by Olivia Emisar

Created on: November 17, 2010

The most inexpensive home-made Christmas gifts are also fast to make. Once upon a time, I was not much of a baker, so I took my cue from some of my neighbors who could not cook, but could bake like champs.  After some practice, I realized that something really good does not need to be hard, it just looks that way.

♦ Food ♦

I once had a neighbor deliver the most beautiful bunt cakes to seven households in one day, I asked her what was her secret and she said “they are the fastest, easiest things to make.  Everything goes in at once and they come out perfect every time”.

Once they were done, she would place them in a plastic or rigid paper plate with a holiday print and wrap the whole thing up with festive color wrap and a ribbon.  They look impressive and were a wonderful addition to our holiday dessert table.

Another neighbor loved baking cookies.  Her repertoire included chocolate chip, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies.  She would whip up one batch after another of each variety and her kids would line up festive tin foil containers with rows of each variety.

Many of these were for the neighbors, others for co-workers and the better wrapped batch made it to the USPS for delivery to relatives in other states.  Those cookies were a wonderful addition to our dinner table.

Another neighbor confessed that the only baking she could do well was banana bread.  Every year she baked batches of banana bread, used a festive plate and wrapped the delicious loafs in clingy plastic wrap.  The banana bread was much appreciated Christmas morning in between opening presents.

♦ Crafts ♦

Glue pine cones with hot glue gun in a circle, affix tinsel in between the cones and colorful small ornaments.  Insert a festive candle in the middle to create a center piece for the dinner table or mantle.

Decorate inexpensive clear salt and pepper shakers with tiny ornaments by affixing them with hot glue.  A set of individual mini shakers can be found for around a dollar.  Personalize one set for each family member.

Scan a variety of pictures into your computer and use software to create an 8x11 collage of the intended recipient and his loved ones.  Frame it with a find from the dollar store.

Purchase plain ornaments and decorate them to make one-of-a-kind ornaments by decorating them with ribbon, glitter, small snowmen or little stars.  A dozen of these handmade and unique ornaments is sure to please.

♦ Gift Certificates ♦

Hand made gift certificates that offer a night of baby sitting to parents who could use a night out on the town after the holidays are over is sure to be appreciated.

Other gift certificates can be adapted to suit a variety of occasions, from friends, to children to lovers and spouses.  For instance, A dinner invitations on a specific dates, a treat to a manicure, a girl’s night out, a guy’s night out, a sleepover, a movie date, romantic evening, or a weekend-get-away.

Inexpensive gift ideas just have to be rich in imagination to suit the recipient’s personality. 

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