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Step 1
MAKE EASY MICROWAVE FUDGE.
I am definitely not a cook, but a few years ago, someone showed me that I could make fudge easily in the microwave in less than 5 minutes. I was looking for an easy gift to make for my neighbors and thought that this would be a delicious one.
There are plenty of easy microwave fudge recipes online from which to choose. With common ingredients found in most kitchens including confectioner's sugar, cocoa, milk, butter, and vanilla you can make the fudge in the microwave and then put it in the refrigerator to harden. Line a holiday tin with wax paper and place squares of the fudge in the tin. Tie it with a bow and add a Christmas card. -
Step 2
PERSONALIZE A PIECE OF POTTERY.
If you havent tried painting ceramics, you need to give it a try. There are are paint your own pottery retail shops all over the country. Chances are there is one near you. When you walk into one of the studios, you will see pieces of pottery that have already been molded and bisque fired. Choose a piece of pottery to personalize. The sales associates will instruct you as to whether or not you need to prepare the pottery before painting the piece. They will also help you choose colors for your desired design.
One year when my son was younger, I helped him paint a mug for my husband. I covered my little boy's hand with paint and then we pressed it to the outside of the mug. I then wrote for him above the hand print, "WORLD'S GREATEST DAD." -
Step 3
CREATE COOKIES IN A JAR.
Another great idea for neighbors or teachers are to gather the dry ingredients for the recipient's favorite cookie recipe. You will also need to purchase a lidded mason jar. Begin to layer the ingredients inside the jar so that you can see the distinct layers on the inside. When the jar is full, cap it. Print the cookie recipe on a nice card which has a hole punched out of it on the corner. Thread a piece of ribbon through the hole and tie it just under the mason jar lid. -
Step 4
HAVE THE KIDS MAKE BREAD DOUGH CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS.
A good inexpensive Christmas gift idea for children is to make bread dough tree ornaments. When I was growing up, my sister and I would use slices of white bread and craft glue to make small amounts of dough. We would tear the crust off the bread and ball up the soft middles. We would then mix the craft glue so the bread would stick together but was not so sticky that the bread would become soggy. We would sculpt the dough into the shape of candy canes, stars, bells or use cookie cutters to cut out plain circles. Using a pen or straw, we would then make a hole at the top of the ornament for the later addition of a ribbon or hook and bake it at 325 degrees for an hour. When they were hard, we would then paint them as desired. If you want to make bigger ornaments, mix 1/2 cup of salt, 1 cup of warm water and 2 cups of flour for a bigger batch of dough. Follow the same instructions to sculpt, cut a hole at the top and then bake it in your oven at 325 degrees for an hour. Then paint them as needed. -
Step 5
SEND OUT A E-SLIDESHOW OF YOUR FAMILY.
Personal gifts mean a lot to a gift recipient. There are several websites which offer services so that you can download your family photos and make them into a slideshow that you can share and give as Christmas gifts to family and friends. See Photobucket.com for this service plus other gift giving ideas. -
Step 6
MAKE SIMPLE CANDY CANE REINDEER.
If your child wants to give Christmas gifts to all the other children in his/her class, here is a fun and inexpensive gift that you and your child can make together. Purchase a box of individually tightly wrapped candy canes, brown pipe cleaners, googly eyes, red ribbon and small red pom poms. Turn the candy cane so the the hook of the cane will become the nose. Take a brown pipe cleaner and twist it around the top of the hook of the cane so that it looks like antlers. Glue the eyes just over the hook part of the cane and then glue the pom pom at the very end so that it looks like Rudolph's red nose. Tie the red ribbon around the neck and place a little gift card with the names of who it is going to and who gave it. -
Step 7
FOR A SIMPLE TEACHER GIFT GIVE A MUG OF HOT COCOA OR TEA.
What teacher couldnt use a minute to unwind with a mug of cocoa or tea. For this gift you will need a big mug, gourmet hot cocoa mixes or individually wrapped flavored hot teas, ribbons and gift card. Being a potter, I like to make my own unique mugs for this project, but you can have your child decorate a mug at a decorate your own pottery shop or you can purchase a nice inexpensive holiday mug at any department store. Place about three packages of the tea or cocoa in the mug, tie a ribbon around it and sign the card to go with it. -
Step 8
PASS DOWN A FAMILY RECIPE.
Most of us have family memories of holiday dinners with recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation or just recipes that seem to be family favorites. A great gift idea for family members is to present the recipe in a nice font or caligraphy the recipe yourself and frame it in a small frame. The recipient can hang the gift in their kitchen. I guarantee this will trigger wonderful memories of family holiday meals whenever they pass it.
When my mother was living, she prepared all of Christmas Eve dinner herself for our entire family. She had a list of all the ingredients that she needed along with a time schedule when she would begin each dish. When she passed away, my sister found the list in my mom's own handwriting. My sister framed the list and gave it to me. It is one of the most unforgettable gifts I have ever received. -
Step 9
STENCIL YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS T-SHIRT.
For this project you need an inexpensive t-shirt, access to the internet and a printer, a piece of cardstock which can be obtained in the scrapbook section of a craft store and scissors. You will also need stencil paints appropriate for garments along with stencil brushes or fabric paints and brushes. There are many websites online which offer free Christmas themed stencils. One such site is www.fashion-era.com/Christmas-crafts_stencils_designs.html. Choose a design, and print it out onto a heavy piece of cardstock. Cut out the positive areas of the design. Tape the design to the t-shirt where you want the design to go. Paint on the inside of the opened areas of the design. Let the shirt dry at least 24 hours and follow the instructions on the paint box for cleaning instructions. -
Step 10
SUPERIMPOSE YOUR FACE ON A DANCING BODY.
Here is a fun gift idea to send to coworkers, friends and family. There are websites available that will superimpose images of your face onto a different body. There are different bodies to choose from whether it is a dancing elf or santa claus. One site that offers this service for free during the holidays is ElfYourself.com. Check it out.
Comments
tinairene said
on 11/18/2009 This is a very useful How-to and well written. Thanks for sharing these great ideas! 5*s!
fareeha1016 said
on 11/17/2009 Very creative and written in excellent details. Recommended and 5*
sallyemaycreate said
on 11/6/2009 Thanks for all of the creative suggestions as to How to Make 10 Easy and Inexpensive Christmas Gifts! I'm always looking for new ideas! Well done 5*
ladyofthelake said
on 10/25/2009 These are some new ideas. Thank you for writing this. Rec. and 5*
tinairene said
on 10/18/2009 Everyone of these ideas is perfect...yes, I mean perfect. For me, the best of them is "Pass down a family recipe". It's very easy and inexpensive to do (as you say), it's extremely thoughtful, it's a way to capture shared memories, and framing is, well..."the icing on the cake". Congratulations on another great article. 5*s!