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Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with gift lists when the holidays are approaching? Do you find yourself spending more and more money year after year. Does it take you until spring to pay for and get yourself out of debt from your Holiday purchases? If you answered yes to any of the above questions then maybe it's time you took matters into your own hands. Literally. Making and giving handmade Christmas and Chanukah gifts can be a wonderful and heart-felt alternative to the giving of the usual store bought items and much can be made at a fraction of the cost.
Whether you have children or not you are undoubtedly aware of the high cost of children's gifts. Rather than spending an arm and a leg for something your kids will either lose, break, or outgrow, try making your own presents for them to open Christmas morning. In my family we've started a tradition of making mini gingerbread houses for the kids every year. Of course you can make them any size you'd like but I find that if you make them on a smaller scale for the kids they're less likely to eat too many sweets and you can make many more for the money. Experiment with your favorite gingerbread recipe. Embellish and decorate your house with candies, nuts, pretzels, sticks of gum and various colors of icing. Add some flaked coconut snow. If you don't have enough time to bake try making your houses out of graham crackers. Even candy bars can be attached together nicely to build a cute house. Set your houses in boxes, wrap them up and place them under the tree with the rest of the gifts. You'll be surprised by how much the kids will love them and begin to look forward to a new design year after year – a wonderful family tradition.
Bath soap crayons are another inexpensive and fun treat for the kids and are incredibly simple to make. Make a bunch. Make them in all different colors and make cleaning fun. What you need is simply a regular bar of soap (preferably white), some water and various colors of food coloring. Take the bar of soap and grate it with a cheese grater. Add a few drops of water and food coloring. With your hands work the colored soap into a pliable ball. It should resemble the consistency of play dough. If necessary add more water until you've reached the desired consistency. Shape the soap into crayons. (NOTE: Thicker crayons, about 1 inch in circumference work best). Place the crayons on a paper towel and set them in a cool, dry place overnight until they have hardened. When bath time comes the kids will have a great time coloring themselves and everything else in the bathroom.
Can you sew? Do you have any scraps of material lying around? Even if your sewing skills are below average and are limited to maybe sewing a button on a shirt, wonderful heirlooms can be created in practically no time at all with very little effort and little or no cost. Homemade rag dolls are wonderful alternatives to store bought dolls. A handmade doll can become one of a little girl’s most cherished keepsakes to be saved and adored for a lifetime.
If you're looking for something to give adult family members or friends try creating something to fit their personalities. Is there a cook on your list? Try filling a wicker basket with some new kitchen utensils or fresh herbs or even herb seeds for them to start their own herb garden with. For the executive on the list do the same but fill the basket with post-it notes, a telephone/address book and a calendar for the new year. Is your recipient too busy to cook? Create “starter packets” for them to use. For example, for a muffin or cake recipe, measure all of the dry ingredients out such as flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and/or any seasonings and seal tightly in a plastic baggie. Include with the baggie the remainder of the recipe, instructions for adding any perishable ingredients, ie: add one cup milk, one half cup butter and bake for forty-five minutes at three hundred fifty degrees. This way they will have the opportunity to bake their own homemade goodies in a fraction of the time. Is the person your giving to a crafter themselves? Fill their baskets with whatever items they would most enjoy – yarn, paint, stamps, etc. If you, yourself are handy with cross stitch, knitting or crochet, all the better. Use your imagination. In as little as an evening or two you can create wonderful, one of a kind gifts.
Looking for something special to wrap your gifts up with? Do you have children? Do you have any of your children's artwork lying around? Use those scribbled and colored on papers to wrap your holiday presents. It's a great way to recycle and get your kids involved in the gift giving process. Remember, those gifts given from the heart are always more appreciated than those from the wallet.
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