books that the younger children love, and other really great stocking stuffers. The quality is usually better than the dollar store. You can even pick up holiday scarves and mittens for just a few dollars.

Kits are not always the best option: I started to purchase soy candle kits. Then I added it up. I could purchase double the amount in the box for still less than the kit costs. Convenience is not always best.

If you are ordering online be sure to leave plenty of time for shipping. If you don't you may end up paying so much for shipping you may as well go ahead and purchase the gifts. Each of these gifts takes very little time to create. Presentation is important. Think of the fine small details that would be good to go with them. For example a bag of nuts, with some fudge in a tin, top off with a mason jar with the hot peppermint cocoa mix. You will create something gourmet, your family will enjoy the time spent together and you gift will be one of a kind, just like many of your friends, family and other special people in your life.

For more information on how to handle the holidays:
Holiday Lights in Houston , Staten Island, Toledo, Ohio and Mesa Arizona
Six Can't Miss Activities for your Children during Holiday Social and Family Events
Top Ten Photography Lessons You Should Know this Holiday Season
Recipe for Stress Management during the Holidays
Plan ahead: Recipes for your Leftover Holiday Meal
Holidays are Perfect for Teaching Your Child Courtesy and Manners