For day 3 of the Schoolhouse Crew’s 5 Days of Holiday Preparation, we are talking about Gift Giving.
‘Tis the season for holiday giving! With friends, family, and neighbors to give to, holiday buying can be expensive. Now that my kids are older, they are looking to be a little more involved in the process of holiday preparations. Therefore, this year we are doing some fun, homemade presents for some of our gifts. Though we have not nailed down exactly what we are giving to whom, we have some ideas that we are playing with for homemade gifts to give out.
If you are planning to make some of your own gifts this holiday season, I hope that this list of ideas will be helpful to you. We are looking for some fun, family time as we get our gifts ready for the holiday season.
Ornaments – We get the kids ornaments each year for the tree. This year, we are going to make an ornament for each of the kids for their collection. (Maybe it will be a new tradition!) In addition, we are going to make some extras to use on the boxes of ort other Christmas presents. Here are some great homemade ornament ideas:
Calendars – I have been meaning to put together calendars for us for years. I think it’s a great way to have a personalized calendar on the wall all year as well as an excellent keepsake after the calendar year is over. If you are a picture person as we are, this is a great gift for yourself or for grandparents. What grandparent wouldn’t want to look at the calendar and see a cute picture of their grandkids? Here’s where you can make some great calendars:
Mason jars – I love the idea of the Mason jar mixes. I think they are just a great gift! The thing about these types of gifts is that you can easily personalize them for anyone and any age. I think it’s an excellent way to give a personalized, homemade gift. Another thing that I think is great is that it is typically something that you wouldn’t do for yourself so it makes a great way to give someone something that they typically wouldn’t buy for themselves. Here are some Mason jar ideas:
Art work – Another great grandparent gift is art work. Have the kids make a special picture for the grandparents, purchase a frame with a hinged front for easy removal, and then wrap the gift with a handwritten note from the kids that states they have received the gift of the Once a Month Artwork Club. Then, each month, you can send the grandparents a new piece of artwork made for them, along with a note because, who doesn’t love a quick note from the kids in snail mail. Then the grandparents can simply open the frame, put the new picture in and, viola! new artwork each month. At the end of the year, they will have a collection and an excellent representation of the year.
Night Out Boxes – Another favorite of mine, that is easy to personalize, is a “night out” box. This can be Date Night, Mom’s Night Out, Mom’s Night In, or even a box for a particular occasion or hobby. These are easy to make and personalize and can be inexpensive but fun for the recipient. Here are some examples:
- Date Night Box – include a DVD of a fun movie (maybe an oldie like “An Affair to Remember” or some newer classic like “When Harry Met Sally” or “Serendipity“), a bag of popcorn, a bottle of wine or sparkling grape juice or even a 2-liter bottle of soda and you have a date night in a box.
- Girl’s Night In Box – include a candle, tea bags, eye cream, bubble bath, and chocolate and you have a wonderful, pampering box for a friend or relative for a relaxing night in.
- Family Night Box – include a board game or a deck of cards, instructions if the game needs instructions, microwave popcorn or homemade trail mix, a 2-liter of lemonade and you have a family night box for a neighbor or sister’s family.
What are some of your favorite homemade gift ideas? I would love to hear them.
I thought of a few more gifts that your children can make at home for Christmas– Pot pouri appropriate for the season perhaps with some pine scent to make that artificial tree smell good. How about a ginger bread house to decorate the table? Use graham crackers, pretzels of assorted sizes and shapes, candy and cookies. Several children could design and work on the project together. How about some homemade fudge or cookies? Decorate brown paper bags with the children’s art work.. Grandma and Grandpa will remember these gifts forever but they will forget the ones you bought at the store. Ask them what you got them last year. I bet they forgot.
Sounds like you already have some good ideas. Are you excited?