Homemade holiday gifts have never been more appealing. Not only is the price right for today’s depressed economy, many people are also finding themselves drawn to the other benefits of gifts made by hand, such as:
- Being one-of-a-kind.
- Not factory made under questionable circumstances.
- Often made of recycled materials.
- Shows thought and effort went into the gift.
If you’d like to give homemade gifts this holiday season, now is the time to start. You’ll want to allow yourself plenty of time to gather the materials and work on the items. Some food and craft items also require time to age before being ready.
Here are a few popular homemade gifts, including one that is not so-very-handcrafted for those who aren’t crafty in the least.
1. Homemade flavor infused vodkas. The Internet went wild for Skittles flavored vodka, but don’t limit yourself to candy! Do a search for “flavor infused vodkas” and find a few that you know your friends and family will love. Most recipes take about two weeks to fully infuse the flavor. You can buy nice bottles with cork stoppers online at a reasonable cost or just reuse the vodka bottles. Higher quality vodkas will make a smoother drink, but you can also try the “vodka through a filter” trick to refine bargain brands.
2. Homemade baking or cooking kits. You can find hundreds of recipes for make it yourself recipe kits online. Consumable gifts are always a hit because who doesn’t like to eat and who really needs more knick-knacks cluttering up their homes?
Start doing your research now to find the perfect recipes, do a little subtle questioning re: food allergies and sensitivities and start looking for the best deals on ingredients. The holiday baking sales cycles should be starting soon, so keep your eyes open for deals on chocolate, dried fruit, flour, sugar, condensed milk and more. Club stores like Costco often have great prices on bulk nuts, spices and other pricey staples. If you have a restaurant supply house in your area, check it out to find good prices on containers, foil and other packaging.
3. Homemade salves, balms and ointments. These are very useful for those suffering the drying effects of harsh winter wind and indoor heating. You can customize your salves with essentials oils to create more feminine or masculine scents to appeal to everyone on your list. Start comparison shopping now for containers made of glass, tin or plastic for your salve. You can find everything from tiny pots for lipbalm to large containers in bulk. Allow yourself time to decorate the containers or print custom labels that explain the ingredients and when to use the ointment.
4. “Homemade” photo books. If you’re not at all crafty and/or pressed for time, having custom photo books printed for your family and loved ones is always a hit. You can have them made at a wide variety of online photo printing sites, such as Shutterfly and Kodak Picture Gallery.
Now is the time to start gathering the photos you want in your books and put them in clearly labeled folders on your computer. That way when you see a great deal or online coupon on photobooks, you can take advantage of it right away – all you’ll need to do is upload the photos, arrange them and go! Finding the photos is the most time-consuming part of the process, so having them ready and organized will let you take advantage of limited time deals no matter how busy you are with holiday prep.
If you have children, you can make books of their artwork – simply scan it in or take very good photos of it (experiment with the lighting to avoid shadows and glare!) and make your own coffee-table art books. These are wonderful gifts for grandparents and can also be given to your children as keepsakes of their childhood.
No matter what you decide to make for your friends, family and loved ones, get an early start so that you can relax and enjoy spending time with them over the holiday season. After all, your time and attention is the gift that they really want!
{ 0 comments… add one now }